Kate Middleton had a sweet connection to Prince Philip before she even met Prince William

Kate Middleton had a sweet connection to Prince Philip when she was a teenager, before she had even met her husband Prince William.

• Kate Middleton had a sweet connection to Prince Philip as a teenager, before she met Prince Harry.
• A new royal photo shows the Cambridge family in 2015, spending time with Prince Philip and the Queen at Balmoral.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after it was reported that Meghan is 'willing to forgive' the royal family in the wake of Philip's death (opens in new tab).

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Philip had died (opens in new tab) "peacefully" at Windsor Castle last week and tributes from royal fans and his closest family members have poured in ever since.

Ahead of Prince Philip's funeral (opens in new tab) on Saturday, which will only be able to welcome 30 attendees (opens in new tab), Prince William shared an unseen photo (opens in new tab) of Prince George and Prince Philip, alongside a touching tribute to his grandfather.

Prince Harry followed suit sharing a poignant statement (opens in new tab) detailing his favourite memories of his grandpa, while Princess Eugenie did the same, promising Philip (opens in new tab) that the family will 'look after Granny' for him.

The Queen has also released some private family photos to remember Philip's roles as a father, grandfather and great-grandfather. One of the adorable snaps shows Philip with seven of the Queen's great-grandchildren (opens in new tab), while another is of the Queen, Philip, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The photo, taken in 2015 before Prince Louis was part of the Cambridge family, shows the royals enjoying some intimate family time at Balmoral Castle, highlighting the close bond that Kate and William had with Philip and Her Majesty.

Since Philip's death, it's been pointed out that Kate Middleton actually had a connection to the Duke before her and William's love story (opens in new tab) had even started.

As a teenager, Catherine achieved the Gold Duke of Edinburgh award at Sixth Form at Marlborough College - before she headed off to St. Andrews University where she met Prince William.

Although, it was recently revealed that Kate and William once crossed paths (opens in new tab) years before they officially found each other.

The famous scheme was founded by Prince Philip in 1956 and millions of young people have taken on the challenge, which involves volunteering and outdoor activities, to achieve the full award.

Speaking of her experience doing the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, Hello! reports that Kate once said, "I can remember trying to cook bacon in the soaking wet.

"Everything was just sopping and I was trying and trying to cook bacon. I remember saying you know what, 'I think we're just going to have plain sandwiches. Bread, basic bread and butter'."