Kate Middleton’s ‘love of the outdoors’ helped her bond with the Queen when she first started dating Prince William
EVERYONE likes to make a good impression with their partner's family - but when your in-laws are the Queen, there's probably just a little bit more pressure to impress.
But according to one royal commentator, Kate Middleton had no problem getting the royal seal of approval off Her Maj - and apparently, her "love of the outdoors" helped a lot.
“Growing up in the English countryside with a close-knit family, these are values that are really important to the Royal Family," royal commentator Erin Hill told magazine.
"The Queen loves the outdoors, she’s happiest when she’s wearing her tweeds out there, with her horses and this is something she shares with Kate.
"And William has longed for a close family since losing his mother when he was so young. Kate being very close to her parents, her siblings and William’s as well, it all comes together.”
Kate and Prince William met in 2001 when they were both studying at St Andrews, in Scotland.
The pair got to know each other but it wasn’t until Kate donned her risqué outfit that she really caught Prince William’s eye.
It was the student fashion catwalk and Kate strutted her stuff in a number of outfits.
Prince William was among the spectators, and certainly noticed when Kate stepped out in a mesh, see-through dress, which showed off her black underwear and left little to the imagination.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl said: "She [Kate] did the walk, she caught William’s eye and it was like something had just gone off in his brain.
“He suddenly noticed that this rather cute and charming girl who he’d gotten to know over lectures and breakfast was actually a real hotty.”
The couple started dating in 2003 until they broke up in 2007, before getting back together and marrying in 2011.
It's believed that the Queen didn't meet Kate for five years after she started dating Will, as Her Maj wanted to make sure it was serious.
The Duchess eventually met Prince William’s grandma at the wedding of Peter and Autumn Philips’, on May 17 2008.
Now an established senior royal, it’s thought Kate and the Queen get on well, with the 93-year-old guiding her granddaughter-in-law on her future role as queen.
She recently named the Duchess as a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian (GCVO), the highest honour she can give a woman, to celebrate her eight wedding anniversary to Prince William.
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