Royals

How Kate Middleton kept her ‘guard up’ during initial days in Royal Family

Kate Middleton ‘discouraged’ questions over Royal artwork during meeting with an expert

Published June 11, 2026

Kate Middleton had her guard up during initial years in the Royal family.

The Princess of Wales, who married Prince William back in 2011, was dense about Royal artwork and history.

Royal author Catherine Mayer, who was previously London Bureau Chief for TIME to DailyMail shared one such conversation with Kate.

“I remember Kate chatting to me at a small party for press with baby George on her hip,” Mayer wrote for the Daily Mail.

“Though typically guarded, she seemed comfortable talking about him,” she said. “It made a marked contrast to our first encounter.”

“During our first conversation, the paintings, hung in tiers around the room, seemed to offer an obvious ice-breaker—Kate has a degree in Art History—but when I asked her which most appealed to her, she refused to be drawn.”

“She had not yet familiarised herself with the royal collection, she said,” Mayer wrote, recalling their conversation. “What kinds of art interested her most? Her answer—she had ‘varied tastes’—discouraged further inquiries.”

Eleen Bukhari
Eleen Bukhari is a London-based journalist and MSc graduate from Brunel University with over five years of experience. Specialising in the British Royal Family and global entertainment, she provides expert analysis of monarchy traditions, celebrity culture, and the evolving media narratives surrounding the world’s most high-profile figures.