Whereas nowadays, she has firmly established herself as the Duchess of Cambridge, back in the day, Kate Middleton was consistently referred to by the media as nothing but a "commoner".
Yes, although it's hard to believe, when the 36-year-old first got engaged to Prince William, there was a lack of support from certain people who worried that the daughter of a former flight attendant was not of noble blood, and didn't have the good breeding to make it as Queen of England.
Were we still living in the 16th century? It sure seemed like it.
Nonetheless, a Time article has revealed that, although Kate may have technically been a commoner, she certainly wasn't poor before making her way into the Windsor family.
In fact, pre-William, the Middleton family was already massively wealthy and their family's party supply company, Party Pieces, is estimated to be worth around $50 million (£30 million).
According to global wealth-tracking firm Wealth-X, Kate's personal net wealth is around $7 million (£5 million), with some estimates putting it as high as $10 million (£7.3 million). It is said to be mostly in cash because the mother-of-three doesn’t have a personal portfolio of property or artwork.
In addition, before she moved in Kensington Palace, Kate certainly wasn't roughing it, with her apartment believed to be valued at $1.4 million (£1 million).
While these are all pretty eye-watering figures, of course, the Middleton family's impressive wealth is nothing compared to the royal family's net worth. According to a Forbes report in 2017, the British monarchy is altogether estimated to be worth a jaw-dropping $88 billion.
This comes from a Brand Finance report; the business consultancy calculates the worth of the British Monarchy each year by tallying the crown’s concrete assets as well as the "value impact" of its brand, as well as other, less tangible contributions
It's certainly no big surprise that the Duchess of Cambridge was well off before meeting William at University. The Middleton children led an incredibly privileged life, with Kate and her two siblings, Pippa and James, attending expensive private schools from a young age, with years of tuition for just one child alleged to be at least $350,000 (£250,000).
In addition, Kate met Prince William while attending the University of St. Andrew’s, a highly prestigious university that is commonly regarded as one of the UK's best. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in Art History. Before she married William in April 2011, the 36-year-old worked for the family business and was a part-time accessories buyer for a retailer called Jigsaw.
Kate is definitely not the only duchess to have her own wealth before joining the royal family. Former TV star Meghan Markle was said by Wealth-X to be worth $25 million at the very least before marrying Prince Harry in May. The Duchess of Sussex had a highly successful career as an actress, reportedly making more than $50,000 (about £38,000) per episode starring as Rachel Zane on Suits.
It's good to hear the sisters are still doin' it for themselves!
