Kate Middleton Was Criticized by Queen Elizabeth II For Not Having a Career Before Marrying Prince William
Although Kate Middleton is currently one of the most popular royals, some people expressed concerns before she joined the royal family many years ago. Most notably, Queen Elizabeth II criticized the current Princess of Wales for not having a career as a young woman. Find out why this was such a concern for the late queen.
What did Kate Middleton do before becoming a royal?
Kate grew up in a wealthy family in England. Her parents are business people who founded the party supply company Party Pieces. As a child, Kate attended prestigious schools and mingled with the country’s upper class.
In the early 2000s, Kate attended the University of St Andrews. This was where Kate met and began dating Prince William.
Kate graduated in 2005 with a degree in art history. Afterward, she moved to London and worked part-time as an accessory buyer for the clothing chain Jigsaw.
Queen Elizabeth reportedly criticized Kate Middleton for not having a career
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Queen Elizabeth reportedly did not like Kate’s lack of career ambitions.
“Privately, she [the Queen] had grave concerns and believed that Kate needed to have a job and an identity in her own right before an engagement was announced,” Nicholl wrote in the book The Making of a Royal Romance (via The Sun). “She [the Queen] is one of the hardest working royals, despite her age, and that a future member of the royal family was without a full-time job was unacceptable to her.”
Nicholl also quoted a source, who said, “Swanning from one five-star holiday resort to another is not the prerequisite for a young woman possibly destined to be Queen.”
Kate Middleton has found success with royal life
While Queen Elizabeth had initial concerns about Kate’s ability to work as a royal, Kate has actually found success within the monarchy.
Kate is a patron of many charities, including those that promote sports, mental health, and art. Since becoming a mother, Kate has also spearheaded campaigns to raise awareness for the importance of early childhood development.
Kate is now one of the most popular royals around. According to the latest poll from YouGov, she is even more popular than William.
Nicholl believes Kate’s long courtship with William in the 2000s allowed her to learn about the monarchy and what being a royal entailed.
“I think you look to the new Princess of Wales because she married as a commoner and is the first commoner in hundreds of years to marry a future king,” Nicholl told Fox News. “And she has made a remarkable success of that role. I think the 10-year courtship that she and William had was really crucial to her success as a royal. William said it at the time of their engagement, and it had been a long engagement. It gave Kate the time to … really understand what royal life was going to be like and actually [decide] if it was what she wanted.”
Nicholl also added, “It gave her time to work out what she was going to do when she became a royal. And, you know, I think it’s to Kate’s great credit as she steps into those very big shoes to fill as the Princess of Wales, that her greatest success has been to carve her own role within the royal family to create an identity of her own.”
