Kate Middleton flourished during her four-year stint at Marlborough College, although she abstained from one common rite of passage that most of her peers took part in. The Prince William’s wife enrolled at the esteemed co-ed boarding school in 1996, after reportedly being bullied at her former school, Downe House.
It’s believed that Kate felt comfortable from the get-go at Marlborough in Wiltshire, where she became a member of the school’s snug all-girls boarding house, Elmhurst. Her contemporaries spoke to the Daily Mail about their memories of her as an exemplary student, recalling her listening to her Walkman, watching Friends and enjoying Marmite sandwiches.
Ann Patching, her housemistress, remembered Kate’s fondness for lasagne and pasta bakes, but noted that she “always stayed very slim”. She also made a very close group of friends, which included fellow members of the hockey team.
But there was one thing that set her apart. According to the publication, Kate remained a responsible role model and was never caught with alcohol – unlike her friends, one of whom once confided: “A group of us used to sneak off to Reading to go drinking but she would never join us.”
Another pal, Gemma, revealed that it was when 16-year-old Kate returned to the school for sixth form after the holidays, she had transformed into “an absolute beauty”. Despite capturing attention, the future Queen experienced few romantic endeavours during that time, reports the Mirror.
Her initial kiss is said to have been shared with a boy called Woody, who was the eldest sibling of one of her best friends, Alice St John Webster. She is also said to have had a brief romance with Harry Blakelock, captain of the rugby team, which fizzled out after he left school, reportedly leaving Kate ‘heartbroken’
By the time Kate was ready to leave Marlborough College, she had made a big impact and was voted ‘Person most likely to be loved by everybody’ in her yearbook. Kate gained 11 GCSEs at the College before going on to achieve As in Maths and Art and a B in English for her A-levels.
Just like William, she took a gap year before going to university – and actually did a surprisingly similar trip, undertaking a Raleigh International programme in Chile. In 2001, she moved to St Andrews University in Scotland to study History of Art, where she met her future husband who was also on the same course.
Kate isn’t the only famous face to have attended Marlborough. Other well-known alumni include Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, war poet Siegfried Sassoon, author Dick King-Smith, singer Chris de Burgh and comedian Jack Whitehall. Kate’s younger sister Pippa Middleton, Princess Eugenie, Samantha Cameron, and Olivia Grosvenor are also former Marlborough students.