The Princess of Wales's mother, Carole Middleton's, childhood was a far cry from Kate's upper-middle-class upbringing in the Berkshire countryside of Bradfield Southend.
Growing up, Carole, now 71, was born into a working-class family with generational ties to coal miners from County Durham in the 1950s.
The mother-of-three was the daughter of Ronald, a decorator, and Dorothy, a part-time jewellery sales assistant, who was nicknamed 'The Duchess' in the local area for her impeccable physical appearance.
"When Carole was a child, she lived in local authority housing with her family in Ealing, before moving to a small home in Southall, West London," royal expert Russell Myers wrote in his tell-all book about Prince William and Kate's love story.
He continued: "She and her brother, Gary, who was born a decade later than her in 1965, studied at the local high school and lived a happy life, with the self-employed Ron and Dorothy doing the best they could in often difficult circumstances. There were various bouts of financial hardship.
"Carole was inspired by her parents’ work ethic, instilled in her from a young age. She had grown up watching both her parents work hard to make ends meet and ensure that, even though money was not abundant, the children grew up in a safe and loving home."
© WireImageOpposites attract
Despite her mother's working-class childhood, Kate's father, Michael Middleton, experienced a different upbringing closer to that of her husband, Prince William.
Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in the late 1940s, the entrepreneur and former British Airways flight dispatcher came from a wealthy family with British aristocracy connections.
Russell explained in his pages that "his father, Peter, served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and later worked as a commercial pilot," while his mother, Valerie Glassborow, was the daughter of a bank manager and served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse with the British Red Cross during the Second World War."
Michael's mother also worked inside the Government Code and Cypher School agency at Bletchley Park, and his paternal grandmother, Olive Middleton, was the daughter of a wealthy Yorkshire wool merchant named Francis Martineau Lupton, making her a belle of Edwardian society.
© GettyPreparing to become a princess
While not directly linked to the royal family through lineage, Kate's upbringing was nothing short of upper-middle-class, and her home in Berkshire lay in the shadow of Windsor Castle, hinting at what her later years would hold for her.
She lived in a semi-detached three-bedroom home with her brother James and her sister Pippa, who famously made an appearance at her royal wedding.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesKate has previously opened up about her childhood on the podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby and said: "I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun, and I'm very lucky I come from a very strong family.
"My parents were hugely dedicated. I really appreciate now, as a parent, how much they sacrificed for us. They came to every sports match, they'd be the ones on the sideline shouting, and we'd always have our family holidays together."
