Kate: The Future Queen

by Katie Nicholl

From the bestselling author of William and Harry and renowned Royal Family news correspondent Katie Nicholl, comes the first in-depth biography of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

Katie Nicholl, bestselling author and royal correspondent for The Mail on Sunday , gives an inside look into the life of the future Queen of England, Kate Middleton. Since becoming Duchess Catherine of Cambridge in 2011, Middleton has captivated royals fans around the world and now, Nicholl delivers the story of her early life, first romances, and love with Prince William. Nicholl will reveal new details on Middleton's initiation into royal life and, of course, her first pregnancy.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, Biography Memoir, History, British Literature, Audiobook

354 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

New York Times best selling author, journalist and broadcaster Katie Nicholl has been writing about the British royal family for nearly two decades. She is Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent and co-host of the podcast Dynasty. She is also a regular contributor to The Mail on Sunday as well as other national newspapers and magazines.

As well as her successful print career Katie also reports on the royal family for the BBC and appears regularly on Good Morning Britain, Sky News and GB News. In the United States she appears regularly on Entertainment Tonight (CBS) and NBC’s Today show and she is CBC Canada’s go-to royal expert.

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for something fun and light to read after finishing Thomas Pynchon's The Bleeding Edge and before tackling Dave Eggers' The Circle, so I thought this book would fit the bill.

Unfortunately, this book provides little detail beyond general media coverage of the Royal Family and describes everything in a gushing, sycophantic tone.

In addition, it fails to probe into the motivation or reasoning behind any of its main characters' thoughts or actions. For example, I couldn't understand why Kate found it impossible to hold down any sort of a job (even a part-time one) for nearly a decade while William was off training and performing his military duties.

Ultimately, I only received the most superficial impressions of Kate and her family - that of Kate as a media-savvy commoner turned princess and her family as strategic people keenly interested in social advancement.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self-proclaimed anglophile, I saw this book at the library and knew it was right up my alley. It details the ancestry and life of Kate Middleton up to the birth of her son, HRH Prince George. It was interesting to see how a "commoner" (although a privileged one) was raised and behaved in such a way that she was prepared to become a princess. I learned a lot about the educational system in England, and how the wealthy live over there- which is insane, by the way. There seriously still living Downton Abbey style over there. I've always loved William and Kate, but in many ways this helped me to see that they are not the fairytale people I have put up on a pedestal. It was also very interesting to to see how royal etiquette and procedure up close and find out more about the controversies that I've heard whisperings about now and then. The book only got frustrated during Kate's "Waity Katey" period- William took SO LONG to propose!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an enjoyable profile of Kate. It's very light, which I expected, so I wasn't too frustrated with it, though there are a few eye-roll-worthy sentences. It has nothing on more serious and weighty biographies of the Queen, but I don't think that's fair to demand of a biography of a woman who's only been royal for a few years. If you enjoy peeks into the British royal family, then you may enjoy it as long as you keep your expectations low! :-)

[Kasey Cadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a huge, not-secret girl crush on Kate Middleton. She's just so glamorous! So effortless! So beautiful!

This book appeared on my library's new book shelf and I grabbed it without thinking twice about it. I was especially excited when I realized that it was so new that it included information about Baby George's birth from this past summer.

Almost as much as I love Kate, I also love biographies. This used to not be the case, but I read a Judy Garland biography several years ago that blew me away, and I am now reading several biographies a year. Just last year, I read a book about Queen Elizabeth, which taught me a lot about the royal family and how the structure works within today's society.

After I brought Kate home, I started thumbing through it (OK, I had to look at the picture inserts first ...) and was wondering if I would actually learn anything about Kate at all, considering I have watched practically anything American TV has put out about her in the last five years or so. But I was pleasantly surprised.

While this is not hard-hitting journalism or even a very serious biography on Kate, I definitely enjoyed it. I learned a lot about Kate's pre-royal family life, including interesting aspects about how her parents became self-made millionaire business owners in just a few short years. I knew her family was self-made money, but I was unaware of how quickly all of the business luck and savvy paid off.

I also enjoyed the tidbits of how Kate and William almost met many times throughout their young life (including actually briefly meeting at a party when they were teenagers). It may be silly, but any more that adds to the fairy-tale story is good for me!

