Kate!: The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen

by Christopher Andersen

The definitive portrait of Kate Middleton, the beloved and private Princess of Wales, tracing her stunning rise from working-class roots to queen-in-waiting, from #1 New York Times bestselling royal biographer Christopher Andersen.

Kate is one of the most photographed, most talked about, most written about women in the world—heiress to Princess Diana’s glamour and mystique, both wife of one future monarch and mother of another. But as the daughter of an airline attendant who grew up in public housing, Kate was not destined for this fate. She had to fight for it—and for the love of the future king.

In this illuminating portrait, master biographer Christopher Andersen chronicles Kate’s life, beginning with her humble upbringing; her off-again, on-again love story with William that catapulted her to global fame; and the 2011 “Wedding of the Century.” Throughout their marriage, Kate has proven that she is more than just a prince’s wife—she is a leader in humanitarian work, the devoted mother of three children in the media spotlight, an unparalleled fashion icon, and the universally adored face of Britain’s monarchy.

Yet her story is more complex than the public knows. With startling new details from his inside sources, Andersen reveals the full including Kate’s fight to repair William and Harry’s rift, the disintegration of her relationship with Meghan, her work to refute charges of racism leveled at the monarchy, and her bravery in the face of cancer—her diagnosis and treatment, and the bizarre theories that swirled around her public disappearance.

Kate! is an against-all-odds romance, a glittering fairy tale, and a heart-tugging family drama within the modern monarchy—but most of all, an inspiring saga of one woman’s grace and grit in the face of adversity.

Genres: Royalty, Nonfiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 32 books, including many bestsellers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Andersen joined the staff of Time Magazine as a contributing editor in 1969. From 1974 to 1986 Andersen was senior editor of Time Incorporated's People Magazine. He has also written for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Life, and Vanity Fair.

While his early nonfiction books veered from psychology (The Name Game) to true crime (The Serpent's Tooth) to art collecting ('The Best of Everything', with former Sotheby's chairman John Marion), he is best known for his controversial biographies. Between 1991 and 2011, he published 14 New York Times bestselling biographies. Andersen wrote Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones in July 2012. The book quickly became Andersen's 15th New York Times bestseller.

Reviews

[Jody Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An lovely retelling of the life of Princess Catherine, from her childhood to her cancer diagnosis. The reader learns of behind the scenes happenings, particularly with the paparazzi. The paparazzi can be ruthless, and was particularly offensive before Kate was eligible for security. While the author includes the rift between the brothers, he handled it very diplomatically. The author includes very little, which is best, of behind the scenes drama. I loved all the pictures and the additional information about her dresses and her fashion choices.

[farmwifetwo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same information found anywhere

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new biography of Princess Catherine, wife of Prince William and the future queen of England. It is pretty thorough, providing childhood information, school information, family history, and family business success. Most of the story slants towards meeting and knowing Prince William and finally joining the family. She appears to have been close to Queen Elizabeth, who evidently felt Kate is an excellent mate for William. The problems with Harry and Meghan are discussed, with Kate apparently giving Harry the benefit of the doubt, and second chances, until SPARE was published. I did not really learn much that is new to me. I did wonder about Kate's desire for a 4th child, which seemed to be in the news for a long time a few years back, but is not mentioned in this book. There are a number of photos and references included, as there should be in a nonfiction book.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

With all the ongoing turmoil surrounding Britain's royal family, this book was a refreshingly "normal" account of the Princess of Wales.

She, of course, has middle class values having been reared by normal middle class parents. She has certainly proven she has what it takes to be a hard-working royal and live in the "bubble" to which she entered with her marriage to Prince William. She also seems to be a no-nonsense, loving mother to her 3 children.

I enjoyed the writer's style and account of this lovely young woman who will, one day, be Queen Consort to the citizens of the United Kingdom.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother was captivated by all things British. I guess that’s part of the reason I enjoy following the Royal Family. I remember well the day Diana was killed in the automobile accident. And likewise, I have kept up with her sons, specifically, William and his wife, Kate. Who knows whether all that’s entailed in this book is accurate! I must confess I read about 1/2 of the book and then scaned the rest. But I am impressed with Princess Kate and how she handles being in the Spotlight.

[Jan Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not actually finish Kate! because there was just too much detail to keep going. Some parts were interesting, but I have to say these young people are much wilder than I anticipated. I don’t care much for Camilla, certainly. Kate is a beauty and will make a fine Consort when William becomes King. The most fun for me was looking for photos of her in the clothes being described in the book. Shallow, I know. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Mae Leveson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was somewhat disappointing in its content, but also due to poor proofreading. It’s littered with misspellings and errors that should not be there. An example is in the spelling of ‘Harrowgate’ (reference on p 263 to the teen photographer, Liz Hatton). Anyone who took the trouble to research this place would know that there is no ‘w’ in Harrogate!

[Miki · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 to 5 stars. This started off being a rather slow read for me, and initially I thought it was rather boring. I think Kate is a bit boring, compared to Diana. However, I got more and more interested in this book as I went along, and I have a lot of respect for Kate now. This was a very relaxing read, which I appreciated, as I've been reading some pretty intense books lately.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this new book about Catherine, Princess of Wales. It doesn’t have a lot of new information but it packages the existing information in unique ways. I enjoy any book about the royal family and this was no exception

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My lifelong obsession with the royals means I know more than the average person about the British monarchs- this book still contained plenty of new-to-me anecdotes along with some that I was happy to hear again.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know more about Princess Catherine, this is a good book. It's an easy read. I read it in two days.

Would have wanted some information on other things. But I get it, he doesn't have access to everything.

[Christine Trott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Read

A beautiful story of a beautiful family. May God bless the rest of their lives with peace and health. ❤️

[Ronni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read with a bit of gossipy bits to make it fun. Kate appears to be just as she presents herself!

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF-this book had great potential and I was hopeful for so much more. But the grammatical errors and conflicting descriptions of people made the book hard to read.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was interesting enough. What disappointed was learning about some tone-deaf hypocrisies and double standards on the part of the couple as well as in the author's depictions.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much new info here

[Volare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of current information on the life of Catherine, Princess of Wales.

[Mmmerle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting read. Being a royal is rough and challenging.

[Marilyn G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kate

At first it was interesting, but after awhile it got boring and I didn’t finish it! I wouldn’t recommend the book.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️audio

[Gary Zambardino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was truly impressed with the way Princesses Kate handled herself and became a true leader in the family and a true leader.