Happy Birthday, Kate Middleton! 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Future Queen

From acing her own wedding makeup to baking her kids' birthday cakes, is there anything Kate Middleton can't do? Read on for everything you don't know about the Princess of Wales, who turns 42 on January 9

She Lived in Jordan as a Child

Kate Middleton was born in Reading, England, in 1982. At age 2, she moved with her family to Amman, Jordan, for her father Michael Middleton's job at British Airways. The Middleton family lived abroad for two and a half years, and the future princess attended nursery school there.

She and Sister Pippa Had Complementary Nicknames

Kate and her younger sister, Pippa Middleton, once had matching nicknames! The royal made the revelation while visiting her old school, St. Andrew's School in Pangbourne, a decade ago. Kate asked the young pupils if they had class pets, and recalled the names she gave her childhood have guinea pigs.

"There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, because my sister was called Pippa and I was Squeak," Kate said, according to The Mirror.

She Earned a Duke of Edinburgh Award

Kate had a special connection to Prince Philip before she joined the royal family. While attending Marlborough College, she participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a youth development program founded by Prince Philip, the grandfather of her future husband Prince William.

"The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is such a great way for young people to grow in confidence, learn new skills, work as part of a team and have great fun along the way," she later said. "While getting my Gold Award was challenging at times, it is one of my most memorable experiences from growing up, and I could not recommend it more highly."

She Set — and Still Holds! — a School Sports Record

No wonder why she looks so at ease getting athletic at official engagements! Princess Kate grew up playing sports, particularly the high jump, according to her palace biography.

While enrolled at St. Andrew's School, where she attended from ages 4 to 13, she set a record for the track and field event which still stands today, The Mirror reported.

She Took a Gap Year Before University

After graduating from Marlborough in 2000, Kate took a gap year. During that time, she studied at the British Institute in Florence, traveled to Chile to do charity work with Raleigh International and rowed crew with Round the World Challenge in the Solent strait.

She enrolled at the University of St. Andrews in Edinburgh, Scotland, the following year — and met Prince William there shortly after.

She Briefly Worked as a Server

Like many college students, Kate juggled a job with her classes. While appearing on the BBC special A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019, she revealed that she briefly worked as a waitress — and joked that she wasn't very good at it!

After serving mocktails at a dry bar organized by the charity Action on Addiction, Kate told Mary Berry that "it reminded me of my university days when I did a bit of waitressing," the BBC reported.

When asked by the former The Great British Baking Show judge if she was good at the gig, Kate replied, "No, I was terrible."

She Was on a Serious Women's Rowing Team

Kate and William briefly broke up in April 2007 and got back together around June. During their split, she joined The Sisterhood, an intense all-female dragon boat team training to race against a men's team to raise money for charity, The Telegraph reported.

"Kate has done all the training and she's really committed. She is physically very fit. But she is also strong mentally," crew member Emma Sayle told the outlet at the time.

According to The Telegraph, Kate's dedication earned her "the hardest job on the dragon boat" – the tiller. While the other women paddled, the future princess was tasked with steering and shouting instructions.

Two weeks before the big race that August, Kate withdrew over security concerns, the BBC reported. The attention stemmed from her rekindled relationship with the royal.

She Never Had a Prince William Poster

Though Prince William was the most eligible bachelor of her generation, Princess Kate didn't have a picture of him pinned to her wall! The couple announced their engagement in November 2010, and Kate debunked the rumor that she had a poster of the prince in the accompanying ITV interview.

"There's a story that goes around that you had a picture of him on your wall?" journalist Tom Bradby asked Kate.

"He wishes! No, I had the Levi's guy on my wall," she laughed. "Not a picture of William. Sorry," she said, patting her newly minted fiancé's knee.

She Did Her Own Bridal Makeup

No need for a pro — Princess Kate handles her own glam! In April 2011, PEOPLE reported that Kate took a few private lessons with London makeup artist Arabella Preston ahead of her royal wedding, brushing up on her skills to do her own makeup on her big day.

Wedding planner Mark Niemierko told PEOPLE Kate made the decision to "keep some normality" in her life.

She Bakes Her Kids' Birthday Cakes

In another enviable DIY, Kate has said that she bakes birthday cakes for her three children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4. The royal mom shares the special tradition while appearing on A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019.

"I love making the cake. It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much," Kate said, according to Hello!. "But I love it."

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