The Queen Gave Kate Middleton Priceless Gift for Wedding Anniversary with Prince William. Believe it or not, it’s been almost a decade since Kate Middleton married Prince William. In the years since then, she’s become a mother to three children and has also undertaken charitable and diplomatic work. And the Queen – always a hard worker herself – has appeared to have taken notice. Kate would be rather a hard person to get an anniversary gift for if you weren’t actually the Queen herself. As Duchess of Cambridge, she likely has access to most of the material goods a person could possibly want. And even before she married Prince William, her family were very affluent. The Queen naturally has more wealth than even Kate and William. And so she can hand out jewels and treasures whenever she sees fit. But for the eighth wedding anniversary of Kate and William, she decided to give the Duchess something extremely special. And it served as a sign of the close relationship between them. Before Kate married Prince William, she was a commoner. In other words, she was a normal, non-royal person. And in the media, people threw insults her way because of her ancestry. According to the Washington Post, royalist James Whitaker said of her, “I do query whether Kate Middleton has the background and breeding to be Queen one day”. Kate’s great-great-granddad worked in the coal mines – certainly an endeavor unfamiliar to the royals. Her mother was a flight attendant, which reportedly made Kate the victim of snobbery. Allegedly, the upper-class peers of her and William used to murmur “doors to manual” whenever she entered a room. These people wouldn’t dare to do such a thing now. On April 29, 2011, Kate Middleton married Prince William and was granted a royal title. Just before the wedding, the Queen granted William the titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. This meant that when Kate said “I do,” she became the Duchess of Cambridge. The Queen did the same thing when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle. Before that wedding got underway, Harry was given the titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Meghan thus became Duchess of Sussex. Both Kate and Meghan are entitled to be called “Her Royal Highness” as well. Kate and William’s wedding arguably marked a turning point for the royal family. After years of controversies and troubles – not least the death of William’s mother Princess Diana – suddenly royals were young and cool again. Kate Middleton was relatable as a commoner, but she was also poised and sophisticated. The wedding ceremony itself attracted a pretty big turnout, to say the least. It was a massive event in Britain. Thousands of street parties were held to mark the occasion and a million people crowded around Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom. Worldwide, at least 36 million people watched the service. The Queen was on hand to provide gifts for the happy couple. In addition to the royal titles she granted the pair, she also presented them with some more tangible things. One queenly gift was an entire house known as Amner Hall on the Sandringham estate. These days it serves as a second home for Kate, William and their children. The Queen also provided the beautiful tiara Kate was wearing on her wedding day. This particular accessory, known as the Cartier Halo tiara, has a long history. The Queen’s father, King George VI, purchased it for his wife, but she passed it down to Elizabeth when she turned 18. It’s been in her collection ever since. In fact, the Queen seems more than happy to loan jewelry to Kate. When Kate visited Canada not long after her wedding, she wore a brooch shaped like a maple leaf. That’s another piece passed down to the Queen from her mother. And it should come as no surprise to anybody that it’s also extremely valuable. Kate has even been allowed to wear the Queen’s wedding jewelry. A beautiful diamond piece was spotted around Kate’s neck when she visited the National Portrait Gala in 2014. This was a wedding present given to the Queen by the monarch of Hyderabad. Thus, it’s known as the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace. Clearly, there’s a deep bond between the Queen and Kate. Not only do the two royals share jewelry, but it seems that other more down-to-earth gifts are passed between them. In an ITV documentary titled Our Queen at Ninety, the Duchess revealed what her first present to the Queen was. "I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?’” Kate told the cameras. “I thought back to what would I give my own grandparents. And I thought, ‘I’ll make her something’. Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney”. The Queen appreciated the chutney gift. “I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table,” Kate said. “I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me. And I’ve noticed since she’s done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody”. But homemade chutney aside, the royal Christmas celebrations aren’t necessarily what you might think. Reportedly, the Queen prefers that family members give each other silly gifts rather than expensive and luxurious ones. And it seems that the funnier the gift is, the better. Harry apparently once gifted the Queen with a shower cap with “Ain’t Life a B***” on it. Unfortunately, the details of what wacky gifts Kate has given the Queen remain undisclosed at this time. But reports have claimed that before Harry met Meghan Markle, Kate gave her brother-in-law a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit. His reaction upon receiving it, however, is sadly something we may never know. Over the years, the public has seen snippets of the touching friendship between Kate and Queen Elizabeth. Indeed, when the two are pictured together, they often look like great friends laughing and having fun. And when they visited King’s College in March 2019, they were even seen sharing the same blanket. In October 2018 it became obvious that the Queen had granted a very special honor to Kate. When the Duchess attended the Buckingham Palace state dinner, she was dressed to the nines. In addition to a stunning gown, she had on a tiara and a pearl necklace. However, she had also gained an intriguing new accessory. Fixed to Kate’s Alexander McQueen dress was the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II. This badge