Kate, Princess of Wales celebrates her 42nd birthday today (January 9), with well wishes flooding in from all over the world.
No doubt one of the most popular members of the royal family, countless column inches have been dedicated to the Duchess of Cambridge over the years.
However, there are still some little-known facts about the birthday girl – 42 of which we unearth here.
Kate, Princess of Wales 42nd birthday facts: 1. She first met William as a child
We know Kate and Prince William fell in love at uni, but they actually met a long time before that.
According to one royal expert, Kate met her future husband when she was just nine years old.
Katie Nicholl revealed that Kate’s school welcomed William’s for a hockey game.
“Although Kate wasn’t especially interested in boys, the arrival of one particular young man had caught her attention,” she said.
2. She was a child star
Yes, really!
While we all thought Meghan Markle was the only royal with a showbiz background, Kate has one too.
As a child, she modelled for her parents’ company Party Pieces.
Kate and sister Pippa reportedly wore T-shirts with their ages on while holding up cupcakes.
Cute!
3. She loves a boxset binge
Yes, she’s just like the rest of us and when she pops open a box set, Kate just can’t stop.
She’s watched Homeland and Game of Thrones with William once the kids are in bed.
The duchess is also a fan of Downton Abbey and Strictly Come Dancing.
42 facts about Kate Middleton on her 42nd birthday: 4. Her teen crush
Asked during her engagement interview if she ever had pictures of Prince William up on her wall as a child, Kate replied with a hard no.
Instead, her crush was a little more on the dishy side. Sorry, Wills!
“He wishes, no, no I had the Levi’s guy on my wall, not a picture of William,” she laughed.
5. She DID have a crush on William, though
According to Jessica Hay, who once shared a dorm with Kate at boarding school, Kate did have a huge crush on William.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl claimed: “She would joke, ‘There’s no one quite like William.’ She had a picture of him on her wall.”
Someone’s telling fibs here… ‘fess up Kate!
6. Kate’s first meeting with the Queen
Kate wasn’t formally introduced to the Queen until she’d been with William for five years.
One royal reporter said: “While William and Kate were working out the first five years of their on-off relationship, the Queen steered clear of meeting her grandson’s girlfriend.”
Apparently, on the three occasions Kate and the now late Queen attended the same events, there was “zero interaction” between the pair.
At William’s 21st birthday party, in 2003, the ladies were finally officially introduced.
7. She doesn’t like being called Kate
According to sources, back in 2008 the soon-to-be royal sent a bit of an awkward email to her friends.
Seen by some as Kate gearing up for royal life, she emailed asking them to stop calling her Kate.
Instead, she asked to be referred to by her given name Catherine.
8. Kate’s nicknames
If she doesn’t like being called Kate we’re guessing she hates Middlebum!
That was apparently the royal’s nickname at boarding school.
It came out after she apparently “flashed her bottom at the boys out of the window”.
A more family-friendly nickname Kate has admitted to is Squeak – inspired by the school guinea pig.
“There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, so my sister was called Pip and I was Squeak,” she said.
9. An English rose with American heritage
She’ll one day be Queen Consort but Kate is actually distantly related to the first president of the United States, George Washington.
The New England Historical Genealogical Social initially found the ancestral link.
And it claims Kate is in fact George Washington’s eighth cousin, eight times removed.
42 facts about Kate Middleton on her 42nd birthday: 10. A fortune teller predicted her future
Well, not quite.
As a teen, Kate played a young girl in a school play who visited a fortune teller.
Said fortune teller told the character: “Soon you will meet a handsome man, a rich gentleman,” to which Kate replied, “It is all I ever hoped for.”
The fortune teller went on to tell Kate’s character that this gentleman would fall in love with her and marry her and whisk her off to London.
What’s more, the name of the gentleman was William.
Spooky eh!
11. She also played Prince Charming
Clearly not one to shy away from the limelight, Kate was just 10 years old when she stepped up to play Prince Charming in the schools production of Cinderella.
12. Kate is a princess and a duchess
When she married William, Kate became the Duchess of Cambridge.
However, Kate is also a princess through marriage – but she isn’t entitled to call herself Princess Catherine.
Because the princess title is only given to women born as princesses – like Princess Anne – Kate can only use the title princess if she refers to herself as Princess William.
42 facts about Kate Middleton on her 42nd birthday: 13. She doesn’t carry her phone
It’s a good job she never needs to call an Uber because Kate reportedly doesn’t carry a mobile phone in her clutch bag.
