It seemed like ages ago when Queen Elizabeth met Kate Middleton for the first time. A new report has surfaced that Her Majesty initially hurt the future wife of Prince William because she wasn't too keen on meeting her.
Her Majesty was apparently "not in a rush" to meet her grandson's future bride in the beginning, according to Daily Express. However, Queen Elizabeth's hesitation in meeting Duchess Kate after she and Prince William got back together in 2007 was because the latter told his grandmother he still wasn't sure about Kate.
While the public thinks Duchess Kate's romance to Prince William is stuff made out of fairy tale books, the couple had their fair share of relationship challenges. Prince William met Kate sometime in 2001 and started dating her after his 21st birthday.
In 2004, the couple had a trial separation but then they started dating each other again until 2007. The pair called it quits the second time but soon got back together after a few months apart. Finally, after the ups and downs of their dating life, Prince William married Kate in 2011.
Before the couple reached their happy ending, though, insiders said that Queen Elizabeth advised Prince William to choose whom he marries wisely. She was apparently over the divorces within the family.
The Queen's sister, Princess Margaret was divorced and so were three of her children: Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spence, Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson, and Princess Anne to Mark Phillips.
The report further stated that Queen Elizabeth maintained her distance and "steered clear" of Duchess Kate for a full year because she had her reservations. The Queen's first impressions of Duchess Kate may be one of the reasons why Prince William took his time to propose to his beloved.
Sources said that it wasn't until Prince William and Kate formally announced their engagement that Queen Elizabeth warmed up to the future duchess. Today, the two get on quite well and spend some glorious times together.
In the documentary titled Our Queen at Ninety, Duchess Kate said that one of her most memorable times with the Queen happened when she joined her at an away-day to Leicester. She was without Prince William and was definitely apprehensive about being with Her Majesty.
Duchess Kate said that the Queen ensured she was happy and looked after during the event. It showed her just how much caring Her Majesty is. Kate Middleton also shared that the Queen loves children dearly and would leave treats or gifts for them when she visits Kensington.
