The Tragedy Of Kate Middleton Gets Sadder & Sadder

Kate Middleton was raised by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, along with her sister, Pippa, and brother, James, in Bucklebury, Berkshire, England. She lived a relatively quiet life until she met her now-husband, Prince William, while attending the University of St Andrews in Scotland back in 2001. The two started dating two years later, and Kate’s life changed drastically — she was dating the future King of England, after all. 

Over the years, one thing about Kate has become abundantly clear: her life has been filled with tragedy. From being bullied in school as a young child to becoming scrutinized by the public after marrying into the royal family, Kate has had to roll with many punches thrown her way. After she became a mom, things would change yet again, perhaps in ways that no one could have prepared her for.

Flash forward to more recent times, and the Princess of Wales has been plagued with serious health issues, including a cancer diagnosis that would change her life forever. Although Kate is was in remission, having cancer at such a young age while raising young children at home absolutely took its toll. And while Kate held her head high and flashed plenty of big smiles while making public appearances, there was undoubtedly a great deal of heartbreak underneath it all.

Believe it or not, Kate Middleton was bullied when she was in school. When she was 14 years old, her parents sent her to Marlborough College in the middle of the school year. The reason? Reportedly, some of the girls at the all-girls boarding school Downe House called Kate names and even stole from her. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Kate’s childhood friend Gemma Williamson shared some insight, telling the outlet that Kate had been “bullied very badly at her previous school and she certainly looked very thin and pale. She had very little confidence.” 

Williamson isn’t the only person who has made mention of Kate’s tough teen years, either. In an interview with now-defunct British newspaper News of the World, Kate’s other school friend Jessica Hay said that Kate “hated” her time at Downe House. “Some of the girls there were horrible. She was picked on because she was perfect, well turned out, and a lovely person. She was not the type to stick up for herself,” Hay told the outlet (via Express). 

As Kate got older, it seemed as though her confidence grew. When it came time for university, Kate had come a long way — but she was still faced with some mean girl energy, especially after she met Prince William. Royal author Katie Nicholl previously claimed that William’s friends weren’t very nice to Kate. “William’s friends, I hate to say it, would whisper rather snidely when Kate would turn up at Boujis which is the nightclub that they used to go to in West London: ‘doors to manual,'” Nicholl revealed in the documentary “William and Kate: Into the Future” (via Express). “Obviously, that is a bit of a put-down. It’s a bit of a derogatory reference to [Kate’s mom’s] career as an air hostess,” she added.

Back in 2019, Kate Middleton and Prince William were hit with major infidelity rumors. At the time, a media outlet published an article that included bold claims that William had an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. “Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. A second source told the outlet that the couple strengthened their marriage during that difficult time. “It’s not unusual to have a few hiccups in a marriage, especially after eight years, and Kate and William are no different. They’re still going strong. Regardless of their ups and downs, they love each other dearly and their kids are the most important thing in their lives,” the second insider shared.

Things would quiet down for a bit before the rumors resurfaced in 2024. Kate’s absence from the public eye seemed to spark a different flurry of concerns, and some speculated that the alleged affair finally caught up to Kate. At the time, Hanbury’s lawyers told Business Insider that the affair rumors were “completely false.” Perhaps the most tragic part of the whole resurfaced rumor is that Kate wasn’t hiding from the public due to problems with her husband. She’d been dealing with a devastating cancer diagnosis that would come to light in March of that year — days after Business Insider published the aforementioned article.

In 2012, Kate Middleton’s life was turned upside down when paparazzi snapped photos of her topless while she was on vacation with Prince William. The pictures were published in a French newspaper for all to see and made their rounds on the internet shortly thereafter. In what was undoubtedly an embarrassing experience, Kate and William decided to file a lawsuit against Closer magazine and the two photographers responsible for snapping the pics.

“The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy,” William said in a statement at the time, according to People. “My wife and I thought that we could go to France for a few days in a secluded villa owned by a member of my family, and thus enjoy our privacy.” The royal couple would end up winning their lawsuit, with a court awarding them nearly $120,000 — but the damage was already done.

“Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them,” a statement issued by St. James’ Palace read. The statement also drew a comparison to the lack of privacy and respect given to Princess Diana, who was killed in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi in 1997. 

Kate Middleton may have been overjoyed to become pregnant with her first baby back in 2012, but she could have never predicted what would happen next. Not long after conceiving, Kate was hospitalized due to a pregnancy condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. The condition is fairly rare and causes severe nausea and vomiting that often leads to dehydration.

“As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter,” the palace said in a statement at the time, according to BBC News. And while Kate was able to head home and get back to some normalcy for the majority of her pregnancy, the sickness would return for both of her subsequent pregnancies. Fortunately for Kate, all three of her pregnancies were successful, and she and William have welcomed three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. 

Within hours of giving birth to all three of her children, Kate debuted the newborns on the steps of St. Mary’s hospital. The very first time she stood in front of the public with her very first baby was “terrifying” for the new mum, which she expressed during an appearance on the “Happy Mum Happy Baby” podcast.

Kate Middleton has been faced with grief and loss as loved ones have died over the years. And, in 2022, she was faced with one of the hardest losses yet when her friend Christine Hill died. Hill was said to be extremely helpful to Kate when she was pregnant with Prince George. Hill always spoke very highly of Kate, and although she was 74 years old, the bond the two women shared was said to be immeasurable. Kate mourned the loss privately and made no mention of Hill’s death or their bond publicly thereafter.