While William has been seen with his iPhone, Kate doesn’t carry hers with her.
It’s said she carried just a compact mirror, lip balm, a handkerchief and blotting paper with her.
14. She’ll have no power as Queen
Although she will one day be known as the Queen of England, Kate’s role won’t be similar to that of the current monarch.
Instead, her official title will be Queen Consort, a title showing her marriage to the king.
Kate will share his social rank and status, but will have no power when it comes to political and military decisions.
15. Her wedding present from BoJo
It’s a little-known fact that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave William and Kate a pretty bizarre gift for their wedding.
He was Mayor of London at the time of their wedding, introducing the Boris Bike to the capital.
He also introduced it to Will and Kate – gifting the pair a tandem for their wedding present!
16. Kate snubs Kim Kardashian
Word of the Kate effect clearly travelled across the pond and into the ears of Kim Kardashian.
The reality TV star apparently sent Kate a range of clothing from her own line, in the hope she would wear something to an event with the Queen.
Delivering what can only be seen as a snub, Kate politely sent the clothes back!
17. She shares a name with the late Queen
Kate had a close bond with the late monarch – and also shares her name.
Her full given name is Catherine Elizabeth Middleton and, as a result, she shares her middle name with the Queen’s first name.
18. Kate has a sweet tooth
She’s super-slender but that doesn’t mean the Duchess of Cambridge doesn’t indulge sometimes.
One of her favourite desserts is said to be sticky toffee pudding – and her all-time favourite place to devour it is the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingleey, Berkshire.
19. What’s in a name?
No, we’re not talking about Kate or Catherine, but the pet names Kate and Wills have for each other.
He apparently calls her Babykins, while she calls him by the slightly more risqué name of Big Willie.
42 facts about Kate Middleton on her 42nd birthday: 20. Her cousin’s a stripper
Katrina Darling is said to be Kate’s second cousin twice removed.
And she has, perhaps, a job that isn’t usually associated with royalty.
Having posed for Playboy and Loaded magazine, Katrina is said to be a stripper.
It’s thought she and Kate aren’t in contact.
21. Hen night shenanigans
Proving once more that she’s just like the rest of us, Kate apparently wore fancy dress on her hen night.
She is said to have dressed up as Cheryl Cole – in a cut-out military-style outfit – to perform her track Fight For This Love.
22. Kate’s childhood operation
Kensington Palace has confirmed that Kate has a three-inch scar on her scalp from a “very serious operation” that she had as a child.
While no further details have been revealed, a friend from school thinks it followed an injury during a hockey match.
23. 42 facts about Kate Middleton on her 42nd birthday: Her engagement ring is worth a pretty penny
The value of Kate’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring has skyrocketed since Princess Diana wore it.
The ring is thought to have cost about £47,000 in the 1980s.
However, it’s now been estimated that it’s worth at leat £390,000 – potentially more due to its cultural importance.
24. She has quite a few titles
Depending on what part of the United Kingdom she’s in, Duchess Kate goes by different titles.
In England, she’s the Duchess of Cambridge.
In Scotland, she’s the Countess of Strathearn.
And in Northern Ireland, she’s Lady Carrickfergus.
When King Charles became monarch in September 2022, Kate was given some more titles. She became Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Rothesay.
Meanwhile, when the King appointed William as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, Kate became the Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester.
25. She’s never let William forget a rubbish gift
Kate’s clearly a woman who likes the finer things in life – or at least a little romance.
Which is why she was apparently none to thrilled when he gifted her a pair of binoculars when they first started dating.
“She’s never let me forget that,” he has said.
26. Her wedding cake cost a fortune
Kate’s mammoth wedding cake cosy a whopping £60,000.
The cake had layer upon layer of fruit cake, covered in white icing and intricate sugar flowers.
27. Kate kept several tiers of her wedding cake
As is tradition, several tiers of the eight-tier wedding cake were kept and preserved.
Three of them have since been served at the christening of her three children – and a slice has even turned up on an auction site!
42 facts about Kate Middleton on her 42nd birthday: 28. She’s worth a pretty penny
According to Forbes, Wikipedia and IMDB, the gorgeous Kate is sitting on a small fortune.
As she celebrates her 42nd birthday, Kate has an estimated worth of £10million – reportedly!
29. Her parents are multi-millionaires too!
When Kate was born, her parents weren’t particularly wealthy.
Her mother, Carole, had worked as a flight attendant and her dad, Michael, was an aircraft dispatcher.
