How Kate Middleton’s friend claimed Duchess ‘completely changed while dating William’ – Express

The Duchess of Cambridge met Prince William while she was a student at the University of St Andrews, in 2001.Their romance reportedly blossomed the year after, when they moved into a student house with two other friends and Kate split up from her previous boyfriend. Not long after they graduated in 2005, rumours began spreading that the Prince might propose to his university sweetheart, but Kate ended up waiting for a long time for the big proposal. 

For this reason, in the years leading up to her engagement, the Duchess was dubbed “Waity Katie”, as it was claimed she was simply waiting for the Prince to get on one knee and pop the question.

When the proposal finally arrived in Kenya, though, according to a 2011 Vanity Fair report by royal expert Katie Nicholl, Kate likely felt that every year she had waited was worth it.

Once the now-engaged couple returned to Britain, Ms Nicholl wrote, William and Kate told the Queen and the rest of the family. 

On Tuesday, November 16, at 11:05am, Clarence House issued a press statement via the Royal Family’s newly launched Facebook site and sent out a tweet on their Twitter page: “His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton are engaged to be married.” 

As news organisations around the world headed to Canada Gate, outside Buckingham Palace, to broadcast the news and speculate on where and when the wedding might be, William and Kate gave their first-ever TV interview.

According to the report, one of Kate’s friends from school claimed the soon-to-be-Duchess had sounded “completely different” in the interview. 

Ms Nicholl wrote: “It was the first time the world had been properly introduced to William’s girlfriend of eight years. 

“Until now most had never even heard her speak. 

“According to one of Kate’s friends from St. Andrews prep school, in Pangbourne, Kate sounded ‘completely different’.

“‘She has changed a lot,’ says the source. 

“‘The funny thing is, her voice has completely changed.’

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“There were things like learning how to get out of a carriage without exposing your modesty and learning how to bend down to get flowers from a young girl without exposing your modesty. 

“Things that you would never think you’d have to learn but, of course, a woman in her position would certainly need to know.

“There were all kinds of small details [and] little bits of etiquette – how to sit, who to curtsy to, who not to curtsy to, what fork to use and whatever else they felt she needed to know.

“She was actually given lessons on how to be a royal wife.”