Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales and future queen of England, made a sincere and unexpected confession about the challenges of real life during a reception held at Buckingham Palace. It was at an event marking the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth that the wife of Prince William revealed what she finds most difficult about public events like that.
The princess joined King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and the rest of the active members of the British royal family to celebrate the life and legacy of the late monarch. Among the guests at Buckingham were representatives of some of the organizations sponsored by Elizabeth II and a group of centenarians who were also born on April 21, 1926, sharing their birthday with the late Queen of England.
As she spoke with a group of invited guests, Kate Middleton confessed to them that “I find it very difficult to be in environments like this. Also, I have a very soft voice, so I’m always told to speak a little louder.” The princess’s statements quickly went viral after being recorded by a fan and later shared on Twitter. The royal thus acknowledges a circumstance that, in a role she is preparing to hold, can undoubtedly be problematic.
Regarding her voice, Kate Middleton had previously revealed that her childhood nickname was Squeak, which we could translate as ‘squeak’. This nickname came from the guinea pigs they kept at home when she was small. “There was one called Pip and another called Squeak, because my sister was called Pippa and I was Squeak,” she revealed about the pets during a visit to her old school in 2012.
Kate Middleton and Her Problem with Timidity
These statements are in line with the confessions she has made over the years about her shyness. Kate Middleton became part of the royalty after her marriage to Prince William in 2011. However, during the interview she gave on the occasion of her engagement in November 2010, she recalled their first meeting and said: «De hecho, I think I turned as red as a tomato when I met you and I slipped away; I felt very shy being with you».
In 2019, during a flower fair, the then Duchess of Cambridge took a girl aside to chat quietly in a small tent and told her that she herself used to go there when she felt self-conscious. The girl’s mother later told Hello! magazine that her daughter is also shy and “doesn’t talk much with people” and Kate took her to chat for a while. She was very kind.
Kate Middleton, during the reception in Buckinhgam for the centenary of Elizabeth II.
The Princess of Wales can understand this difficult circumstance perfectly. When she was only 13, her parents moved her to a new and elegant all-girls school called Downe House, where she suffered bullying. This is described by royal biographer Katie Nicholl in the book Kate: The Future Queen.
«Disappointed for not being part of a sports team and shy compared to some of her more outgoing classmates, Kate withdrew into her shell», the book reads. «She found the exclusively female environment alienating and had little in common with many of the wealthy students who owned ponies and came from high-society families».
The Royal Rule the Princess of Wales Breaks
This has not been the only time Kate Middleton has confessed that royal engagements are difficult for her. In a 2016 documentary, she commented that there is a protocol rule she tends to forget when talking with fans during events. «There is an entire art to walking among the people; everyone in the family teases me because I spend too long chatting. I suppose I still have to learn a little more and pick up a few more tricks.»
The Princess of Wales is known for being especially generous with her time during the Windsor appearances. For example, it is common for her to fall behind her family in the traditional Christmas walk at Sandringham, as she tends to entertain herself by chatting with the people who come to Norfolk to see the royal family.