But in 1987, Carole and Michael Middleton started a party supply business called Party Pieces.
The business took off, and the Middletons soon became millionaires.
So, although Kate’s upbringing was a far cry from a life of royalty, she was still quite privileged, growing up with plenty of money and attending exclusive boarding schools
30. She’s related to Ellen
As well as George Washington, Kate has another famous American relative.
She’s apparently related to Ellen DeGeneres.
The pair are reportedly 14th cousins twice removed – although Ellen joked Kate “refused to acknowledge it”.
Speaking on Lorraine Kelly, the star joked: “Someone did my charts, the lineage, and she is my 14th cousin twice removed. Which is better than three times removed, right?”
31. A young Kate Middleton was bullied at school
Kate is a strong supporter of anti-bullying charities. doubtless because she fell victim herself as a child.
It’s said to have happened when she moved to Downe House at the age of 14.
Kate is sid to have found the school cliquey and the other girls judgemental.
She was made fun of for being skinny and meek and, in true Mean Girls style, was even told she couldn’t sit with certain pupils at lunch.
She moved schools after two terms.
40 facts about Kate Middleton on her 40th birthday: 32. Her vital statistics
Kate is a bonafide royal clothes horse – and for good reason.
She stands gorgeously tall at 5ft 9in and wears a size 6.5 shoe!
33. She LOVES Tom Cruise
Although it was the Levi’s model she had on her bedroom wall, the Hollywood movie star Kate apparently had eyes for was none other than Tom Cruise.
It’s thought she developed the crush on Tom long before she met William.
And, if reports are to be believed, even cited Cocktail as her favourite film.
34. Kate and Wills split twice before their engagement
The couple’s split in 2007 has been widely publicised.
He is thought to have called time on the romance because he wasn’t ready for marriage.
However, a few years before this happened, the couple split again.
It’s reported that originally split in 2004 before reuniting.
42 facts about Kate, Princess of Wales on her 42nd birthday: 35. Kate can scuba dive
We all know Kate is the royal family’s very own Sporty Spice.
But did you know that she can scuba dive?
Kate got her open water diver qualification in 2015 and it’s thought she and William want their kids to do the same once they’re old enough.
36. Don’t you want me Katie
The song that was number one in the charts on the day Kate was born was Don’t You Want Me by The Human League.
37. She’s a keen rower
But sadly had to pull out of an English Channel crossing in 2007.
Kate had taken months to train with an all-female dragonboat crew called The Sisterhood.
However, she sadly had to withdraw for safety reasons.
38. First official engagement
Kate was formally introduced to public life just two months before her 2011 wedding.
She accompanied Prince William to a lifeboat-naming ceremony and the public were quickly as enamoured with Kate as William.
39. She has a ‘normal’ relationship with her sister
Pippa’s bum was the talk of the nation after Kate’s wedding, but the girls are just like another other siblings.
Back in 2014, Pippa said: “We do we have a very normal, sisterly relationship.
“We’re very close. And, you know, we support each other and get each other’s opinions and things.
“I think that’s really the heart for all of us is having a really close family that we can sort of be normal with each other, treat each other normally.”
42 facts about Kate, Princess of Wales on her 42nd birthday: 40. Three cheers for Kate!
Although she’s not much of a drinker these days, Kate co-founded an all-female drinking society while at university.
She was frustrated that all the old drinking clubs excluded women and created her own.
However, before you get any idea that Kate was downing shots of tequila, the club was less about getting drunk and more about promoting inclusiveness and empowering women.
41. Her ‘naughty’ sense of humour is what drew William to her
William and Kate have been together for yonks, but what is it that drew the future king to her in the first place?
According to William himself back in 2010, it was her “naughty” sense of humour!
“She’s got a really naughty sense of humour, which kind of helps me because I’ve got a really dry sense of humour, so it was good fun, we had a really good laugh and then things happened,” he told ITV at the time.
42. She likes swimming in cold water – especially when it’s raining
Kate has a pretty unusual hobby, we learned last year. The Princess of Wales enjoys swimming in cold water, especially when it’s raining.
The now 42-year-old made the confession during an appearance on Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad, and the Rugby, last year.
“I really generally love all sports. Personally, I love swimming. I absolutely love it. The colder the better. I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William says, ‘Catherine, you’re crazy’,” she said.
“It’s dark and it’s raining and I’ll go and seek out cold water.”
Read more: Kate Middleton reveals her traditional side as she explains what Christmas means to her
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