In general, the Princess of Wales has mastered the art of keeping it together, always keeping herself as prim and proper as possible. At the end of the day, however, Kate is human. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Kate was very emotional, especially at Her Majesty’s funeral. Kate did manage to keep it together for the most part, wearing a stoic expression for much of the procession.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started getting serious, many people thought that they would couple up with Prince William and Kate Middleton for an unstoppable foursome, but that’s not exactly what happened. In fact, rumors of tension between the couples flared up almost immediately, and the media played right into the drama. While both Kate and Meghan haven’t been quick to speak out about their presumed differences, there’s one instance in particular that made headlines. 

Ahead of Harry and Meghan’s wedding, there was a disagreement between Kate and Meghan involving the tailoring of Princess Charlotte’s bridal dress. Reports indicated that Kate was left in tears over the whole thing, though what exactly happened isn’t clear. However, when Meghan and her husband sat down for their big interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan claimed that it was Kate who left her in tears. Meghan even doubled down and said that Kate issued her an apology for what happened.

“A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining to flower girl dresses. And it made me cry,” Meghan said (via Harper’s Bazaar). “I don’t think it’s fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologized. And I’ve forgiven her,” Meghan said. Kate has never shared her side of the story and likely never will. Nevertheless, the incident is just one example of how the two sisters-in-law aren’t on the same page, which is sad in and of itself.

Kate Middleton has always been incredibly close to her brother-in-law, Prince Harry. However, since Harry’s rift with his family that stemmed from him stepping down from his role as a working member of the royal family, Kate’s been put in the middle of the two brothers. Moreover, many royal watchers believe that Kate could be the one to bridge the gap and mend the ongoing rift, which suggests there’s a lot of pressure on her to do so.

In 2021, the royal trio nearly broke the internet when they were seen chatting at Prince Philip’s funeral. At one point, Kate took a step back and allowed the two brothers space to talk as they walked to Windsor Castle following the memorial. This ignited a flurry of chatter from people hoping that Kate could help the two brothers reconnect.

“We also have to consider Kate, who’s caught in the middle,” GoUp’s Edward Coram-James told Express UK in November 2024. “She’s juggling her royal duties, family life, and personal well-being, all while dealing with intense media scrutiny,” he continued, adding that “Harry’s revelations only add pressure, and that can’t be easy on her,” referring to Harry’s book “Spare”, which was released in January 2023. So far, olive branches haven’t been accepted, and the brothers are still at odds.

Despite once having a great relationship with his sister-in-law, Prince Harry didn’t hold back when writing about Kate Middleton in his memoir. He highlighted a couple of not-so-pleasant moments on the inside pages, some of which painted Kate in a bad light.

At one point in “Spare,” the Duke of Sussex recalled a time when “Meg asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help,” Harry wrote, according to Newsweek. “Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced.” He continued, “Something we should’ve been able to laugh about soon after. But it left a little mark. And then the press sensed something was up and tried to turn it into something bigger. Here we go, I thought sorrowfully.”

Elsewhere in the book, Harry claimed that his brother and sister-in-law were upset that he and Meghan didn’t get them anything for Easter. “Easter presents? Was that a thing? Willy and I had never exchanged Easter presents. Pa always made a big deal about Easter, sure, but that was Pa. Still, if Willy and Kate were upset, we apologized,” he wrote, insinuating that his brother and sister-in-law were causing problems … again, per the Mirror. Perhaps the most tragic part of all of this is that Kate is unable to speak out and share her side of the story. Why? Well, because it would go against the ultra-private nature of the royal family, of course.

It’s no secret that Kate Middleton is beloved by royal enthusiasts around the globe, but she got a taste of the nasty side of the internet on Mother’s Day in 2024. “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” read the caption of her seemingly innocent Instagram post that included a photo of her with her three children. Some internet users were quick to point out that the picture was edited, and Kate was highly criticized for it. The Princess of Wales heard the harsh words of the public loud and clear and even released an apology.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” she captioned a post on X (formerly Twitter). But some social media users weren’t quick to forgive and forget. A few X users expressed being concerned for Kate, suggesting the palace was trying to cover something up. Kate didn’t comment on the photo any further.

Easily the most tragic thing to happen to Kate Middleton was being diagnosed with cancer. In March 2024, after weeks of speculation, Kate shared a candid video in which she disclosed her diagnosis. Kate told the world that she was in the “early stages” of preventative chemotherapy following abdominal surgery. Although she didn’t divulge what type of cancer she had been facing, she put forth a positive attitude in what was surely one of the hardest things she’s ever faced.

“At the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” Kate said in the video, adding that she and Prince William would “manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

By September 2024, Kate had finished her chemotherapy treatments, but still wasn’t feeling 100%, despite being “cancer-free.” “Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she said in a statement posted on X. Kate hasn’t shared many details about her health journey, but it’s likely it changed her life in many unexpected ways.

Though Kate Middleton may want to get back to life as it once was, she’s been forced to take things slow and to listen to her body throughout her healing journey. “She is focused on herself and her family right now, rightly,” a source told People in December 2024. “She won’t be going back to work in the same way for a long time,” someone else told the outlet. And another source said that Kate is a “different person now.”

Indeed, the Princess of Wales has yet to return to her royal duties full steam ahead, though she has been making more public appearances in 2025. In July, Kate visited Colchester Hospital in Essex, England, where she spoke with patients and staff. “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” she admitted, according to the New York Post. This is the sad reality for Kate as she looks to the years ahead. Each follow-up appointment and every new symptom is a constant reminder that the cancer could return. It’s safe to say that the tragedy of Kate Middleton’s life will continue on for years to come.