Why Queen Elizabeth Gave Kate Middleton This Official Status In The Royal Family

She and Prince William had been dating for several years before Kate Middleton was officially recognized with status in the royal family as his girlfriend. However, when the official title was bestowed upon her, it appears it was because of Queen Elizabeth.

According to Express UK, Middletons attendance at Prince William’s inauguration as a Royal Knight Companion in 2008 was the first time she was officially given status as his girlfriend within the royal family, despite the fact that they had dated for several years at that point after first meeting at University of St. Andrews in 2001.

That particular event in 2008 sparked rumors of a possible engagement, though sources allegedly told the Daily Telegraph at the time that marriage was not in the cards, though Middleton has been given official status as a “Girlfriend with a capital G.”

“In the olden days, someone went from being nothing to being a fiancée. But things are different now, and contrary to what one might expect, the Royals are very good at moving with the times,” social expert Lady Celestria Noel said at the time. “They know that their contemporaries invite girlfriends and boyfriends to family events, and so they are doing it too. After all, Prince William did live with Kate for two years, so they have to do it differently. The fact that she went to the Garter is an acknowledgement—it doesn’t mean that marriage is around the corner, but it does mean that Girlfriend is now an official status.”

Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine at the time, also stated that her gaining official status as a Girlfriend, which came after Sophie, Countess of Wessex earned it first, was likely because Queen Elizabeth herself felt that it was important for women who could become future members of the royal family start learning the ropes earlier—a major departure from the days when Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson first entered the fold and married Princes Charles and Andrew.

“Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York found that immensely irritating because they felt that if they had had the same chance to know more about what they were getting into, they would have coped better,” she said at the time. “It’s a definite thing that the Queen has decided: that the Girlfriends are included more so that they know the ropes and the people involved.”

Of course, Middleton proved to be someone who gained an advantage by having some exposure as an official “girlfriend” since she later did become Prince William’s wife after they married on April 30, 2011. They have since welcomed three children together, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.