What did The Crown get right about Kate Middleton? Did she model in a show and did she take a gap year to be with William?

Here's what The Crown got right about Kate Middleton in season 6 part 2 which was released last week.

The Crown's final season was released last week and fans were saddened by the end of this fabulous series which has entertained viewers for years. However, many have a lot of questions about the accuracy of the final season, in particular, fans wondered whether Kate and William met before they went to St Andrew's, and who Kate and William dated before each other, as the show suggested they were both in other romantic entanglements when they met. Here's what The Crown got right about Kate Middleton, and what was invented...

Was Kate Middleton voted the 'prettiest girl at Sally's'?

In the show, Prince William and his friends discussed the fact that Kate Middleton was the 'prettiest girl in Sally's' aka St. Salvator's, one of St Andrew's University’s 11 halls of residence where Prince William and Kate Middleton both lived. But is this true? Apparently so!

In 2010, Vanity Fair reported in an article called 'Wills and the Real Girl' it was reported, "Kate Middleton had been crowned the prettiest girl at Sally’s by the end of freshman week. She was shy and quieter than the other girls, which William liked, and he looked forward to their meetings." A little bit misogynistic to be rating young women on looks, but this was back in the very early noughties.

Did Kate Middleton swap universities?

The Crown portrayed Carole Middleton as a meddling mother who encouraged Kate to change universities so that she could be with William. 

In episode seven, Alma Mater, Kate tells her mother Carole, "You've always loved the idea of me and William together. I was all set to go to Edinburgh University straight after school with all my friends. Then you suggested I change it to St Andrew's, after a gap year, with none of my friends. That was no coincidence." But is this true?

It is true, that Catherine was set to Edinburgh University the year before but took a gap year and accepted St Andrew's instead. Some have speculated that going to university with Prince William was at the heart of this decision.

Royal Correspondent at The Spectator, Matthew Bell said in 2005, "Some insiders wonder whether her university meeting with Prince William can really be ascribed to coincidence. Although at the time of making her application to universities it was unknown where the Prince was intending to go, it has been suggested that her mother persuaded Kate to reject her first choice on hearing the news and take up her offer at St. Andrews instead."

We can't know if Carole was the one who persuaded Kate to change universities or what the real reason was, but it is a fact that she did turn down Edinburgh in favour of St Andrew's.

Did Kate Middleton take a gap year?

The Crown did accurately portray Kate and William's similar gap years as both worked with Raleigh International on a construction project in Chile. The Prince and Kate worked with the same organisation but at different times so didn't meet in Chile, but likely were able to bond over this shared experience - which the show got right.

Although The Crown suggests that Kate was encouraged to take the gap year and change universities by Carole, this can't be confirmed. Kate also took on other activities in her gap year such as rowing with Round the World Challenge in the Solent strait and studying at the British Institute in Florence - activities that had nothing to do with the Prince.

Did Kate Middleton's model at St Andrew's?

Yes! This scene was factually accurate and the dress and hairstyle worn by Meg Bellamy is spot on to the real look worn by the Princess of Wales. 

In a Vanity Fair article from 2010, many credit this modelling for a charity fashion show as a turning point for Kate and William's relationship. The article reported, "As Kate shimmied down the catwalk at the five-star St. Andrews Bay Hotel, William turned to Fergus and whispered, 'Wow, Fergus, Kate’s hot!' He had paid £200 for his front-row ticket, and when Kate appeared in black underwear and a see-through dress William barely knew where to look."

One of the couple's university friends even told Vanity Fair, "It was clear to us that William was smitten with Kate. He actually told her she was a knockout that night, which caused her to blush. There was definitely chemistry between them, and Kate had really made an impression on William. She played it very cool, and at one point when William seemed to lean in to kiss her, she pulled away. She didn’t want to give off the wrong impression or make it too easy for Will."

The famous see-through dress that the Princess wore back in 2002 went under the hammer in 2011 and sold for £65,000. The fashion graduate who designed the dress actually made it as a skirt but the organisers of the event decided it should be worn by Kate as a dress. After the piece sold at auction for such a high price, the designer told The Guardian, "I never imagined as I sat knitting this piece it would be so important."