Kate Middleton first crossed paths with Prince William at St Andrews University in Scotland in 2001.

More than a decade passed before the two finally walked down the aisle.

No one can dispute the fact the now Princess of Wales took to royal life with ease, which was in part because of her relationship with Queen Elizabeth II.

Following the Queen’s death on September 8, 2022, it was Prince William who reflected on his grandmother’s bond with Kate in a statement, saying: “My wife has had 20 years of her guidance and support.”

Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton shared a strong bond. (Getty)

Patience

If the Queen taught Kate anything even before they met it was patience. It would be 10 years between Kate and William’s first meeting in September 2001 at the University of St Andrew’s and their eventual engagement.

The couple’s 2005 university graduation ceremony was the first time Kate crossed paths with the Queen, who attended the event, however the two did not meet.

After university, William attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Kate and the Queen were both present at his passing out parade in December 2006, but again, there was no meeting.

According to William, the two were finally introduced in May 2008 at the wedding of William’s cousin, Peter Phillips, to his former wife, Autumn Kelly.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales’ life in pictures

Both William and Kate later spoke about that meeting during the couple’s engagement interview, in which Kate said the Queen was “very welcoming”.

William elaborated, “She had wanted to meet Kate for a while, so it was very nice for her to come over and say ‘hello’. We had a little chat and got on very well,” he said.

It is not known if or when the Queen and Kate crossed paths again before William popped the question in October 2010. Their engagement was announced on November 16 that year.

The Queen spent much of her life passing on royal advice to the next generation. (Getty)

Royal etiquette

Once the engagement was announced, the Queen reportedly wasted no time taking Kate under her wing.

According to the documentary Kate Middleton: Working Class to Windsor, the Queen took it upon herself to instruct Kate in royal life.

In the documentary, royal journalist Ashley Pearson said the queen oversaw the lessons. “This was to make sure she knew as much as she could possibly know and what to do in every situation – bearing in mind, of course, that she didn’t grow up in this world,” she said.

“There were things like learning how to get out of a carriage without exposing your modesty and learning how to bend down to get flowers from a young girl without exposing your modesty.

“Things that you would never think you’d have to learn but, of course, a woman in her position would certainly need to know.

“There were all kinds of small details and little bits of etiquette – how to sit, who to curtsy to, who not to curtsy to, what fork to use and whatever else they felt she needed to know.”

Kate herself reflected on her relationship with the Queen during the 2016 documentary, Our Queen at 90.

“She’s been very generous in not sort of being forceful at all in any of her views, but I feel she’s been there as sort of a gentle guidance really for me,” she said.

Sources have said the Queen often had afternoon tea with Kate after she and William moved to Kensington Palace in 2017. During this period, the Queen also presided over formal meetings where she offered Kate “intense one-on-one training about taking on the crown.”

The Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge at a viewing of Kate’s wedding dress and cake. (PA Images via Getty Images)

The Queen’s fondness for her granddaughter-to-be was evident in the wording of the official Declaration of Consent for their marriage published on April 21, 2011 — eight days before the couple’s big day.

It said the Queen had consented to the matrimony between “Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton.”

The Queen was photographed beaming at the newly named Duchess of Cambridge as she made her way back down the aisle on the arm of her husband following their wedding on April 29, 2011.

Private time

Once married, the couple settled into married life back in Anglesey, Wales, where William was a RAF search and rescue pilot.

This in itself is seen as one of the greatest lessons the Queen imparted on Kate.

The Queen herself enjoyed being a naval wife in the early days of her marriage to Prince Philip when he was stationed on the island of Malta between 1949 and 1951.

It is known the Queen relished this ‘normal’ life at the start of her marriage and wanted Kate and William to experience the same.

After William left the RAF in 2013, the couple relocated to London, which coincided with the birth of their first child, Prince George.

The Queen with Catherine, William and their children on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour on June 3, 2022. (Instagram)

Life of service

The Queen dedicated her life to service, and this clearly rubbed off on Kate.

During her time living in Anglesey, Kate volunteered as a Cubs leader with the 1st Menai Bridge Scouts group – another link between Kate and the Queen, who as a child was a member of the Girl Guides – the female equivalent of the Scouts.

Kate began undertaking royal duties just a month after their engagement, accompanying William to a fundraising event for the Teenage Cancer Trust in December 2010.

Their first public engagement was in February 2011 near their Anglesey home, where they took part in a lifeboat-naming ceremony.

Soon after their wedding, they hosted then US president Barack Obama and his wife and Michelle at Buckingham Palace. This was followed by their first royal tour to Canada and the US.

Queen Elizabeth II and The Duchess of Cambridge chat as they arrive to catch a train during their first solo engagement in 2012. (PA Images via Getty Images)

Her first solo engagement was a reception at Clarence House In October 2011.

Kate and the Queen undertook their first engagement without William in March 2012, when they visited Leicester, England, as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour.

Kate reflected on how the Queen helped quell her nerves that day during the 2016 documentary, Our Queen at 90.

“The most memorable engagement for me I suppose was an away day to Leicester and I went without William, so I was rather apprehensive about that,” she said.

“She was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after for that particular occasion, which probably in everything that she’s doing is a very small element, which just shows how caring she is, really.”

The Queen helped Kate learn how to behave in public. (Getty)

Public speaking

The Queen was often called on to give speeches and was there to support Kate as she embarked on this aspect of royal life.

A source told Us Weekly, “Kate asks for advice about speeches she’s due to make, whom she can depend on most within the palace and protocol dos and don’ts. The queen’s more than happy to impart her wisdom – she’s proud to be Catherine’s go-to adviser about royal life.”

Catherine made her first speech in March 2012 at the opening of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth II on March 8, 2012. (Getty)

Family bonds

Kate marked a major milestone in the life of a royal when she attended her first Christmas at Sandringham in 2011.

Kate was nervous about spending the holidays with the Queen, and what to gift the monarch.

During the documentary, she said she decided to surprise the Queen with a homemade gift.

“I decided to make some of my granny’s recipe for chutney,” she said.

“I noticed the next day it was on the table and I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me.”

Kate revealed in the documentary the Queen was thrilled by the arrival of Charlotte, and after the family relocated to Kensington Palace, the Queen would often pop in to visit her great-grandchildren.

The Prince and Princess of Wales released this photo of the late Queen surrounded by her grandchildren to mark what would have been her 97th birthday. It was taken at Balmoral just months before her death. (Princess of Wales)

“The queen, she was really thrilled that it was a little girl and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington [Palace] she was one of our first visitors here,” Kate recalled.

“I think she’s very fond of Charlotte, always watching what she’s up to. George is only 2½ and calls her ‘gan-gan.’

“She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows, I think, her love for her family.”

The bond was also evident in the family photos taken by Kate, which were later released to the public.