I loved the descriptions of the royal wedding, especially since I was one of the millions of Americans that Nicholl writes about who woke up at the butt-crack of dawn to watch their vows. My favorite scene from the whole book is Nicholl describing Kate, after the royal wedding and celebration, laying in bed in robes with her sister Pippa watching the TV playback of her own wedding from earlier that day. This made me laugh, as it is probably something my sister and I would do if we were in the same circumstances!

Many of the details seemed less fact-based and more observation or opinion-based. But was I expecting this to be the greatest book I'd ever read? No. And I enjoyed the fluff of it all!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this if you like:
▪️ the royal family ▪️ British monarchy ▪️ flattering biographies ▪️ prep schools ▪️ romance ▪️ discretion ▪️ reliving university days ▪️ extracurricular activities ▪️team sports ▪️ “rags” (lol) to riches

This biographical account of Kate Middleton’s younger years was conversationally written and an easy read. It definitely positions Catherine, William, and their families in the best possible light and paints a very flattering picture of their union. Even when flubs and missteps are mentioned, they are glossed over.

The only thing that bugged me (and I’ve seen it elsewhere, not just in this book) is that the plot of this story is always “middle class commoner” bags a prince. But then, we learn how her parents were millionaires and her dad in fact had royal ancestry. So…which way are you spinning it? Because you can’t have it both ways lol.

At any rate, I always enjoy reading behind-the-scenes accounts of the royal family because (let’s be honest) all we can really do is speculate. For a biography, this was a fun & quick read.

[Hannah • So Obsessed With · Rating 2 out of 5]

I borrowed this from a co-worker, and it was pretty much what I expected it to be based on other royal biographies I'd read. The book takes readers through Kate's story from her birth up until the birth of her firstborn, George. While I enjoyed finding out a little more about Kate, the book wasn't exactly a great read. Most of the details shared are pretty superficial - there didn't seem to be a lot of research done beyond what's already been reported about Kate. Further, I found it distracting that Nicholl sometimes tried to tell readers what an individual was thinking at the time since there's obviously no way she could know that information. The tone is generally positive - there's almost no criticism of the subject, but it did avoid some of the sensationalism I've noticed in other royal biographies. It was a fun read for the Kate obsessed, but it's not a very strong biography overall.

No full review on So Obsessed With.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have listened to other reviews of this book, but I really wanted to read a biography of Princess Kate. Unfortunately, this one was not the best. For one thing, it was positively biased to the point of being propaganda-like (Kate is perfect, William is perfect, Pippa and Harry are perfect, everyone is perfect). I would have liked to see a more fleshed-out and realistic picture of Kate-- both her virtues and her faults. Hopefully the next biography will come from someone who has done research outside popular news articles.

One thing I liked coming out of this book was having formed the opinion that while Kate (in and of herself) isn't the most fascinating character, her ability to function gracefully under pressure is. And I truly appreciate her support and love of William, which seem very genuine.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brisk and interesting read that provides more detail on Kate's background, education, and her relationship with William.

The thing that struck me about Kate's story is how much she gave up personally in this relationship. So many of her decisions were dictated by William, from where they lived at St Andrews to the length and nature of his military training, which in turn dictated what type of life she could lead postgrad.

It was also interesting to learn more about how their relationship started, and progressed over time.

I hope that all is as it seems, that they have a great love and respect for one another. It would be absolutely fascinating to see who Kate is behind closed doors, and I'm going to choose to believe the take in this book - a kind, loyal, graceful woman with a deep well of patience and respect for Wills.

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fluffy, quick-reading biography of Duchess Kate (one of my girl crushes), this book didn't really contain a ton of information I haven't already heard. My favorite portions were the parts pre-William: Kate's childhood in England and (briefly) Jordan and her time in school.

Some of it seemed a little bit supposition-based, and none of it was particularly in depth, but it was a fun quick read about a woman I find fascinating. Only one wish: I wish there had been more childhood pictures of Kate! Almost every picture included was a picture that has been published/shown before.

