From pigtails to Princess-in-waiting: Never before seen childhood pictures of Kate Middleton

By TICKY HEDLEY-DENT and TAMARA COHEN

We've grown accustomed to her face. But there is, it seems, still a lot to learn about the girl who is only eight weeks away from becoming a princess.

Yesterday Clarence House gave us a glimpse into Kate Middleton’s family photo album with five previously unseen portraits of Prince William’s fiancée posted on the official Royal Wedding website.

And although the smiling little girl in pigtails may already look vaguely familiar, there are a few surprises in the accompanying biography.


At three-and-a-half, Kate is already displaying the cheerful determination that will see her through life’s ups and downs.

In this case, it’s the hills of the Lake District before her and in pigtails and stripy jumper, she is enjoying every step of the challenge she faces. The picture was taken in the Lake District on holiday with her family in the summer of 1985.

As a teenager at Marlborough College she would go on to excel at sports, taking part in tennis, swimming, netball, hockey and athletics, as well as completing her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award which involved a four-day hike. According to the official biography, hill walking is still one of her passions, along with tennis and sailing

Miss Middleton spent part of her early childhood living in Jordan – and as the Mail has learned, could actually sing Happy Birthday in Arabic before English.
The Middletons moved to Amman while father Michael was working as a flight despatcher for British Airways. Kate’s first steps in education were therefore not in England, but at the Al-Saheera nursery school from the age of three.


I’m a big girl now, five-year-old Kate seems to be saying in this picture, taken on a summer day by her family at an unknown location in the UK. The family had been back in Britain for a year and were living in a modest home in the village of Bradfield Southend in Berkshire. There, Kate went to the village school, Bradfield Church of England Primary, and enjoyed playing rounders on the school field and swimming in its outdoor pool. Kate’s little brother James had recently been born, and it was around this time that her mother, Carole, had the bright idea of turning a hobby of making party bags into a business. Party Pieces was established soon after
The photos, all showing her sunny disposition, are part of the Palace’s efforts to ensure the country gets to know the girl who will one day be Queen. Interestingly, they are all copyrighted to the Middleton Family.
From her prowess in sporting and outdoor pursuits (she completed the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award) to her gap-year break in Chile, her university days to her work in the family business, the details of her pre-Royal years are all there.
Now she is about to start the most important chapter of her life. Perhaps those at the Palace hope these snapshots will provide some reassurance that she has the strong foundation necessary to face what the years ahead will bring.


It looks like a family holiday snap. But the Middletons were at home with the blazing sun and desert air of Jordan for more than two years. Her hair blonde in the sunshine, this is Kate aged four with her father and two-year-old sister Pippa towards the end of their previously unknown two-and-a-half year stint living in Jordan. Michael had taken a job there with British Airways in May 1984 when Kate was two, and the family set up home in the capital, Amman, where she attended a local nursery school where she is said to have picked up rudimentary Arabic. This photo was taken on a trip to the ancient Greco-Roman ruins in Jerash, 30 miles away from the Jordanian capital and near the Syrian border


Warmth and informality stand out in this picture. With William’s hand over hers, Kate cuddles into her prince, who on that day is just another graduate basking in his achievement. During the ceremony, the university’s vice-chancellor Dr Brian Lang said presciently: ‘You will have made lifelong friends... you may have met your husband or wife.’ William also made a speech saying he had ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ life at St Andrews where he had been made to feel like a ‘normal student.’ During his years there, he was sheltered from public glare and allowed to experience the freedom of student life, cooking for himself, socialising with friends, and learning how to juggle responsibilities with fun. Kate was there to help him do that and their closeness is evident in this smiling portrait


Relaxed and happy, this is said to be Kate’s parents’ favourite picture from her graduation day. She graduated from St Andrews in June 2005 with a 2:1 in history of art, while William achieved the same grade in geography, having switched courses during his first year. He did not settle into university life as well as Kate, and she is said to have been pivotal in persuading him to stay on. Graduation day is also believed to be the first time Kate and her parents met the Queen, who attended along with Prince Charles and Camilla. Kate and William returned to St Andrews ten days ago for their second public engagement together. This time they were greeted with a crowd of 3,000 and military fly-past


Kate and Wills photos 'a revelation'



source: dailymail

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