Kate Middleton revealed for the first time an unknown detail about her adaptation to the British royal family. During an interview, she confessed that her own in-laws used to make fun of her for a habit that, over time, she learned to change.
Despite her popularity —she led polls with a 72% approval rating— and being considered a charismatic, warm, and committed figure, not everything was easy in her early days within the monarchy.
A well-intentioned behavior that did not fit in
The conflict arose from a custom Kate had maintained since she was young: talking for too long with people. Something that, far from being frowned upon in her family environment, was considered inappropriate within the strict framework of royal etiquette.
During the so-called “walkabouts” —informal strolls where members of the royal family greet the public— conversations are expected to be brief in order to interact with as many people as possible.
It was after her first event without Prince William, during a visit to Leicester, when Kate realized the “problem.” She admitted that her family laughed at her because she spent too much time on each conversation. That observation was not minor: "I think I still have a bit more to learn… it is definitely an art," she said in that interview for Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday.
