Queen Made 'Stinging' Quip About Kate Middleton 'Swanning About on Five-Star Holidays' Kate Middleton and the Queen had a unique relationship that saw the young Duchess of Cambridge transition into a key player in the Royal Family – but it wasn't always that way... The Queen and Kate Middleton didn't immediately have the close relationship that they grew to enjoy Princess of Wales Kate Middleton might be a regular fixture of the Royal Family these days, but believe it or not there was a time that wasn't necessarily a done deal – and it's all because of the Queen. There was a time before Kate had settled down and turned her mind to the throne when she was something of a jet-setter who Her Majesty allegedly had concerns she may not have been Queen material. Writing in her 2010 book William and Harry , royal expert Katie Nicholl claimed: 'If she was not with William at Balmoral then the couple were skiing or holidaying on Mustique. 'Kate ...