The Duchess Of Cambridge Shares Details Of Her Student Days In New Letter

kate middleton national portrait gallery

by Katie Rosseinsky |
Published on

Long before Kate Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William and one of the most photographed women in the world, she was just another History of Art student at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Aside from a few brief details of her relationship with William (and for a wildly inaccurate rendition of said facts, may we politely direct you to William & Katie: The Movie?), little is known about Kate’s student days – and given that she and William graduated in 2005, the royal couple have probably escaped the ignominy of Facebook albums filled with poorly lit photos from bad nights out. Now, in a rare letter released through Kensington Palace to coincide with the National Portrait Gallery’s upcoming photography exhibition, Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography, the Duchess has given us a brief insight into her undergraduate interests.

Kate, who describes herself as ‘an enthusiastic amateur photography’ and regularly takes her children’s official portraits, has written image captions and a foreword for the exhibition’s catalogue, focusing on the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Rejlander and Clementina Hawarden.

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Kate Middleton Style - Best Dresses & Outfits

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1 Kate Middleton style green coat

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2 Kate Middleton style wimbledon 2014 dress

Kate Middleton at the mens singles final of the Wimbledon Championships - July 6, 2014

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3 Kate Middleton style pink dress

Kate Middleton visits an M-PACT Plus Counselling programme - July 1, 2014

4 Kate Middleton style anzac day coat4 of 64

4 Kate Middleton style anzac day coat

Kate Middleton at the ANZAC Day commemorative service - April 25, 2014

5 Kate Middleton style d day blue coat5 of 64

5 Kate Middleton style d day blue coat

Kate Middleton at a service during the D-Day 70 Commemorations - June 6, 2014

5 Kate Middleton style military outfit6 of 64

5 Kate Middleton style military outfit

Kate Middleton during an official visit to Bletchley Park - June 18, 2014

6 Kate Middleton style prince george jeans7 of 64

6 Kate Middleton style prince george jeans

Kate Middleton and Prince George of Cambridge at the Royal Charity Polo - June 15, 2014

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7 Kate Middleton style white black dress

Kate Middleton at the Ben Ainslie Racing America's Cup Launch Event - June 10, 2014

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8 Kate Middleton style jonathan saunders

The Duchess of Cambridge wearing Jonathan Saunders in Scotland - 29th May 2014

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9 Kate Middleton style hobbs

The Duchess of Cambridge in Hobbs at Ayers Rock - 22 April 2014

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10 Kate Middleton style lela rose dress

The Duchess of Cambridge in Lela Rose in Canberra - 24 April 2014

11 Kate Middleton style pink dress alexander mcqueen12 of 64

11 Kate Middleton style pink dress alexander mcqueen

The Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen at Adelaide - 23 April 2014

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12 Kate Middleton style green dress

The Duchess of Cambridge in Catherine Walker in Canberra - 24 April 2014

13 Kate Middleton style yellow dress sydney14 of 64

13 Kate Middleton style yellow dress sydney

The Duchess of Cambridge at Taronga Zoo in Sydney - 20 April 2014

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14 Kate Middleton style grey dress

The Duchess of Cambridge in Roksanda Ilincic in Uluru - 22 April 2014

17 Kate Middleton style white dress manley beach16 of 64

17 Kate Middleton style white dress manley beach

The Duchess of Cambridge in Zimmerman at Manley Beach - 20 April 2014

15 Kate Middleton style alexander mcqueen17 of 64

15 Kate Middleton style alexander mcqueen

The Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen at Easter service, Ausralia - 20 April 2014

16 Kate Middleton style white blue dress l k bennett18 of 64

16 Kate Middleton style white blue dress l k bennett

The Duchess of Cambridge in L.K. Bennett at Amberley Air Base - 19 April 2014

18 Kate Middleton style red outfit19 of 64

18 Kate Middleton style red outfit

The Duchess of Cambridge in Christchurch, New Zealand - 14 April 2014

19 Kate Middleton style yellow dress roksanda ilincic20 of 64

19 Kate Middleton style yellow dress roksanda ilincic

The Duchess of Cambridge in Roksanda Ilincic arriving in Sydney, Australia - 16 April 2014

20 Kate Middleton style prince george rebecca taylor21 of 64

20 Kate Middleton style prince george rebecca taylor

The Duchess of Cambridge in Rebecca Taylor leaving New Zealand - 16 April 2014

21 Kate Middleton style diane von furstenberg22 of 64

21 Kate Middleton style diane von furstenberg

The Duchess of Cambridge in Diane Von Furstenberg in Blue Mountains, Australia - 17 April 2014

22 Kate Middleton style zara new zealand23 of 64

22 Kate Middleton style zara new zealand

The Duchess of Cambridge in Zara wine tasting in New Zealand - 13 April 2014

23 Kate Middleton style jonathan saunders24 of 64

23 Kate Middleton style jonathan saunders

The Duchess of Cambridge in Jonathan Saunders at rugby in Dunedin, New Zealand - 13 April 2014

