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Kate
With her glossy dark hair, classic looks, natural appearance, and cut-glass accent, Kate Middleton displays all the poise and breeding expected from the wife-to-be of the heir to the throne. Sophisticated beyond her years, as well as academically gifted, Kate has charmed William's louche circle of friends as well as the House of Windsor.
Yet behind her polished veneer lies the extraordinary tale of an impoverished working-class family that overcame deprivation and adversity to rise to the upper echelons of society.
Claudia Joseph has spoken to members of Kate's family and friends, who have provided an intriguing insight into the extraordinary journey her family has made from the mining villages of Durham to an apartment in the royal residence of Clarence House.
Drawing on exclusive interviews and containing previously unpublished photographs, this is an authoritative account of Kate Middleton's life so far.
Yet behind her polished veneer lies the extraordinary tale of an impoverished working-class family that overcame deprivation and adversity to rise to the upper echelons of society.
Claudia Joseph has spoken to members of Kate's family and friends, who have provided an intriguing insight into the extraordinary journey her family has made from the mining villages of Durham to an apartment in the royal residence of Clarence House.
Drawing on exclusive interviews and containing previously unpublished photographs, this is an authoritative account of Kate Middleton's life so far.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2009
13 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 3, 2011
It's 6 a.m., June 20, 1837 and Prince William's great-great-great-great-grandmother wakes up to the news that she is queen. Meanwhile, 300 miles away, Kate Middleton's great-great-great-great grandmother wakes up to prepare her husband for another day mining coal. Joseph's book juxtaposes generations of royal and nonroyal families, leading up to the couple's meeting and romance but not including their engagement. Cleverly done, but not much dirt, unless you count the coal.
April 28, 2011
As I'm getting psyched about the royal wedding, I decided that this would be a good read. I very much enjoyed this book and the mirrored look of Kate's family history along with William's. It was interesting to see from where she came and how she has become a mature girl hoping to be a future queen. I look forward to watching their wedding and wish them the best in their life together.
July 10, 2019
I had originally thought this book would get a four star rating from me, but alas, it didn't. The direction that Claudia Joseph originally went with this was a fascinating breath of fresh air compared to, well, this. Miss Joseph begins this book with a history of the Duchess' family; her mother's side and her father's side. It was indeed interesting, and sometimes sad, to read about the coal mining, but I found myself thinking very early on how it would have been so much better if Miss Joseph had done it more chronologically than she already had. When I selected this from the biography section of the local library, I glanced at the titles for the first nine chapters.
"Ooh!" I thought, "This could be interesting." Unfortunately, Once I got to chapter three, I found it a bit tedious to go back in time. Basically, we go from 1837 to 1953 through chapters one and two; in chapter three and four we went through those years again, but with another side of the Duchess' family. It isn't until chapter eleven that this back and forth writing came to an end. After that, I eventually began speed reading through the rest of the book until I was done with it.
Personally, I just would've been more interested in chapters 1-10 if the two sides of the family had been written more chronologically; side by side. Two out of five stars for being an okay book, but only because I can appreciate the different angle of going through a family tree.
My note:
April 19th, 2017:
Pg 113, 41.7%: "We might be getting somewhere on pg 113."
"Ooh!" I thought, "This could be interesting." Unfortunately, Once I got to chapter three, I found it a bit tedious to go back in time. Basically, we go from 1837 to 1953 through chapters one and two; in chapter three and four we went through those years again, but with another side of the Duchess' family. It isn't until chapter eleven that this back and forth writing came to an end. After that, I eventually began speed reading through the rest of the book until I was done with it.
Personally, I just would've been more interested in chapters 1-10 if the two sides of the family had been written more chronologically; side by side. Two out of five stars for being an okay book, but only because I can appreciate the different angle of going through a family tree.
My note:
April 19th, 2017:
Pg 113, 41.7%: "We might be getting somewhere on pg 113."
October 3, 2020
One of the many books I inherited from my mom after her passing. She passed on the love of reading to me, of which I am forever grateful! A wonderful read. I love learning all about Kate and Prince William.
December 23, 2020
Maybe there are people who care about Kate’s ancestors and all their details. It is not me. I did enjoy the details about her parents - and of course, the ups and downs of her relationship with William.
July 26, 2017
I enjoyed reading the history of the Middleton Family .
December 28, 2017
I read this because I have always liked the Royal Family. Kate is a breath of fresh air into the older stuffy royals and I think Diana would have approved of her.
February 6, 2011
Kate Middleton: Princess in Waiting by Claudia Joseph
Avon, 2009
268 pages
Non-fiction; Royalty
3.5/5 stars
Source: Library
Summary: A brief biography of Middleton's ancestors from the Victorian era to Kate's own life.
I really liked the concept of this book. The first eleven chapters focus on Kate's ancestors, giving brief insight into the four main branches starting with the great-great-great-great grandparents and even brief mentions of William's family especially to compare circumstances. Those chapters were a little difficult as many names appear but they gave a brief peek at a particular time period and of people living under those conditions.
The rest of the book traces Kate's own life including the brief breakup and almost immediate reconciliation. It really stressed the sacrifices Kate has made to be with William. She looked for a low-key job so that she could be by his side at a moment's notice and support him at society events. She's so patient and giving-I really do hope for the best for their marriage!
I hated the constant comparisons between the poverty of many of her ancestors and how Kate would be keeping much more rarefied company. I also felt like Joseph thought that Kate and her family were social climbers. The stress on Kate as a commoner when her family is worth millions and she went to private school seems bizarre to me over here in America. In my view, she's legitimately upper-class even if she doesn't have aristocratic blood, solely because of her financial situation-one of many differences between the US and the UK!
