Who are Kate Middleton’s friends? Meet the Princess of Wales’ inner circle

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published 28 January 2023

While they are rarely seen or talked about, Kate Middleton's loyal inner circle has continuously been there to support her as she takes on more responsibility in the royal family.

It's become very clear that for outsiders joining the royal family, strong support from friends and family is necessary to stay grounded and successfully navigate royal life.
While Meghan Markle may not have found that supportive friendship in Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales has always had a loyal inner circle to rely on.
In other royal news, Kate Middleton’s ‘open’ and ‘dominant’ body language shows she is ‘super confident’ and self-assured, claims body language expert.

Royal history has shown that having a strong support network is undoubtedly the only way to successfully navigate royal life. Prince Harry's memoir Spare and the royals' Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, have both made it clear that that support was not available for Meghan as she transitioned into royal life. From Meghan's claim that Kate is not “a hugger,” to Harry admitting that Kate and Meghan simply don’t get on, the pair clearly did not want to be friends.

Luckily for Kate Middleton, she has always had a loyal group of family members, childhood friends, and schoolmates to rely on as she carries out her duties (much like non-royals and their mum friends). Now, with insight from Evening Standard, Kate Middleton's inner circle has been revealed.

Emilia Jardine-Paterson

Meeting at the meagre age of 13, Emilia Jardine-Paterson and Kate have been best friends ever since. The pair were at Marlborough College together and Emilia has even been credited as the person who first introduced Kate to William.

She reportedly introduced the couple while at a house party in the summer of 1999, when they were just 17. When Kate and William split up temporarily in 2007, perhaps due to the short-lived guilt of ever introducing them, Emilia was the one to whisk Kate off to Ibiza so she could let off some steam.

Emilia is now a successful interior designer and is said to have helped Kate pick out her interior-design schemes at both Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall. While the Princess opted for more muted colours and neutrals, Emilia is reported to have encouraged more colourful choices for the homes.

Sophie Snuggs

A lifelong friend, Sophie Snuggs is a close family friend of the Middletons and has been part of Kate Middleton's inner circle for years. The pair are so close that Sophie is Princess Charlotte’s godmother. At Sophie's wedding, she was pictured cuddling Charlotte and it is reported that she was the first person other than William or Kate to ever hold the young princess in her arms.

The friendship is still going strong, with Sophie living just round the corner from the Wales’s Norfolk retreat, Anmer Hall.

Pippa Middleton

Unlike some royal siblings, sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton have an incredibly close relationship. With just two years between them, Pippa being the youngest, it has often been said that the pair are more like best friends than siblings, always spending as much time together as possible.

They regularly go on joint family holidays and make sure to get together often for playdates with their children. In an interview with Evening Standard, Pippa revealed, "“We spend a lot of time together. We have a very normal, sisterly relationship. We're very close. And, you know, we support each other and get each other's opinions and things.”

Alicia Fox-Pitt

According to reports, Alicia Fox-Pitt is the friend Kate turns to when she needs to blow off some serious steam. After meeting through their mutual love of sports at Marlborough College, with Alicia revealing that Kate was always “a very gifted sportswoman”, the pair still see each other regularly meet up for dinner and a chat.

One story, that Kate likely wishes never came to light, reports that Kate once vomited on a train on her way home after an all-night champagne and dance party at Alicia’s.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.