[Sherri Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Kate is a commoner but she was raised to work hard,and with great values. I love watching this young couple as they build their family. In the book the author explores the lengthy courtship and considering the drastic lifestyle change she and her family had to undergo I can realize why William was hesitant and took as long as he did. He wanted to give her an opportunity to back out if needed. The book gives her family's roots up to the birth of their beautiful son.

[Malynda Zimek · Rating 3 out of 5]

You learn quite a lot about her family. Her father was from an old Leeds family and was wealthy. Her mother, Carole, seems to have the knack to entertain and decorate.
There was little I learned about Catherine and William. I follow the royal news and much of it was the same as what I read from the media.

[Sarahr · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I started reading this book I was like, ooh I like Princess Kate I wanna hear about her life. Then after I read the first chapter I remembered that I hate to read biographies. They are dreadfully boring. That was this book. Not because Kates life is boring but because biographies are. That is that.

[Janssen · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot of interesting stuff in this book (I knew basically nothing about Kate Middleton), but I don't think this book is actually that well-written. I kept feeling like I'd missed big chunks or had skipped a couple of pages.

[Joanna]

Fun, but nothing surprising here.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with Kate Middleton. I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t as dry as some biographies even if it does err on the side of taking some historical liberties. I definitely recommend this author for royal family fans.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book which often reads like a “glossy magazine.” It ends with her having her first son so I hope to read more about her in the future and maybe a more personalised view of Kate.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

As yet another person that is fascinated by the commoner who grew up to marry Prince William, the future King of England, I was very excited to read this first biography that has been written on Catherine Middleton.

Although told in overwhelmingly positive overtones, avoiding any possible insults to the royal family, I did learn some interesting tidbits about Kate's life that I had not heard before. Although Kate has been portrayed in the medias as coming from a middle class home, her family is wealthy thanks to her mother's very successful party business. However, her mother Carole comes from very working class background; Kate's great-grandfather was a coal miner, as were several generations before him. However, Kate's father Michael comes from a fairly wealthy family and can trace his family to royalty. In fact, through her father's lineage, "William and Kate are in fact fourteenth cousins once removed" (154).

I did learn a good bit about Kate's childhood that I had never read before. For example, I had no idea that the Middleton family lived for some time in the Middle East, in Jordan. Kate's preschool was very multicultural, with children from all over the world and she learned Arabic and English and ate Jordanian food at school. It was also interesting to hear how close the Middleton family is and about Kate's school experiences growing up, which were not all positive.

It was also interesting to learn more about the security and media frenzy with which both Kate and her family now must live, thanks to Kate's marriage into royalty. Before their marriage, because William was going to be visiting Kate frequently, "panic buttons linked to the local police station were installed" in her apartment (136). Kate is accompanied everywhere by protection officers and drives a bomb proof car. This must be a remarkable transformation from someone who grew up as an ordinary citizen, and now is surrounded at all times by media attention. Their engagement interview alone was "watched by a record 3 billion people across the world" (213).

I was disappointed at relatively how little detail was shared in this book, likely be design. Only the first couple chapters dealt with her family history and childhood, and the bulk of the book focused on William and Kate's courtship and marriage, much of which has already been discussed at length in the media. In addition, little is conveyed about Kate's siblings' lives at all, which I would have found interesting to learn more about. However, this is a delicate book to write, since the royal family is fiercely private.

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will start by saying that the book is interesting. I learned a lot of interesting facts and information about Kate Middleton that I didn't know. The book itself is a enjoyable read - not heavy on dates and history like many of the other royal books I have read; and I would definitely recommend this to the many Kate fans out there. However, that being said its a very flowery book, and likely very embellished. While full of fact, actual quotes and real information the way it is presented isn't something I bought into. The author takes the information and events and very clearly makes assumptions on how people were feeling and what they were thinking. It has a very fictional feel to the writing. For example:
"As she listened to the silence across the white snow-carpeted fields outside her window, Carole Middleton began to feel uneasy" (page 1).
As this isn't an official biography, it's unlikely that the author knows the specific details, thoughts and feelings of these people.
"It was a bizarre experience and one Kate still hadn't gotten used to." (Page 131) - again, that's the author inserting her own assumptions and take on things. The book is full of example after example of the author doing this. It does help keep the book moving and interesting, but this is not a work of fiction, these assumptions (while possibly true) take something away from the overall book, and definitely the authors credibility. The admiration the author has for Kate Middleton and all the royals is also very clear, in my opinion too clear. No one is perfect, but while reading this book it's presented in a way that no one (William, Kate, Charlie's, Camilla, The Queen, etc) can do any wrong. I think having a positive attitude about the monarchy is great, but there were times the author could have been a bit more real when discussing the past such as Charles and Diana's problems, Camilla's behaviour and the Queen as a parent. Despite all this it was enjoyable, and again I would suggest it to those who are Kate and William fans!.

[Teghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Kate Middleton, so I picked up this book in the hope of learning more about her and her family's history. The book sticks to the highlights of her life that have been covered in the press, but it does flesh out the events and give a fuller picture. I really enjoyed learning about her family history and how hard her family had to work to get where they are today.

That said, pages 20-50 were brutal!! I almost stopped reading. These pages were about Kate's childhood and it came across as quite precocious - which made me want to gag a bit. I have no problem if Kate grew up as a normal, well behaved child - but don't patronize the readers by making it sickly-sweet.

However, once Kate enters middle school the book gets interesting again and it had me riveted to the very end. Nicholl has an easy and accessible writing style that I greatly appreciated and the book was well researched.

My only other criticism of the book would be that Nicholl tries to suggest that Kate and William knew each other before they met at St Andrews; and that there was some larger plan in the works. While it's very likely that they did meet previously (by coincidence and school functions), William would have met so many people on a constant basis, I doubt he would have remembered her. And I doubt Kate had taken that quick of a fancy to him.

Very enjoyable read and quite informative. Presents both Kate and William in a positive light as the charming people we've come to love.

[Madilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

8Y - 384 pages

If you want to know more about the life of Kate up until the time this book was released, look no further. Kate: The Future Queen, written by Katie Nicholl, does just that. Throughout the book, you will certainly find rich imagery. Through the descriptive vocabulary, whether visual or just mentioned through words, you get a sense of connection with whatever event is going on or how someone looks.

Another effective literary device in this book is suspense. In other words, the main goal Kate has in the timespan this book covers (mainly in the middle and end) always has to face some sort of conflict, whether it's long distances, a death of a loved one, or other reasons for having to wait. The reader, just like the media, is left with a cliffhanger as to whether Kate will accomplish her goal or not. What's this goal, you ask? You will have to read it if you want to see it.

Overall, while I do like this book a little bit, there is one main flaw that readers may not like. Whether this is personal or not is for you to decide, yet it just seems the book has lots and lots of drama. It’s not just Kate who has so much of it: many other royal figures per say have drama too. Still, this book has lots of information about Kate you might not have known of, especially if you haven’t paid too much attention to the royal family itself.

(Review 2)

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book like this makes me realize how far behind I am in my to read list. A biography of The Duchess of Cambridge written just after the birth of Prince George, in the meantime they have added Princess Charlotte to the family and she's over a year old. Of course I also have royal books written after their engagement and even their wedding to read, so for me this is up to date. While very readable and engaging, it was pretty much a reselling of The Making of a Royal Romance the authors previous work. Not a lot was new here except for details about the wedding and married life and those were fairly light and most of it was public knowledge anyway. But still a light and easy read nice after the rather depressing book I just finished about death and dying. It might've been more interesting if Kate and William had more drama in their lives, but they are your basic normal couple who have their problems but still love each other, both nice people, and most of their close friends wouldn't speak to any reporter or writer with any real details of their lives as it is reiterated many times, they are protective of the couple and their privacy. Worth a read for any royal watcher, or someone wanting a light easy read, and not expecting any earth shattering revelations.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting (though slightly bland) look at Kate's life. The book was well structured and highlighted all of the important milestones - I particularly liked the insights into the wedding and George's birth. I did find the section about her grandparents to be a bit boring but it is important to understanding the background she came from.

I also enjoyed the comparison of Diana to Kate and how William strove to make Kate feel comfortable and secure, first as his girlfriend and then as a royal wife. It's nice to see that lessons were learned from the (mis)treatment of Diana!

