Fans Are Noticing Something Different About Kate Middleton—Here’s Why Plastic Surgery Rumors Are Swirling

With all due respect to Queen Camilla and the rest of the women in the royal family, Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the beauty of Buckingham Palace. Her ever-evolving style has changed the game in royal fashion, and has probably set the record for most hats worn since Jackie Onassis. Kate Middleton’s poised appearance has often been too much to handle for commoners — her perfect nose even sparked a plastic surgery trend. But we’re not sure if she’s ever gone under the knife herself. That’s not to say Princess Kate hasn’t been at the center of a plastic surgery rumor — she has.

Kate simply can’t escape the speculation that her flawless features are fake. One of the wildest theories about her absence from the royal spotlight in 2024 was that Kate was quietly getting a major cosmetic procedure to stay prim and proper (in reality, she was undergoing cancer treatments). Sources once told OK! Magazine that Kate has received every procedure from a rhinoplasty to a post-childbirth breast enhancement (via RadarOnline). Before she even officially entered the royal family, the then-girlfriend of William, Prince of Wales, was under fire for a speculated nip and tuck. In 2011, a source told The National Enquirer that Kate sought an aesthetic transformation that would cost her $150,000. The insider claimed: “She wants to project a modern, glamorous image, and she knows that it’s best to have cosmetic intervention before any aging, sagging, drooping or wrinkling can mar her figure.”

The royal family eventually stepped in to squash the rumors when one surgeon online took it too far. Dr. Munir Somji, the chief medical officer and founder of London’s Dr. Medi Spa Clinic, claimed in a 2019 Instagram post — which has since been deleted — that the princess was an avid Botox user, suggesting that she received the injections from his office. “Note the reduction of fine lines on the forehead,” he wrote (via Page Six). “But also note the depression of the medial (middle part) brow but elevation of the lateral tail of the brow.” A rep for Kensington Palace told Page Six that Somji’s claims were “categorically not true” and that “The Royal Family never endorse commercial activity.”

It appears as though the Prince and Princess of Wales themselves are getting increasingly frustrated with the speculations that plague their name. Amid conspiracy theories running rampant over Kate’s recovery from abdominal surgery in early 2024, Prince William was disturbed by online reactions. “I know from the sources that I’ve spoken to that both William and Kate have been pretty shocked and genuinely surprised by the wild rumors that are circulating on the internet,” royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. “I think there’s a sense of frustration, possibly even anger, certainly on William’s part.” There hasn’t been any well-founded proof that Kate has gone under the knife, which means the royal’s perfect cheekbones and button nose are likely just part of her genetic jackpot.

When Princess Catherine married Prince William at Westminster Abbey in 2011, she went from commoner to the Duchess of Cambridge in mere moments. An estimated two billion viewers around the globe were glued to their seats and screens as the bride and groom recited their vows. Needless to say, it was an exciting day for many.

In the grand scheme of things, the princess hasn’t been a part of the royal family for very long — as many are born into this privilege. So, why does it feel like much longer? Well, as one royal butler explained to Express: “She was up on that, dare I say it, royal way of life … She wasn’t a stranger to it, she understood what she was expecting. It wasn’t second nature but it wasn’t difficult.”

Still, transforming into a member of the royal family isn’t for the faint of heart, but this is how Catherine did it — and here’s why it wasn’t all that difficult for her.

A chubby-cheeked baby with an unconventional upbringing

After a heavy snowfall on January 9, 1982, Michael and Carole Middleton welcomed their first child, Princess Catherine (later “Kate”) Elizabeth Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, according to the princess’ biography, “Kate: The Future Queen” by royal expert Katie Nicholl. Carole’s friend and neighbor, a woman known as George Brown, went to visit baby Catherine a week after her birth. She remarked: “Catherine was a lovely little baby, cherubic and chubby cheeked and so good. I remember she didn’t cry much at all.”

