How Kate Middleton Reportedly Rose Above The Criticism Of Prince William's Friends

The love story of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, could be a movie, but the truth about William and Kate's relationship is that things were harder than they seemed. Some don't realize the battle Kate had to wage while dating the prince, and all because of class differences.

Author George Orwell once said, "England is the most class-ridden country under the sun. It is a land of snobbery and privilege, ruled largely by the old and silly." While the British class system is looser than it was in Orwell's time, it remains firmly in place. Great British Mag explains that the British class system is divided into five groups: lower class, working class, middle class, upper class, and aristocrats. The British aristocracy comprises a small group of people in families with titles that go back hundreds of years and are passed down. According to Grin, "The Royal Family at the top is followed by 783 titles in a fixed order – 25 Dukes, 37 Marquesses, 173 Earls, 110 Viscounts, and 438 Barons. They form all the hereditary peerages that are represented in the House of Lords."

The wealth of Britain's aristocracy is quite substantial. In 2017, The Guardian reported that "a third of Britain's land still belongs to the aristocracy," citing a 2010 Country Life report. While Kate is now a member of the aristocracy living a charmed life — she and William are set to inherit yet another royal property –  Kate had a long road to acceptance by William's aristocratic friends.

What many never knew about Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, was the class barrier she had to break. On the "Dynasty by Vanity Fair" podcast, royal expert Katie Nicholl explains some of the passive-aggressive shade thrown at her. Nicholl explained, "William's friends, I hate to say it, would whisper rather snidely when Kate would turn up at Boujis, which is the nightclub that they used to go to in West London, 'Doors to manual.'" The aristocrats were insulting Kate because her mom Carole Middleton began her career as a flight attendant. "Obviously, that is a bit of a putdown. It's a bit of a derogatory reference to Carole's career as an air hostess," Nicholl added.

One "nickname" for Kate was reportedly "Kate Middle Class." Nicholl explained on "Dynasty" that William's friends also attacked her family, calling them the "en masse Middletons." Nicholl said the Middletons would come to events in a "pristine Land Rover that had been newly polished and they had a brand new Fortnum and Masons hamper." While the blue-bloods were "so posh [they] don't really have to bother making an effort – but the Middletons did."

The Vanity Fair royal expert, who is also the author of "The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown," gives the Princess of Wales plenty of credit. In the podcast, Nicholls said Kate "never rose to it" and didn't let the cruel chatter of the upper-crust get her down.