The Gist
Prince William and Kate Middleton met in 2001, as first-year students at the University of St. Andrews; they were friends, then roommates, then a couple, and have now been together for over half of their lives.
During those college days, William’s friends apparently had a “bizarre” nickname for Kate, and it had to do with how tight her birth family was (and still is today).
The Princess of Wales is the daughter of Michael and Carole and the older sister of Pippa and James.
Prince William and Kate Middleton met as first-year college students at the University of St. Andrews and have been a couple for nearly a quarter century. If you’re doing the math, that’s more than half of their lives—and William has grown close to Kate’s family, the Middletons, comprised of her parents Michael and Carole and her younger siblings Pippa and James.
Back in their university days, royal biographer Katie Nicholl revealed in her book The Making of a Royal Romance the “bizarre” (in the words of The Daily Mail) nickname that William’s friends gave Kate and her birth family of five: “the OM Middletons.”
POOL/ Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images
Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 11, 2008
“William’s friends jokingly refer to the close-knit family as ‘the OM Middletons,’ meaning the ‘On Masse Middletons’ because they are always together,” Nicholl wrote.
That rings as true in the present day as it did in the 2000s, when William and Kate first met and fell in love. In her book, Nicholl cited when the Middletons fled to Mustique—a royally approved vacation destination—to escape the paparazzi.
“The family needed privacy, and the only place to get away from media storm and the paparazzi camped on the doorstep of their home was Mustique,” Nicholl wrote.
Getty Images
Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, James Middleton, Pippa Middleton, and her husband James Matthews on May 19, 2018 at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The Middleton family closeness was on full display in 2024, when the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis. The future queen’s parents and siblings—along with, of course, William—were pillars of support for her during the difficult period, with her brother James telling The Times of Kate that “For her and her family, it was a challenging time, and I know for us and our bigger family it was a challenging time.”
“Being there for someone is such an important part, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be on your terms, and it shouldn’t be on your terms,” James continued. “It should be on their terms—unconditional. ‘I’m not doing it for something in return. I’m doing it because I love you.’ And that’s the simplest way of really demonstrating love. You can do it in all these various fancy ways, but actually, it is just generally being there.”
Getty
Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton
Getty
James Middleton and Pippa Middleton at King Charles’s coronation on May 6, 2023
Not only is Kate close to her parents, but William is, too. A friend speaking to The Daily Mail said Kate’s parents were “brilliant” during Kate’s cancer treatment, with the outlet reporting that Carole and Michael were constantly “stepping in and helping out, always willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice.”
The Prince of Wales “was given another family with Carole and Michael Middleton from a very early age,” royal biographer Robert Jobson told Us Weekly, adding, “I think he counts on Carole and Michael very much as his second mom and dad, really.”
“Carole has always been a rock for Kate, especially this past year—she’s been amazing,” fellow royal biographer Ingrid Seward told Hello!.
Getty
Pippa Middleton, Carole Middleton, and Kate Middleton on April 28, 2011
“The Middletons are a traditional family, which is why William enjoyed being around them so much,” Seward continued.
In their 2010 engagement interview, William himself said, “Kate’s got a very, very close family. I get on really well with them, and I’m very lucky that they’ve been so supportive.” He called Carole and Michael “really loving and caring and really fun,” and said they were “really welcoming” and made him feel like “a part of the family.”
Getty Images
Kate Middleton and Prince William on March 13, 2007
Getty
Michael Middleton and Carole Middleton on November 16, 2010
At the time of their engagement, Michael said that over the years he and the Middletons have “got to know William really well”: “We all think he’s wonderful and we’re extremely fond of him,” he said. “They make a lovely couple. They’re great fun to be with, and we’ve had a lot of laughs together.”
Read the original article on InStyle