11 amazing facts you may not have known about Kate Middleton

The Duchess of Cambridge is one of the most photographed faces in the world. But she wasn’t always destined for a royal life.

Kate Middleton, as she was then known, was just like you or I before she married Prince William! Below, we’ve discovered 11 things you didn’t know about the Duchess of Cambridge!

Kate Middleton became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, when she married Prince William on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The Duchess is now a mother to three gorgeous little royals of her own! Kate and William are doting parents to little Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

However, although The Duchess of Cambridge is constantly in the public eye, there’s lots still to discover about the sophisticated royal. For example, do you know what Kate’s cute childhood nickname was?

Or, did you know that Kate was once a star on the stage? Find out all the things you might not have known about Kate Middleton below...

Kate Middleton facts

She used to be quite the actress

Although her acting career may have started and finished at school, Kate’s confidence performing will certainly still help her in her role as an active member of the royal family today! The Duchess of Cambridge first appeared in a school play aged 11. She won the lead role of ‘Eliza’ in classic stage musical My Fair Lady.

From meeting foreign dignitaries, to making speeches in public, we’re sure Kate’s early performance experience has helped the Duchess in her role today. Even if she isn’t required to sing solo in public anymore...

She has many musical talents

We all know that the Duchess of Cambridge is a keen sports fan, both as a player and a spectator. However, did you also know that she used to be incredibly musical? The multi-talented royal used to play the flute. Kate made use of her musical talents in the St Andrews inaugural Chamber Orchestra and a senior flute group which was apparently known as the ‘tootie-flooties’ according to the Mail.

She studied abroad before getting together with Prince William

A young Kate studied at the British Institute in Florence during her gap year. The Duchess spent three months learning a mixture of art history and Italian. She’s the first royal wife to hold a degree!

She likes to make homemade gifts - even for the Queen

MORE: 11 times Kate Middleton and Prince William broke the royal rule book

Kate admitted in her first solo television interview that she made the queen homemade, yes homemade, chutney for Christmas! The girl’s got guts! Kate said, "I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, “Gosh, what should I give her?”‘ She continued: ‘I thought, “I’ll make her something.” Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney.” Go Kate!

She has a pub named after her

When she received her royal title, the Duchess of Cambridge, a pub in Windsor was renamed in her honour.

She still likes to do her own make-up

Despite the grand affair watched by millions and the iconic designer wedding dress, Kate did her own make-up on her big day, so she felt as comfortable and confident on the occasion as possible.

At 29, Kate Middleton was also the oldest royal bride in British history. However, the Duchess of Cambridge has since been surpassed in that record by Meghan Markle, who was 36 when she married Prince Harry

She loves a glass of wine

Her favourite tipple is a glass of red wine – us too Kate! She can reportedly drink William under the table too - a woman after our own hearts.

She's pretty competitive

Kate Middleton is quite the competitor and has completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. She and her husband famously get quite competitive if they're ever out at royal sporting events together too - for example, they previously went head to head in a rowing competition - and the Duchess didn't look to happen when Wills beat her!

She is a really keen photographer

As well as doing the official photos of her family, she has also snapped away for the Middleton family website, Party Pieces, helping it to become a multi-million pound business.