Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is known for her compassion and empathy towards the young and vulnerable. She has leaned towards championing the mental health of children and mothers in the initiative, Heads Together, that she launched with Princes William and Harry.
And when she married Prince William in April 2011, she asked guests to make a donation to the charity Beatbullying in lieu of gifts.
Now we have a greater understanding of why.
When the Duchess was growing up, she was bullied at school.
According to a report from The Sun, Catherine was mercilessly bullied when she attended the prestigious all-girls boarding school Downe House – apparently because of her family’s social status. The Middletons were looked down on as “new money” by some students who came from established wealthy families. Others believe jealousy was behind the bullying.
Catherine’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, abruptly pulled her out of the school when she was 13 years old.
Classmate Jessica Hay told The Sun that Catherine had been so traumatised by the bullying she had developed eczema due to stress.
The Middletons instead enrolled Kate at Marlborough College in Wiltshire where ex-classmate Gemma Williamson, told the Daily Mail Kate arrived with “very little confidence”.
“Apparently she had been bullied very badly and she certainly looked thin and pale,” Williamson said.
A tutor from Marlborough, Joan Gall, confirmed: “When she arrived she was very quiet… but she settled in quickly.”
Not only did she settle in quickly, Catherine went on to thrive at Marlborough, becoming a prefect and head of house. Her peers voted her “most likely to be loved by all” – an uncanny prophecy that proved to be right on the money.
A queen in the making, the mother of three and softly-spoken advocate for the young and vulnerable has become one of the world’s most-loved royals. She has not only put those painful days behind her but also used what she learned from them to empower, support and encourage others who face their own struggles.
