Queen Elizabeth Allegedly Made A Stinging Remark About Kate Middleton's Pre-Royal Life

Everyone knows Kate Middleton as the Duchess of Cambridge. Her life is truly like one in a fairy tale after she became a member of the royal family in 2011. Since marrying Prince William, Kate has gone on to become the second-most popular family member — second only to the queen, of course — partly in thanks to her variety of charity work. She's involved in several mental health organizations, works with young children, and is a patron of the arts and sports. Kate is known for her stunning fashion sense, too.

But before gaining her royal titles and settling into marriage, Kate lived a much different life. For those that don't know, Kate and William met like a lot of other normal couples do: in college. The two became friends their first year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. William said at the time (via BBC News), "I want to go there and be an ordinary student. I mean, I'm only going to university." He ironically continued, "It's not like I'm getting married—though that's what it feels like sometimes."

It was there William would meet his future wife, but apparently, the queen had a few concerns about her.

Prince William and his future wife, Kate Middleton, were college friends until the two started dating roughly around 2004 and later became engaged in 2010. Apparently, however, the queen was not a fan of Kate's lavish lifestyle while she and William were dating. In her 2010 biography and Prince William and Prince Harry, expert Katie Nicholl wrote (via GoodtoKnow), "If she was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique." As for why that supposedly bothered the queen, Nicholl explained, "Britain was now in a recession and such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to the queen."

Additionally, the queen was also not happy with Kate's career choice, or lack thereof at the time. A source from Nicholl's book said, "It is Her Majesty's opinion that if Kate is one day going to be William's consort, then she needs a proper job." The source continued, "Swanning from one five-star holiday resort to another is not the prerequisite for a young woman possibly destined to be Queen." Yikes, right?

According to Nicholl, the queen's remarks "stunned" Kate, but she has since gone on to become one of the most-liked members of the royal family. In fact, the queen has "great trust" in Kate, according to royal expert Joe Little, per Us Weekly. "The queen very much regards Catherine as ... a safe pair of hands," Little said.