Kate Middleton Was Reportedly Hurt After Enduring 'Casual Cruelty' of Prince William's Friends

Kate 'Catherine' Middleton wasn't a royal per se but she became one after marrying the eldest son of King Charles and late Princess Diana- Prince William. Royal author Katie Nicholl told a source of OK! Magazine that as a commoner, Middleton unfortunately had to endure some cruel jibes by her husband's royal pals. Although she was hurt, the now Princess didn't let them take her down. 

When Middleton and William's relationship was still new, those in the inner circle of the future king would whisper "Doors to Manual," a mockery of her previous work as a flight attendant. "To her full credit, Kate never rose to it- the snootiness of the upper classes leveled at what they called the en-masse Middletons," Nicholl told the outlet. 

Meanwhile, another source who witnessed insults Middleton endured as a non-royal revealed, "It was never water off a duck's back, but she has extraordinary strength of character and resilience. I've never once seen or heard of her losing her temper." Despite this, along with intense media scrutiny, she stood her ground despite being labeled by the British press as "waity Katie," who was only eyeing the role of Princess. 

Middleton and William are now the royal family's most beloved couple. Before hitting off romantically, they established a strong foundation as friends while they were studying together. In their famous 2010 engagement interview with Tom Bradby of ITV News, William revealed, "When I first met Kate, I knew there was something very special about her, and then I knew there was possibly something I wanted to explore there, but we ended up being friends for a while." 

Although they parted ways for some time, it didn't last long as the couple reunited in the summer of 2007, three years later announced their engagement, and finally tied the knot in 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. According to a close friend, their marital union is an "old-fashioned one." The pal told PEOPLE, "They look after each other but in different ways." 

Today, she is the epitome of grace and class, carrying the royal name with dignity and pride but it was, predictably, not a walk in the park. She grew up in a village near Berkshire, England, in a middle-class family. While she was studying art history in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews, she met William. 

Now a proud mother of three children- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, reportedly kept some conditions in front of the late Queen Elizabeth before joining the royal clan. According to a new book Catherine the Princess of Wales by royal expert Robert Jobson, Middleton laid out her terms, per Us Weekly. 

"[Kate] established some fundamental rules that she would stick to when she joined The Firm," Jobson wrote in his book. Her terms were in fact presented to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles … She was clear from the outset that she would not be pigeon-holed into carrying out particular duties … her priority, she emphasized, would always be her family." And she lived up to her promise to date.