Catherine’s parents met when her mother was working as a British Airways flight attendant and her father, who hailed from a wealthy British family, was a flight dispatcher — “one of the best paid and most important management jobs at the [Heathrow] airport,” according to Nicholl’s book.

Four months after Catherine’s second birthday, and just eight months after Catherine’s little sister Pippa was born, Michael accepted a transfer to Amman, Jordan. And so, the family of four made the trek from the U.K. to the Middle East.

The Middleton family would end up living in Amman for two and a half years. Since Michael Middleton knew from the start that his transfer to the Middle East was temporary, he and Carole Middleton arranged for Princess Catherine’s schooling well in advance. “I first met them in 1983 before they went abroad. They had inquired about the school and I sent a prospectus out,” explained Robert Acheson, headmaster of St. Andrew’s Pre-Preparatory School, in “Kate: The Future Queen” by Katie Nicholl.

With education being of utmost importance to the Middletons, it’s unsurprising that Catherine’s parents enrolled her in the “most expensive nursery for 3- to 5-year-olds in the district” while living in Jordan. There she learned through play, spoke Arabic, ate Jordanian foods, listened to passages from the Koran, mastered table manners, and bonded with children of British, Japanese, Jordanian, Indonesian, and American backgrounds. Great training for a future world leader, wouldn’t you say?

When the Middletons returned to the U.K., Princess Catherine was nearly five. “She was tall for her age, with curly hair, bleached blonde from her years in the sun,” Katie Nicholl wrote in “Kate: The Future Queen.” Princess Catherine blonde? It’s true. Back in Britain, though, that color didn’t last long.

As Michael and Carole Middleton had planned, they enrolled their oldest daughter at St. Andrew’s, which was made possible, in large, due to the Middleton trust fund. According to the school’s headmaster in Nicholl’s book, Princess Catherine dove right into her studies. The school focused on “pastoral care, playing, and making friends.” They often went on field trips and learned how to care for living things — two guinea pigs, to be exact.

According to St. Andrew’s sports instructor, Denise Allford, Catherine loved “tearing around the place” and “was a one-hundred-m.p.h. girl.” Headmaster Robert Acheson also labeled Catherine “a delight to teach right from the start” and a student who “worked hard.” He attributed much of her ethos to her parents, who he said worked “jolly hard” to get Catherine ready for school after returning from Jordan.

Did she skip right over her awkward tween years?

As a video of 13-year-old Princess Catherine acting in the high school play “The Murder in the Red Barn” proved, she must not have experienced those tween-to-teen awkward years with which we’re all so familiar. With the exception of her dark hair being fashioned into a bob, she looks remarkably similar to present-day Catherine. And, even though she was dressed in character for the play, she still managed to look fashionable in Victorian-style apparel.

Perhaps even more interesting than the play itself was how similar it ended up being to Catherine’s real life. Well, you know, minus the murder … and the red barn. Catherine’s fellow classmate starred opposite her as a fortune-teller. She can be heard telling Catherine that her palm indicates “love” and “riches.” The fortune-teller continued, saying: “Soon you will meet a handsome man, a rich gentleman.” Not only that, but he will fall in love with, marry, and “take [her] away” to London. Oh, and his name? William. Spooky!

Bo Bruce, daughter of the Earl of Cardigan, a former classmate of Princess Catherine’s, and later, a star on “The Voice,” spoke with Hello! about attending school alongside the Middleton sisters. “They were such cool girls at school and were both universally loved,” she dished. “Kate looks like a glamorous film star these days, she was always incredibly beautiful — I’m a big fan.”

Despite possessing various alluring traits, Catherine wasn’t one to attract attention in school. “She kept quite a low profile. She did nothing to draw attention to herself. Very discreet,” Professor Peter Humfrey, who was head of the art history department during Catherine’s time at St. Andrew’s, told The Telegraph. Although the professor admitted that such qualities don’t necessarily make for “juicy anecdotes,” they would instead “stand her in good stead in her future role.” In agreement with the professor’s opinion of Catherine’s unobtrusiveness, a classmate added: “You barely noticed her, she very sweetly just slipped in and out of class.”

