7 Surprising Facts About Catherine, Princess of Wales

1. She Spent Part of Her Childhood Living in Jordan

Long before she moved into Kensington Palace, Catherine lived in Amman, Jordan, between the ages of two and four. Her father, Michael Middleton, was an operations manager and flight dispatcher for British Airways, and the family relocated to the Middle East for his job. She even attended an English-language nursery school in Amman, learning early Arabic nursery rhymes alongside local classmates.

2. She Held Normal Corporate and Deckhand Jobs

Unlike many royals of the past, Catherine worked regular civilian jobs before stepping into full-time public duties. During her gap year before attending university, she worked as a deckhand in Southampton, crewing and maintaining boats. After graduating from the University of St Andrews with a degree in art history, she moved to London and worked as a junior accessories buyer for the British high-street fashion brand Jigsaw.

3. Her School Nickname Came From a Guinea Pig

While attending St Andrew’s School in Pangbourne, Catherine was given the childhood nickname "Squeak". As she later recalled during a school visit, the nickname came from the school’s pair of classroom guinea pigs: one was named "Pip" and the other was named "Squeak." Because her younger sister Philippa was known as Pippa (Pip), Catherine naturally became Squeak.

4. She Has a Matching Head Scar With Prince William

Much like Prince William’s visible "Harry Potter" scar on his forehead, Catherine has a notable three-inch scar hidden beneath the hairline on the left side of her scalp. Royal aides confirmed years ago that the scar dates back to a serious surgical procedure she underwent during her childhood.

5. An Accomplished, Published Royal Photographer

Catherine is an honorary member and patron of the Royal Photographic Society, and she broke long-standing royal precedent by becoming the official photographer for her own children. Rather than hiring formal palace photographers, the majority of the birthday and milestone portraits released to global media for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were captured personally by Catherine using natural light.

6. A Passion for Ice-Cold Wild Swimming and Scuba Diving

Catherine is an advanced PADI-certified open-water scuba diver—a qualification she shares with William—and has logged dives across the globe, including Belize and the Caribbean. Beyond diving, she is an enthusiastic cold-water wild swimmer, famously admitting that when it comes to open-water swims, "the colder, the better."

7. She Co-Founded an All-Female Drinking Society at University

During her undergraduate years at St Andrews, frustrated that several of the university’s historic social and drinking clubs barred women from joining, Catherine helped co-found an all-female social club (The Lumsden Club) focused on women’s friendship, networking, and charity fundraising.