Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has experienced a life that had its privileges but also did not fall short of tragedies. Raised by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, alongside her sister Pippa and brother James in Bucklebury, Berkshire, England, Kate’s early life was relatively quiet until she met Prince William at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2001.
Despite the glamour surrounding her royal life, Kate’s journey has been marked with personal hardships. During her childhood, she faced difficult times as a victim of bullying. At age 14, her parents transferred her mid-year to Marlborough College after she endured harsh treatment at her previous school, Downe House, where peers reportedly called her names and stole from her.
A childhood friend, Gemma Williamson, told the Daily Mail that Kate was “bullied very badly at her previous school and she certainly looked very thin and pale,” adding that Kate had “very little confidence” during those years.
Another school friend, Jessica Hay, remarked that Kate “hated” her time at Downe House because “some of the girls there were horrible” and that Kate was targeted because she was “perfect, well turned out, and a lovely person,” yet not the one to stand up for herself.
Kate became more resilient with age but she still faced snide attitudes, particularly from Prince William’s social circle. Royal author Katie Nicholl revealed that William’s friends would whisper insults about Kate’s background at nightclubs, mocking her as “doors to manual,” a jab at the fact her mother worked as an air hostess.
In 2019, the couple faced damaging rumors alleging Prince William had an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. These rumors distressed Kate deeply. A source told US Weekly that she found the false accusations hurtful and was horrified by the fact that her children would read about such stories one day.
The rumors resurfaced in 2024, coinciding with a period when Kate was absent from the public eye. Hanbury’s lawyers firmly denied the affair claims as “completely false.” Unknown to the public at the time, Kate was coping privately with a devastating cancer diagnosis, disclosed only later in March 2024.
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Kate’s privacy was also brutally violated in 2012 when paparazzi captured topless photos of her during a vacation with Prince William. The photos were published in a French newspaper, causing enormous distress. William condemned the invasion, saying, “The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy.” The couple sued Closer magazine and the photographers, winning nearly $120,000 in damages.
Motherhood brought further complications for Kate. Though overjoyed at her pregnancies, she suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe condition causing debilitating nausea and vomiting. Her first pregnancy in 2012 required hospitalization in its early stages, with the palace noting she would need a period of rest afterward.
This illness recurred with both subsequent pregnancies. Despite these challenges, Kate gave birth successfully to three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, each of whom she introduced publicly at St. Mary’s Hospital. She described the moment with her first child as “terrifying” during an appearance on the “Happy Mum Happy Baby” podcast.
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Kate has also experienced familial losses. In 2022, she was deeply impacted by the death of Christine Hill, a close friend who had supported her during pregnancy with Prince George.
Another emotional period came after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022 and though Kate maintained her composure publicly, it was clear that she was grieving.
Kate also faced various troubles within the Royal family. Rumors of tension with Meghan Markle surfaced early in Meghan’s relationship with Prince Harry. A notable incident before Harry and Meghan’s wedding involved a dispute over the tailoring of Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.
Media speculation suggested Kate was left in tears. Meghan, however, claimed in a 2021 Oprah interview that she was the one who cried and that Kate apologized, something Meghan had forgiven but Kate never publicly addressed.
(January 2017).
“Back in London, #KateMiddleton could also find herself overshadowed by Prince Harry’s beautiful and charismatic new girlfriend Meghan Markle.
If Harry succeeds in marrying Miss Markle, her philanthropic activities could provide Kate with serious competition.” pic.twitter.com/piTSFMMfcA
— 🍉🍋🍓Murielle 🇫🇷 🇬🇦 💛🖤+💜 (@Mu_Ri_Elle) February 11, 2023
Kate has also found herself caught between Prince William and Prince Harry amid their well-publicized estrangement following Harry’s decision to step back from royal duties. Kate has been trying her best to mend the bridge between the two brothers and that has visibly taken a toll on her.
Prince Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare painted an unflattering picture of Kate at times, revealing minor tensions such as an episode where Meghan asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss, and Kate reacted stiffly, an incident blown out of proportion by the press.
Harry also mentioned that he and Meghan had not gifted William and Kate for Easter, which caused friction, although apologies were made. Kate’s silence on such issues is part of the royal family’s longstanding code of privacy.
BREAKING: Kate Middleton “may never come back in the role that people saw her in before” after cancer treatment, a royal source has told Us Magazine.
This does not sound good. 😳 pic.twitter.com/gMovVrODmy
— Cillian (@CilComLFC) June 5, 2024
Kate’s public image has faced scrutiny as well. In 2024, a Mother’s Day Instagram post featuring her with her children drew criticism for apparent photo editing. Kate responded with an apology on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging her amateur photo editing and expressing regret for any confusion caused, though some social media users remained skeptical.
In 2024, Kate was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 42. She described undergoing early-stage preventative chemotherapy and managing the condition privately with Prince William for the sake of their young family.
By September 2024, treatment had concluded, but Kate admitted she was still not feeling fully well, emphasizing her focus on staying cancer-free and taking each day as it comes.
Kate Middleton wears a very personal necklace as she opens up about her cancer journey https://t.co/WfcAnmVz7z pic.twitter.com/XZeduQgrh9
— Tatler (@Tatlermagazine) July 3, 2025
Following her treatment, Kate needed to slow down and prioritize her health. Sources told People magazine in late 2024 that she would not be returning to her royal duties in the same capacity for some time and that she was “a different person now.”
In mid-2025, she made public appearances such as a visit to Colchester Hospital in Essex, where she openly shared the difficulties of the post-treatment phase, describing it as “really, really difficult.”
