Kate Middleton: Commentator on balcony placement

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Royal watchers have been keeping a close eye on the Duchess of Cambridge. She surprised many after taking the Queen’s position on a balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth office alongside Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. This was after the monarch was forced to miss the event due to a sprained back.

While Kate’s positioning was in itself a significant event, many pointed towards the way in which she and Prince William departed the event: in the Queen’s bespoke Bentley.

The elevated position within the Firm is symptomatic of Kate’s slow but sure rise through the ranks of the family.

For a considerable length of time, William and Kate enjoyed a relatively hassle-free time in the family, with the idea of their becoming the future king and queen consort a distant prospect.

As such, their lifestyles did not always take pride of place among some senior royal members.

This included the Queen.

Before marrying William, Kate did some work for a fashion company and later for her parents’ business, but had nothing that resembled a full career.

She did, however, enjoy luxurious holidays in Mustique with her royal boyfriend.

Katie Nicholl, a royal biographer, previously claimed this was a thorn in the monarch’s side.

Writing in her 2011 book, ‘The Making of a Royal Romance’, she suggested that the Queen did not want William to propose to Kate until she was employed.

This was, Ms Nicholl claimed, in part down to Her Majesty’s dislike of the pair living a “frivolous” lifestyle.

She wrote: “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.

“If she was not with William at Balmoral, then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique.

JUST IN: Prince Harry ‘blew Charles out the water’ during royal visit to Oman

“Kate was there so often the press dubbed her ‘Queen of Mustique’, a title that had previously belonged to Princess Margaret.

“Britain was now in a recession and such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to the Queen.

“She is one of the hardest-working royals, despite her age, and that a future member of the family was without a full-time job was unacceptable to her.

“While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed an announcement should be postponed until Kate was settled in a career.”

While Kate did not have a full-time career planned after university, she did hold a handful of jobs.

She is said to have been keen on entering the world of fashion, and so worked for a short time as a buyer for the fashion chain, Jaeger.

Here, she also helped co-design a necklace.

DON’T MISS

Royal editor recalls chaos as Meghan started dating Harry [REPORT] 
Prince Harry was ‘desperate to give interview on phone hacking’ [INSIGHT] 
BBC slammed for Royal Family documentary after Diana interview [ANALYSIS] 

Kate’s parents, James and Carole Middleton, made their money from a successful party business, Party Pieces, where Kate is thought to have offered a helping hand.

Robert Jobson, a royal author, in 2006 claimed that Kate was so keen on the fashion industry that she had drawn-up plans to launch her own business.

He wrote about “[Kate’s] plans to design her own range of children’s wear with her parents”.

A friend of the Middletons told him: “She had this fashion idea and she’s decided to see it through.

“She’s always loved clothes and has a good eye for design.

“Working with her parents means she won’t be spied on if she and William do stay together.

“Kate believes she can make good money as well.”

While this job never came to fruition, it is clear to see that Kate maintains a level of passion when it comes to fashion.

She regularly wows royal watchers with her outfits, most recently at the Royal Variety Show where she re-wore an emerald green gown designed by Jenny Packham, first displayed during her tour of Pakistan in 2019.

Source: Read Full Article