Nicholls plays it safe and there are not many "juicy" tidbits (as there are in biographies in Diana). This very well could be because there isn't any deep, dark secrets to share about Kate!! I would have liked to see a few more "rare" photos - I found I had seen all those included numerous times!

Overall, a good read for any Kate fan. It was a pleasure to read about her life pre-William! I also ADORE the cover - such a great photo of Kate in Canada!

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite stories about Kate involves a time when a "friend" from university days was telling her how lucky she was to be going out with William. To this Kate replied "He's lucky to be going out with me."


This book was a fun read, full of information about Kate and her early years, stories from school, and her time at St. Andrews with William. The book ended shortly after the time of Prince George's birth. I've always thought that Kate has been a breath of fresh air for the British monarchy and given more insight about her, that thought stands to be true. She's an educated, kind, and thoughtful woman who I believe deserves every happiness. I'm happy she has her Prince and her son and another baby on the way. I believe Diana would have been proud to have her as a daughter in law. In the same spirit of what Kate herself once said, the Royal family is lucky to have her.

[Penny McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice. I think it's more speculative non-fiction than actually non-fiction but it was still a nice treat on an early Fall weekend.

Katie Nicholl has the right level of access to get sources to talk to her and she blended all of that chatter well with fact and a pleasant history lesson. She wasn't out to hurt anyone or to provide scandal about Kate and William so it was a lot like a CBC or BBC documentary written on the pages. Exactly what I expected and I enjoyed it.

The holds list isn't immense but I think this book will enjoy a healthy interest among our patrons and without a doubt there will be a good opportunity to talk about her, the future of the Monarchy, and that sweet little baby. Nice book.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's no way I wouldn't snap up this book, particularly since my library stocks it. A frothy mixture of conjecture, suppositions and "known" facts, I don't think it added much to the groaning shelf of Kate books. The closer the book gets to real time, the less I believed it.

Also, the saintly, repetitive tales of the marvels of Mrs. Middleton, honestly, what did they add to the story? In my opinion, the Middletons sound like marvelous parents, concerned, available, and interested in their children's lives. But I didn't think that needed to be raised to the level of modern-day saints.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a big fan of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I wanted to read about them elsewhere (other than magazines, which usually are not trustworthy). I saw this in my library so I grabbed it. Soon as I got home I began reading and I couldn't put this book down. It was a very good book on the life of Kate before she was a princess and it had a lot of details that you probably hadn't heard, or at least I hadn't, anywhere else. The details of their relationship from the moment they first met to the feelings she had during their break up. I really loved this book. Hopefully there will soon be a second part to this book so I can get my fill!!

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kind of fun read since I love Kate and Wills, but I found myself annoyed at some of the author's descriptions of deeply personal things about the couple. I kept thinking, "How could she possibly know that?" And in truth, she probably didn't. Sure, she quoted "friends" and friends of friends, but a lot of what they said still just sounded like conjecture. Which is fine--these people are entitled to their private lives. But it bugged me that suppositions about people's thoughts and feelings were being written as if they were fact. Otherwise, a light fluffy read.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason I am giving this four stars us because of the information. The author has a lot of good sources and she shares a lot of things that even an avid Kate fan like myself didn't know. But this is one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. Who edited it? Granted I am a former editor who always reads everything with a red pen in my head. Also she is unnecessarily speculative through the entire book. I want facts, not your unsupported opinions. However it was an easy, enjoyable read and I loved getting an insider look at Kate's life.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I wanted to change my opinion of the author who I just didn't like after all the specials on Kate/William, but after finding two errors in that book (calling the queens father her great grand father in a paragraph on the engagement of her and The Duke of Edinburgh and claiming that the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark came to the wedding in 2011) it's a little hard to take this royal *expert* seriously.

It's just an easy breezy autobiography and like her late mother in law before her, I'm sure the hard hitting biographies will come later.

[Carrie Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love Princess Kate? I'm fascinated by the royal family and this book was entertaining and educating. I enjoyed learning how down-to-earth both Kate and William are. I kept thinking to myself that Kate sounds like someone I could be friends with. She just seems like a real genuine person and this book provides an interesting look at her childhood, relationship with William, marriage and life as a royal. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good biography or something about the royal family.