Why Kate Middleton skipped Meghan Markle's royal baby shower in NYC
Did Kate Middleton ditch Meghan Markle's baby shower in New York City to go on a secret trip with hubby, Prince William?
Let’s count them: Two.
The woman formerly known as Kate Middleton, now known as Duchess of Cambridge or Prince George’s Mother or the woman single-handedly keeping the Alice band business afloat, had exactly two jobs before she married Prince William.
First, she worked part-time as an assistant accessories buyer at UK clothing chain Jigsaw. (She got the gig after asking the brand’s founder for a job because the only other thing she could have put down on her CV were a 2:1 in Art History and “Royal Girlfriend”.)
WHY KATE MIDDLETON SKIPPED MEGHAN MARKLE'S BABY SHOWER
Kate Middleton reportedly revealed Prince Louis is a "fast crawler." (AP)
Later, she worked for her parents’ mail-order party business, Party Pieces, helping to take photos of products and editing catalogs.
Keep in mind — they were both part-time gigs.
Yet when she walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey in 2011, frocked up in Alexander McQueen, and into the pages of history, the girl was worth a serious motza.
Somehow, long before she became royal, Kate amassed an estimated personal fortune worth about $9 million, according to Time. That is the lower end of the scale. Some assessments suggest the figure is more like $13 million.
Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. (Splash)
It’s not bad for a girl who has never had a full-time job. (Well, aside from spending her days manhandling Prince George away from the Rubens when he fancies finger painting or preventing Princess Charlotte from sneakily taking one of the Queen Mother’s old diamond brooches to preschool for show and tell.)
However, to be fair, Kate didn’t really earn her millions in the same way that we, the unwashed masses, earn our salaries. That is, by showing up, logging on and putting in eight hours of trying to look busy for the boss.
Kate’s dough actually comes courtesy of her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who have built up their family business such that it is now worth about $54 million.
Interestingly, the clan was pretty cashed up long before Carole had the idea to sell paper plates and cake toppers to frazzled mothers.
Michael’s grandfather set up a seven-figure trust for his descendants, which is said to have been used to help pay the astronomical school fees for Kate, Pippa and James. We’re talking up to $633,000 for high school per child here.
Prince William and his wife, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. (Reuters)
The Middletons also own stakes in racehorses that have reportedly earned them hundreds of thousands of dollars and own a slew of properties in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
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The luxurious three-bedroom London flat the couple bought for their children went on the market late last year for $3.5 million.
I’m sure all that cash came in very handy helping pay for the upkeep of Kate, Pippa and James who have all had, shall we say, chequered work histories.
Luckily for Kate, she hasn’t had to spend a penny of her fortune now that she is married to Wills.
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton pictured here in July 2018. (AP)
Prince Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall pays for the upkeep, including staff, clothing and travel expenses, for both the Cambridges and now the Sussexes, spending upwards of $5 million annually on each family.
Both Wills and Harry also inherited about $19 million from Princess Diana’s will when they turned 30.
Interestingly, Kate’s bank account beats that of Meghan Markle’s, who is said to be worth about $7 million, though she earned her moolah by actually working.
This article originally appeared on news.com.au.
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