The Princess of Wales was forced to relocate schools halfway through a term when she was a teenager, a decision that was reportedly made due to the royal experiencing bullying.
It has been reported that the Princess was picked on at all-girls boarding school Downe House, leaving her “thin and pale”.
In Katie Nicholl’s royal biography Kate: The Future Queen, several factors contributed to Kate’s reported bad experience at the school, including that she joined at age 13, rather than 11, and the fact she missed out on bonding with her fellow pupils due to being a day student rather than a boarder.
According to Downe House alum Emma Sayle, who was four years above Kate at the Berkshire school, the future wife of Prince William had a real challenge fitting in at the all-girls independent school, which was a breeding ground for a toxic social environment.
© Shutterstock / The Middleton Family“It is a very cliquey school and there was a lot of pressure,” she said. “The girls were all high achievers. Everyone wanted to be the best, the fittest, the prettiest. I think Kate was miserable from the start.”
After leaving the £28,000-a-year school, Kate relocated to the mixed boarding school of Marlborough College, and it is believed that she had a much more positive experience here.
Fellow dormmate, Gemma Williamson recalled to the Daily Mail: “Apparently she had been bullied very badly and she certainly looked thin and pale. She had very little confidence.”The Princess attended Marlborough College between 1996 and 2000, where she thrived, becoming part of the hockey team and making lots of friends.
© WPA PoolIt’s Anti-Bullying Week 2024 from 11-15 November, and we’re sure it’s an initiative that the Princess of Wales is in support of.
The mother-of-three has never spoken publicly about her experience with bullying, but she did ask for charitable donations to an anti-bullying charity in place of wedding gifts for her nuptials to Prince William in 2011.
A statement issued by Clarence House ahead of the royal wedding said: “Having been touched by the goodwill shown them since the announcement of their engagement, Prince William and Miss Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund.
© Max Mumby/Indigo“Many of the charities are little known, without existing royal patronage, and undertake excellent work within specific communities. They are charities that have a particular resonance with Prince William and Miss Middleton and reflect issues in which the couple have been particularly interested in their lives to date.”
One of the charities listed was BeatBullying, an international charity aiming to empower young people to lead anti-bullying campaigns in their schools before it went into administration in 2014.
Anti-bullying campaigns are no doubt close to the royal’s heart due to these alleged incidences, and back in 2021 the Waleses once again showed their support for children’s mental health amid Anti Bullying Week.
The royals retweeted a post shared by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, a children’s mental health charity, on their own mental health organisation Heads Together’s account.
LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB
© GettyIf you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with the royals – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…
What is it?
Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.
Member benefits
- Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
- Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
- Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
- Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
- Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
- Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
- Invitations to in-person and virtual events
- A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
- Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits
By royal decree
You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!
![Who Is [SPOILER]? ‘Ironheart’s Surprise ‘Iron Man’ Connection Explained](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ironheart-dominique-thorne-1.jpg "Who Is [SPOILER]? ‘Ironheart’s Surprise ‘Iron Man’ Connection Explained")