Avon, 2009
268 pages
Non-fiction; Royalty
3.5/5 stars
Source: Library
Summary: A brief biography of Middleton's ancestors from the Victorian era to Kate's own life.
I really liked the concept of this book. The first eleven chapters focus on Kate's ancestors, giving brief insight into the four main branches starting with the great-great-great-great grandparents and even brief mentions of William's family especially to compare circumstances. Those chapters were a little difficult as many names appear but they gave a brief peek at a particular time period and of people living under those conditions.
The rest of the book traces Kate's own life including the brief breakup and almost immediate reconciliation. It really stressed the sacrifices Kate has made to be with William. She looked for a low-key job so that she could be by his side at a moment's notice and support him at society events. She's so patient and giving-I really do hope for the best for their marriage!
I hated the constant comparisons between the poverty of many of her ancestors and how Kate would be keeping much more rarefied company. I also felt like Joseph thought that Kate and her family were social climbers. The stress on Kate as a commoner when her family is worth millions and she went to private school seems bizarre to me over here in America. In my view, she's legitimately upper-class even if she doesn't have aristocratic blood, solely because of her financial situation-one of many differences between the US and the UK!
September 16, 2011
After all of the hype this past summer with the royal wedding, I decided that I wanted to know a little bit more about the newest member of the royal family. This book was interesting but not quite what I was looking for. It was rather heavy into Kate's family background.
What I was looking for when I picked this book up was more about Kate herself. It is important to know where a person comes from, but in this case, I think that it is also important to know the person. I don't think that I got enough out of this book about Kate Middleton. But that is just my two cents.
Overall, this book was all right, although I found it a bit dry and tedious.
What I was looking for when I picked this book up was more about Kate herself. It is important to know where a person comes from, but in this case, I think that it is also important to know the person. I don't think that I got enough out of this book about Kate Middleton. But that is just my two cents.
Overall, this book was all right, although I found it a bit dry and tedious.
July 25, 2015
This was a fun read. The author went to great lengths about Catherine's ancestors and their lives. So much so in fact that I found myself getting a bit confused about who was who. I had to do some back and forth page flipping in order to get back on track.
I've enjoyed reading as much as I can about The Duchess. I didn't know much about her when she was dating William and would only occasionally see her picture on the cover of magazines. This book was a nice filler on the events that took place through out the beginning of her relationship with William and the subsequent years afterwards up until about 2008.
Luckily my fellow Royal watchers and I know that their story continues.
I've enjoyed reading as much as I can about The Duchess. I didn't know much about her when she was dating William and would only occasionally see her picture on the cover of magazines. This book was a nice filler on the events that took place through out the beginning of her relationship with William and the subsequent years afterwards up until about 2008.
Luckily my fellow Royal watchers and I know that their story continues.
March 10, 2014
I thought this was overall not a bad book. At times I felt that the author included a lot of irrelevant information that was not needed. She also could have been more specific when talking about the different sides of Kate's family. This made it confusing for the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the royal family because it is very factual. I like how the author included quotes from friends and family of Kate. This was a key part of the book.
January 12, 2011
Once you get past the several chapters of extreme family history, its a good book. I wish it had started just after she was born! Or even given a paragraph or two about her great great great grandparents and so forth. But that being said, you can always skip through that part and get to the good stuff!!
November 1, 2012
It's not entirely accurate to say I "read" this. I was bored silly and returned it to the library without finishing. If you knew me, you would know how rare this is for me.
Typically I enjoy exploring ancestral histories and tracing family trees. But in this case I found the "characters" flat and too one dimensional to care.
And apparently EVERYONE is named James, Thomas or Jane.
Typically I enjoy exploring ancestral histories and tracing family trees. But in this case I found the "characters" flat and too one dimensional to care.
And apparently EVERYONE is named James, Thomas or Jane.
June 29, 2010
Since it looks like there will likely be an engagement between Prince William and Kate, I read this to find out more about her and her family. Unless you're really interested in her family history, I wouldn't recommend it as it drags a bit.
July 23, 2011
Written prior to the royal engagement, the first 1/2 of thebook traces Kate's paternal and maternal lineage from 1837 finding both sides improvished and dying early. The 2nd 1/2 focused on Kate and her relationship with William and was more interesting.
December 9, 2013
The book moves in chronological order, paralleling Kate's ancestors with William's. It's interesting to see where her family was on the socio-economic ladder and where William's was at the same time.
March 21, 2011
I love reading about the royal family. I read everything from past monarchs to current day. I couldn't even finish this book.
April 14, 2011
I am getting close to being done with this book! It's an OK read! Wish Will and Kate the best on their wedding day.
June 11, 2011
Fun and well researched history of Kate's family.
March 15, 2012
I'm not much of a biography person.
March 17, 2012
I agree with a couple of previous posters. I love reading up on all things royal but this book was a tad boring. I skipped through some of Kate's deeper family history sections.
July 10, 2012
I was hoping this book would be good...but it was terrible. Filled with tons of boring, long winded, not necessary details it was a big disappointment (but had great photos!)
May 2, 2013
Mystique Island, St. Andrews College, Scotland (rent dorms in summer), Boijins Club
September 3, 2013
Took a while to get into Kate's direct life, but provided a lot of information I didn't know yet!
May 10, 2011
It was an easy fun read. What a life!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews