KATE MIDDLETON had to impress senior members of the Royal Family before marrying Prince William, but why did the Queen have grave concerns about Kate?
Kate Middleton snub: Royal experts say the Queen was not keen on Kate at first (Image: GETTY)
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Any couple who find their relationship becoming serious often have an awkward meet the family phase, but for Kate Middleton, there was an increased pressure when meeting her now-husband’s family. Not only did Kate have to impress her boyfriend’s father, the future King of England, Prince Charles, but she also had to give a good impression to the current monarch, William’s grandmother, the Queen. Despite now fitting in well to the Royal Family, taking on patronages and royal duties – there was reportedly a time when the Queen was not so keen on Kate.
Some royal experts have claimed that when the Queen met Kate, she initially had “grave concerns” over her relationship with Prince William.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained the Queen had not spent much time with Kate on the run-up to the royal wedding in May 2011, and was worried Kate didn’t have a status of her own before their engagement.
In her book, The Making of a Royal Romance, Katie writes: “Privately she had grave concerns and believed that Kate needed to have a job and an identity in her own right before an engagement was announced.”
Another royal expert, Phil Dampier, believed the Queen was worried about Kate’s dedication to work, claiming the now Duchess of Cambridge was not doing enough.
However, this could be down to William being protective of his future bride, not wanting to expose her to too much too soon.
Mr Dampier, who has been reporting on the royals for more than 20 years, said: “Kate was William’s girlfriend for eight or nine years before they got engaged and got married.
“There was a phase where she appeared to be doing very little really.
“The Queen once remarked Kate doesn’t do very much so I think she had a fairly long entrance to the Royal family.”
