How Kate Middleton Made Royal History When She Became the Princess of Wales

Kate Middleton became the new Princess of Wales after the death of Queen Elizabeth, assuming the title formerly held by Princess Diana. Kate made royal family history as the first college graduate to hold the Princess of Wales title. Here’s what we know about her university education and how it helped change the course of her life.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, smiles during a public engagement. — Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales | Samir Hussein/WireImage

Kate Middleton is the 10th Princess of Wales, assuming the title formerly held by Princess Diana

In September 2022, Queen Elizabeth died after ruling for 70 years. Elizabeth’s heir, Charles, became King Charles III, and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, became Queen Consort Camilla.

Charles bestowed the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales to Prince William and Kate Middleton. Kate is the first to take the Princess of Wales title since Princess Diana died tragically in a car accident in 1997.

As Charles’ wife, Camilla Parker Bowles was also technically the Princess of Wales. Due to the name’s popular association with Princess Diana, Camilla was styled as the Duchess of Cornwall instead (per Town & Country).

Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII, also briefly held the Princess of Wales title while married to Henry’s older brother Arthur, the Prince of Wales.

Kate Middleton made history as the first college graduate to become the Princess of Wales

Kate Middleton graduated from the University of St. Andrews in 2005 with an undergraduate MA in the history of art, making her the first college graduate to become the Princess of Wales. Although she reportedly wasn’t a heavy drinker, Kate co-founded a women’s drinking club at the university because she was annoyed that the existing societies excluded women.

Princess Diana, who held the title before Kate, dropped out of school when she was 16 (per Harper’s Bazaar). Camilla Parker Bowles went to college, but she did not graduate. At age 16, she traveled to Switzerland to attend finishing school. After completing her course there, she studied French and French literature at the University of London Institute in Paris for six months.

Prince William met his wife when they were studying at the same college

Attending the University of St. Andrews permanently altered the course of Kate Middleton’s life: it was there in Scotland that she met her future husband, Prince William. The couple even posed together for an adorable graduation photo.

William recognized that Kate was the one for him. “When I first met Kate, I knew there was something very special about her,” the Prince of Wales said in a 2010 interview with Tom Bradby (per ABC News). “I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there. We ended up being friends for a while, and that just sort of was a good foundation. Because I do generally believe now that being friends with one another is a massive advantage. And it just went from there.”