The Surprising Thing Kate Middleton And Princess Eugenie Have In Common

As Kate Middleton was born into an upper-middle class family, much was made into her background when she married Prince William in 2011. Raised by former airline workers (via The Seattle Times), Kate's upbringing was far from royalty. The same can't be said about her family tree, however. As Marie Claire notes, the Middletons have links to British aristocracy courtesy of her father, Michael Middleton. If you trace back the genealogy of her parents long enough, you'll also encounter serious royalty.

Genealogist Patrick Cracroft-Brennan traced the Middleton family tree so far back that he discovered they are distant descendants of King Edward III through Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland (via Channel 4). Kate shares this ancestor with her husband, William, making them "14th cousins once removed," according to Cracroft-Brennan.

So technically, Kate was connected to the royal family before meeting William. Aside from being distantly related to the British royal family, the Duchess of Cambridge also attended the same private school as one particular princess (via Insider).

As a teen, Kate Middleton moved from the all-girls boarding school Downe House to Marlborough College (via Hello!), where her sister Pippa Middleton also attended. Kate studied at the mixed boarding school between 1996 and 2000, three years before Princess Eugenie settled into the prestigious school (via the Daily Mail). Both Kate and Eugenie had a penchant for art and would go on to study history of art at university. During their time at Marlborough College, Kate and Eugenie achieved A's in the creative subject (via The Sun).

After spending their college years at Marlborough, Kate traveled to Fife in Scotland to study at the University of St. Andrews (via People). Eugenie also decided to study away from home, accepting an offer at Newcastle University, where she studied English literature alongside art history.

While Kate and Eugenie parted their educational ways as they went to university, it seems that Eugenie has already got her son August's academic life settled at her and Kate's alma mater.

In February 2021, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed their first child August (via the Independent). While it's not clear what nursery and pre-school the couple have in mind for their son, it seems that they've already secured a place for August at Marlborough College, according to the Mail on Sunday. It would seem that Eugenie is keen to carry on the tradition of being educated at Marlborough College.

Kate Middleton and Eugenie's educational ties aren't the only connection they share. In June 2022, Eugenie and Brooksbank reportedly moved from Windsor's Frogmore Cottage — the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — to Kensington's Nottingham Cottage (via Hello!). This just so happens to be where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lived briefly after the birth of Prince George in 2013, before they moved back into their Kensington apartment following renovations.