KATE STEPS UP

PROVING SHE’S A MODERN QUEEN IN THE MAKING, THE DUCHESS’ SOLO TRIP TO DENMARK WAS A SMASHING SUCCESS

- Kylie Walters

“Denmark is a beacon of best practice in its approach to the early years, with a culture that prioritises the best start in life,” Kate said of the reason for her visit.

Representing her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, to celebrate her third cousin’s Golden Jubilee, Kate Middleton more than held her own on the world’s stage as she met with Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark at Christian IX’s Palace in Copenhagen on February 23.

While the Duchess of Cambridge may have looked calm and confident during the whirlwind two-day solo trip, it was a feat those closest to her couldn’t have imagined just a few short years ago. Since her wedding to Prince William in 2011, the mum-of-three, 40, has fought to overcome her severe shyness.

“I think [Kate] would say herself that she wasn’t born to be a public figure,” an insider close to the duchess revealed to British Hello! magazine. “She’s a reserved person and she’s incredibly thoughtful, but she would never have sought a public role if it hadn’t been for the man she married.”

Kate visited Denmark on behalf of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she established in June.

Kate’s lack of confidence stemmed from being left “miserable” after she was mercilessly bullied while attending a boarding school in Berkshire during her first year of high school. “When she used to go to lunch she would sit down with people and they all used to get up and sit on another table,” former classmate Jessica Hay previously revealed.