can only be worn at special events – you won’t see it on Kate during a walkabout – and it has an important meaning. The Queen dispenses the award to members of her family in honor of exemplary service. The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II is impossible to miss on a person. It features a small picture of the Queen, usually applied onto ivory. The picture is decorated with diamonds and put onto a ribbon – a yellow one in Kate’s case. On the reverse side of the badge is St. Edward’s crown and the royal cypher. Interestingly, Kate’s badge was made from glass instead of ivory. Indeed, her wearing of ivory would have been very inappropriate. Her husband actively campaigns for animal rights and the end of the ivory trade with the charity Tusk Trust. Britain also has very strict laws about the sale of the material. The Queen does not make any sort of announcement when she bestows the Royal Family Order upon someone. Therefore, it transpired that Kate had actually received the award in 2017 and had worn it to the Diplomatic Corps reception. But since there were no photographs of the occasion made public, nobody knew. The Royal Family Order is a high honor indeed. But it isn’t the highest award Kate can receive from the Queen. And in April 2019 it was reported that Kate had been given an even more special award for her eighth wedding anniversary. This was the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order (G.C.V.O.). The Royal Victorian Order has a history dating back to the nineteenth century. As the name suggests, it was first created by Queen Victoria herself. According to the official website for the British royals, “Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by the Queen, for services to the Sovereign”. The award is perhaps even more important, seeing as how Kate will be queen consort one day. Reportedly, the Queen and Kate have been secretly meeting each other so that Kate can be taught the intricate details of her future role. It’ll come with even more responsibilities than her current position. The role of a queen consort is complex. In the past, it was primarily focused on providing heirs for the male ruler. Luckily, times have since changed. When William becomes king, Kate won’t share any military or political authority with him – British monarchs have little political clout anyway. But she will have a higher status than she does at present. According to anonymous insiders, Kate’s meetings with the Queen are going well. “Sometimes they’ll casually catch up over afternoon tea,” a source told Us Weekly in 2019. “But other times, they’ll have more formal meetings, where the Queen will give intense one-on-one training about taking the crown”. The source went on, “[The Queen has] told her a lot about her own experiences. She’s really taken Kate under her wing. The two of them will often spend hours discussing royal life and the future of the monarchy”. And apparently, Kate is being taught to hone her abilities with regard to speaking publicly. However, if Kate is ever nervous in front of crowds, she does an excellent job of not showing it. And since becoming Duchess, she’s become patron of many charities. These include Action on Addiction, Place2Be and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice. Her favored causes, it seems, usually relate to kids’ issues or addiction aid. Along with her husband and Prince Harry, Kate also formed a campaign called Heads Together. This was aimed at getting people to talk about mental health issues and thus raise awareness and reduce stigma. Kate herself opened up in 2016 about the problems she had faced upon becoming a mother. During the course of her career Kate has also served as an ambassador. Along with Prince William, she’s travelled all over the globe to meet with both world leaders and regular people. This means attending everything from parties to memorials. Kate has done a lot of work – and now she has a badge to prove it. The badge of the Royal Victorian Order is different to that of the Royal Family Order. The mark of a G.V.C.O. is a Maltese cross with the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria on it. Now that Kate has the medal, she should wear it on a sash whenever an occasion to display it arises. She’s also gained the title of Dame Grand Cross, so she can have the letters G.V.C.O. follow her name. Needless to say, titles are a big deal to royals. And so, conversely, is the lack of them. Reportedly, Princess Diana was devastated when her title was taken away after her divorce from Prince Charles. She could no longer be called “Her Royal Highness”. According to Diana’s butler Paul Burrell, Prince William once promised his mother he would give the title back to her when he became king. And when William and Kate began to have their own children, they were given titles like their mother and father. From the moment of his birth, for example, George has been known as “His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge”. And likewise, his younger siblings Charlotte and Louis also received that grandiose title. However, Prince Harry’s son Archie won’t be referred to as “His Royal Highness”. This is because Harry and Meghan chose not to give their child a title, reportedly because they want him to have a regular life. The little baby could have been an earl or a lord, but instead he will be known only by his name. For the time being, at least. However, such are the complexities of royal titles that Archie’s status may change when he gets older. When Queen Elizabeth passes away and Charles takes the throne, everything will be shaken up a little. As the grandchild of the monarch, Archie may be given the “His Royal Highness” title. And Kate’s title too might change eventually. Though it’s a long way away, eventually Prince George will likely have the crown. If though, for whatever reason, he chooses not to take it, it would go to Princess Charlotte. Either way, if one of Kate’s children becomes monarch during her own lifetime, she could call herself Queen Catherine, the Queen Mother. However, hopefully such things are far away from Kate’s mind at the moment. Her children are still very young and William probably won’t be king for a long time yet. Obviously when he is, her role will change. But her grandmother-in-law the Queen has demonstrated to Kate that she considers her more than up to the job.
