Kate Middleton Took Elocution Lessons to Sound Posher Than Prince William

Given Kate Middleton's background and privileged education, her accent is not surprising, but the former Duchess of Cambridge supposedly assisted in honing it. In his book Endgame, writer and royal analyst Omid Scobie asserted that Middleton had 'many rounds of elocution lessons,' which finally made her sound 'posher' than Prince William.

In his tell-all book that was released last year, the author went on to say that Kate's family, rather than pushing her to enroll at her purportedly favored option of Edinburgh University in 2001, "calculatingly placed Kate right at the center of young William's world" that is at the University of St Andrew's. As the New York Post reported, Scobie mentioned, "Kensington Palace has never denied that Kate had several rounds of elocution lessons as she became more serious with William." He also added, "Friends have noted over the years that her accent now sounds ‘posher’ and ‘even more plummy’ than her husband’s." The Princess of Wales is described in the book from what some call an extremely critical viewpoint. Kate, according to the author, "glides under the radar" since she "never challenged the system with public struggles or oversized aspirations." 

Scobie also revealed in his book, "At the very least, the institution ignored Meghan when she was in pain. It’s a dismal record, and with William now openly claiming his mother was essentially too paranoid to speak the truth, it proves the institution still operates under the principle that women not born into the family are, ultimately, disposable." Scobie noted that, in comparison to someone like Anne, Princess Royal, the queen-in-waiting attends fewer royal events annually. Others have already brought up this objection, including monarchists. But in the end, Middleton seemed to be popular with the royal family, which included the late Queen Elizabeth II, as she was said to be 'coachable' and simple to control.

In 2022, Duncan Larcombe, a royal specialist, claimed that Middleton's voice wasn't originally her natural one. Larcombe told OK at the time, "I first spoke to Kate in April 2005 when she was on a ski trip with Prince William, Prince Charles and Prince Harry in Switzerland. She was always well-spoken, she went to Marlborough College College, and she was hardly the fishwife in the way she spoke. But, having said that, it's as though her accent and the way she carefully speaks and pronounces her words have become more regal over the years and morphed into what we see now.

It's almost like her accent has changed per the role that she's played over the years." While calling her the 'Prince's girlfriend material', Larcombe further added, "As a royal girlfriend she just had to be prim and proper and polite and she always was, she always smiled for the cameras and she always said very little when we heard her talking. She was every bit the Prince's girlfriend material and, of course, now she has an accent that is fitting of someone who will be Queen." 

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 13, 2024. It has since been updated.