24 Kate Middleton style erdem green coat25 of 64

24 Kate Middleton style erdem green coat

The Duchess of Cambridge in Erdem at Avanti Drome in Hamilton, New Zealand - 12 April 2014

25 Kate Middleton style emilia wickstead blue dress26 of 64

25 Kate Middleton style emilia wickstead blue dress

The Duchess of Cambridge in Emilia Wickstead at Dunedin - 13 April 2014

26 Kate Middleton style zara27 of 64

26 Kate Middleton style zara

The Duchess of Cambridge in Zara and J Brand at Auckland harbour, New Zealand - 11 April 2014

27 Kate Middleton style jenny packham new zealand28 of 64

27 Kate Middleton style jenny packham new zealand

The Duchess of Cambridge in Jenny Packham at State Dinner, New Zealand - 10 April 2014

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Kate Middleton style prince george tory burch

The Duchess of Cambridge in Tory Burch in Wellington, New Zealand - 9 April 2014

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kate middleton style

Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit the Valero Pembroke Refinery, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Britain - 08 Nov 2014

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kate middleton

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits SportsAid event, London, Britain - 12 Nov 2014

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KATE MIDDLETON

Royal Variety Performance, London Palladium, Britain - 13 Nov 2014

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kate middleton

Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Award, Kensington Palace, London, Britain - 19 Nov 2014

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kate middleton

EACH Hospices Appeal Launch at The Norwich Showground, Norfolk, Britain - 25 Nov 2014

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kate middleton

Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William visit to New York, America - 07 Dec 2014

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kate middleton

New York, America - 08 Dec 2014

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kate middleton

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge at the Brooklyn Nets v Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Basketball match - 08 Dec 2014

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kate middleton

Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit to New York, America - 09 Dec 2014

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kate middleton

St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art- 09 Dec 2014

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kate middleton

Christmas Day Service - 25 Dec 2014

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kate middleton

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge officially names The Clore Art Room at Barlby Primary School, London, Britain - 15 Jan 2015

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kate middleton

Duchess of Cambridge visits The Fostering Network, Highbury, London, Britain - 16 Jan 2015

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kate middleton

Duchess of Cambridge formally opens Kensington Aldridge Academy, London, Britain - 19 Jan 2015

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kate middleton

Duchess of Cambridge visits the home of Ben Ainslie Racing and the 1851 Trust, Portsmouth, Britain - 12 Feb 2015

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kate middleton

Duchess of Cambridge visit to Staffordshire, Britain - 18 Feb 2015

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kate middleton

Commonwealth Day Observance, Westminster Abbey, London, Britain - 09 Mar 2015

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kate middleton

Duchess of Cambridge Margate 11 Mar 2015

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kate middleton

Service of Commemoration to Mark the End of Combat Operations in Afghanistan, St Paul's Cathedral, London, Britain - 13 Mar 2015

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kate middleton

St Patrick's Day Parade, Aldershot Barracks, Hampshire, Britain - 17 Mar 2015

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kate middleton

Brookhill Children's Centre 18 Mar 2015

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kate middleton

Royal baby girl born at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, London, Britain - 02 May 2015

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kate middleton

Anna Freud Centre, London, Britain - 17 Sep 2015

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kate middleton

HMP Send, Woking, Surrey, Britain - 25 Sep 2015

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kate middleton

Harrow College, London, Britain - 10 Oct 2015

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kate middleton

Chinese President Xi Jinping State Visit to London, Britain - 21 Oct 2015

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kate middleton

Dundee, Scotland, Britain - 23 Oct 2015

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kate middleton

James Bond 'Spectre' CTBF film premiere, Royal Albert Hall, London, Britain - 26 Oct 2015

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kate middleton

Islington Town Hall, London, Britain - 27 Oct 2015.

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kate middleton

100 Women in Hedge Funds gala dinner, London, Britain - 27 Oct 2015

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kate middleton

Fostering Network Awards, BMA House, London, Britain - 17 Nov 2015

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kate middleton

Wales, Britain - 20 Nov 2015

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kate middleton

Action on Addiction,Warminster, Wiltshire - 10 Dec 2015

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kate middleton

The Anna Freud Centre, London, Britain - 15 Dec 2015

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kate middleton

Sandringham Christmas Service - 25 Dec 2015

‘This period in the history of photography has long interested me. As a student at the University of St. Andrews, I chose it as the subject of my undergraduate thesis and photographs of children in particular, which feature predominantly within the exhibition, are of real interest to me,’ she wrote. ‘These photographs allow us to reflect on the importance of preserving and appreciating childhood while it lasts.’

‘Children held a special place in the Victorian imagination and were celebrated for their seemingly boundless potential. This notion still rings true for us today and it underpins much of my official work and the charities I have chosen to support, and, indeed, my role as a mother of a young family,’ she added.

Kate, who is a patron of the National Portrait Gallery, is set to visit the exhibition on February 28th, ahead of its opening.

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