She may have been unassuming back then, but oh how the tables have turned.

She still caught this prince’s eye

Princess Catherine kept her head down in school, but that didn’t prevent Prince William from noticing her. In an interview with the U.K. Press Association in 2010, Prince William and Catherine divulged some of the details about meeting each other and their eventual relationship. “Well I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you,” she said (via ABC News) in reference to her beau. Over time, the two became close friends and even shared an apartment in college as flatmates before making the decision to date.

But, what was it about Catherine that initially caught William’s eye? Was it the sheer — super sheer — black dress Catherine wore to the St. Andrews University fashion show in 2002? According to Catherine’s biography, “Kate: The Future Queen” by royal expert Katie Nicholl, the answer is yes! The prince “became intrigued and interested in Catherine in a new way.” As someone who really never called attention to herself, the see-through ensemble was quite an unexpected departure — and one that may have altered the course of history.

A varied career path and a secret love

Whether it was the brief catwalk experience in college that sparked her interest in fashion or not, Princess Catherine accepted a job in 2006 as an assistant accessories buyer at Jigsaw, a British clothing company in London. At this point in time, she and Prince William were secretly dating, according to Kate’s biography, “Kate: The Future Queen” by royal expert Katie Nicholl. Though, it was a pretty poorly kept secret thanks to the tabloids.

Although Catherine graduated in 2005 with a degree in art history, her biography states that finding a job was difficult, in large part because it needed “to be considered respectable by the royal family” while also enabling time off without much notice. Before long, Catherine decided to leave Jigsaw and study portrait photography instead.

Ultimately, the college graduate’s path would lead to being a member of the royal family. While you could argue that her educational background and work history are not all that vital to her current position, she excels at incorporating art history, photography, and, yes, even fashion, into her work.

An eventual engagement

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After years of dating and one breakup, Prince William and Princess Catherine finally got engaged in November 2010. With their engagement also came the release of the couple’s official portraits. It’s no surprise that Catherine’s outfit of choice was stunning, given her background in fashion and the help of the creative director of the clothing brand Issa, Daniella Helayel.

Catherine’s royal blue (we see what you did there, Catherine) Issa wrap dress sold like hotcakes after the pictures were revealed. However, it ended up being too much of a good thing. According to NBC Today, Helayel decided to leave the label after “experiencing an overwhelming demand for orders.” In March 2018, the designer once again chose to launch the iconic dress at House of Fraser.

Little did we know at the time of Catherine’s engagement debut that her dramatic dress would just be the beginning of her epic royal wardrobe.

The wedding dress we’re still not over

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Fashion changes quickly, and yet, Princess Catherine’s wedding dress still looks as stunning as it did in 2011. On her wedding day, the wedding dress designer was revealed to be Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen — and dressing a royal doesn’t come cheap. CBS News estimated that it cost $434,000.

In addition to looking every bit royal by wearing the Queen Mother’s tiara, a bespoke French Chantilly lace gown, and a two-foot veil, Catherine herself sparkled. After reportedly taking private lessons with London makeup artist Arabella Preston, Mark Niemierko told People that Catherine felt “comfortable and confident in doing [her makeup] herself” — even on her big day.

Niemierko continued, saying: “The royals obviously do their own makeup for royal engagements. Part of the whole protocol of learning to be royal is learning how to do your own makeup!” Well, color us impressed. Who knew that was part of the royal transformation?

A wardrobe fit for a future queen

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In the year 2017 alone, Princess Catherine completed over a hundred royal engagements — 63 at home in the U.K. and 42 abroad. While she fulfilled the fewest engagements compared to other members of the royal family, you can’t forget that, for part of the year, she was a mother of two little ones, pregnant, and suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that put her in the hospital during her first pregnancy.