How Kate Middleton’s ‘Cliquey’ School Pushed Unhappy Duchess Of Cambridge To Transfer

Since her marriage to Prince William, Kate Middleton continued to earn the admiration of people around the world. However, when she was a young girl, she was one of the least popular girls in her high school and it reportedly made her “miserable.”

When Prince William’s future wife started at the secondary school Downe House, she was targeted by bullies, who noticed just how much she stood out from the crowd.

In her book “Kate: The Future Queen,” royal biographer Katie Nicholl revealed Kate had several factors working against her when she enrolled in the all-girls boarding school.

While most of the girls began attending Downe House at age 11, Kate arrived two years later when friendships were already established by girls in her year.

To make matters worse, Kate was also a “day girl,” which means she didn’t live on campus like a majority of the students. Nights and weekends gave boarding girls the opportunity to form stronger bonds with one another.

Emma Sayle, a Downe House alum who was four years ahead of Kate, revealed the school had a hierarchy that Kate didn’t fit into. “It is a very cliquey school and there was a lot of pressure,” she explained.

“The girls were all high achievers, and there were lots of girls with eating disorders. Everyone wanted to be the best, the fittest, the prettiest. I think Kate was miserable from the start.”

Along with being taller and slimmer than her classmates, Kate’s new school didn’t have hockey, which was a sport she excelled in. Although she attempted to join the lacrosse team, she was unable to make the cut during tryouts.

“Disappointed not to be part of a team on the sports field and shy compared to some of her more outgoing classmates, Kate retreated into her shell,” Nicholl wrote.

“She found the all-girl environment alienating and had little in common with many of the wealthy pupils who owned ponies and came from high-society families.”

Eventually, Kate shared her feelings about Downe House with her parents, who allowed her to transfer to Marlborough College. In her new school, Kate was able to excel and made lifelong friends.