In the years before Kate married Prince William in 2011 and became a princess, the late Queen Elizabeth had a few gripes with Kate’s lifestyle, prompting a stern conversation about her future
07:00, 13 Sep 2025Updated 10:22, 13 Sep 2025
The Princess of Wales with the late Queen (Image: Getty Images)
Before the Princess of Wales married Prince William in 2011 and became a senior working member of the royal family, Kate was a fresh graduate from university and enjoying her life with her then famous boyfriend..
The couple enjoyed numerous holidays together, and while the world was fascinated with their relationship and waiting for an engagement, it was reported that one person was not all too happy: the late Queen Elizabeth.
While royal expert Richard Kay described Kate and the Queen as sharing a “grandmotherly” bond, one book claimed there was a time that Queen Elizabeth had a small concern about the now princess.
The two women at the Chelsea Flower Show (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
During the years between when Kate and William graduated university in 2005 and their engagement in 2010, the Queen was reportedly concerned about the couple’s frequent holidays and began to worry about Kate not having a job.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the Queen was concerned about how the trips away looked to the public, given that much of the UK was struggling through a recession at the time.
Writing in her book titled William and Harry, Nicholl wrote: “If Kate was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique. Kate was there so often the press dubbed her Queen of Mustique, a title that had previously belonged to Princess Margaret.”
Nicholl added: “Such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to the Queen. While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed an announcement should be postponed until Kate was settled in a career.”
One insider told Nicholl at the time that “it is Her Majesty’s opinion that if Kate is one day going to be William’s consort, then she needs a proper job.”
The two on an engagement after Kate married William(Image: Getty Images)
At the time, MailOnline reported that sources close to the Queen were concerned how the public image of Prince William, and the royal family as a whole, would slip if the future King’s partner was not recognised as a working professional in her own right.
A senior royal aide told The Mail at the time: “The Queen has had conversations with a few trusted friends about how to tackle what is being called the Kate problem. On the few occasions the Queen has met Kate, she has thought she is a nice enough girl. But the Queen has admitted she has no idea what Kate actually does.
“Although they are not yet engaged, it seems more likely than not that Kate will be a Royal bride one day, and the Queen is of the opinion that Kate should be working. She believes in a modern Monarchy and feels very strongly that the Royals should be leading by example.”
In June 2008, three years after leaving St Andrew’s University with a 2:1 in art history, Kate was working for her parents’ mail-order company, Party Pieces.
She quit her job as an accessories buyer for Jigsaw at the end of the previous year and announced that she wanted to pursue a career as a photographer.
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