The Queen had "grave concerns" about Kate Middleton prior to her engagement to Prince William, a royal author has claimed.
- Her Majesty was keen for Kate Middleton to forge her own identity before marrying into the royal family
- Royal biographer, Katie Nicholl, makes the admission in her book 'The Making of a Royal Romance'
- It follows royal news that the royal family is set to lose two members from its line of succession in 2021
The Duchess of Cambridge is a hugely popular member of the royal family and is thought to be adored by the Queen. But her path to marrying into the Firm hasn't always been plain sailing.
According to royal biographer and expert, Katie Nicholl, the Queen had "grave concerns" about Kate - who is preparing to be Queen - when she was dating her grandson, Prince William.
While she slotted into the family well, the 94-year-old Monarch was keen for the Duchess to carve out a career for herself before marrying into the royal family, and check she had the stamina to be a full-time working royal.
Katie writes in her book 'The Making of a Royal Romance,' "Privately [the Queen] had grave concerns and believed that Kate needed to have a job and an identity in her own right before an engagement was announced.”
After graduating from University of St Andrews together in 2005 Kate - who had studied Art History - spent nearly all of her time with Prince William.
The royal expert adds, "If she was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying in Mustique."
And, with the country in a recession at the time, the Queen was wary about such "frivolous displays of wealth".
“[The Queen] was one of the hardest working royals, despite her age, and that a future member of the family was without a full-time job was unacceptable to her," Katie writes.
“While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed an announcement should be postponed until Kate was settled in a career.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have now been married for nearly a decade and are arguably two of the hardest working senior members of the royal family, having picked up extra responsibilities since the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
