Prince William's snobby friends made 'derogatory reference' about Kate Middleton in the early days of their relationship

Prince William's snobby friends made 'derogatory reference' about Kate Middleton in the early days of their relationship but over a decade later, it's clear that he took no notice - nor did she.

• Prince William's snobby friends made unkind comments, according to royal expert Kate Nicholls, pertaining to Kate Middleton's background.
• The expert mentions one particularly unpleasant monicker used to describe the Princess of Wales.
• In other royal news, Who is Penny Knatchbull? What you need to know about Prince Philip's friend ahead of The Crown season 5's rumored storyline

Kate Middleton and Prince William's first meeting may well have been written in the stars and it's hard to imagine a pair more suited for each other. Seemingly, however, not everyone close to the Prince of Wales approved of his relationship with the Princess of Wales - for a pretty snobby reason.

Speaking on Vanity Fair's Dynasty podcast, royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed, “William’s friends, I hate to say it, would whisper rather snidely when Kate would turn up at Boujis which is the nightclub that they used to go to in West London: ‘doors to manual.'"

The unusual nickname was, according to the expert, originates from a former profession held by the Princess' mother, Carole Middleton. "Obviously, that is a bit of a put-down. It’s a bit of a derogatory reference to Carol’s career as an air hostess.” Another unkind monicker, according to the expert, included 'Kate Middle-Class.'

Speaking separately on the documentary William and Kate: Into the Future, Kate said “the snootiness of the upper classes leveled at what they called the ‘en masse Middletons." The royal expert and author explained that the criticism lay in how much of a perfectionist Carole is, citing one example being how much the Middletons stood out at events like picnics. Everything from their, 'pristine Land Rover,' to their, "brand new Fortnum and Masons hamper," stood out compared to the more rough and ready style of the, "sort of true aristocratic double baron titles that turn up at these events." 

Kate added, "They would just have nothing like Carole’s spread. The point is [they were] sort of so posh [they] don’t really have to bother making an effort - but the Middletons did.”

The author says that the Princess, "never rose to it," and despite these snide comments and jibes of the Middletons being 'new money' and 'pristine' - some royal experts suggest that it's Carole Middleton's 'eye for perfection' that truly prepared her daughter for royal life.