

Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Marie Claire. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Before she became a member of the royal family, Kate Middleton held a very low-status job as a deckhand on a fleet of Challengers.
Kate worked the job for four months before she started college and earned just $75 total for 11+ hours of work each day.
Before she was the Duchess of Cambridge—before she was even the girlfriend of a prince—Kate Middleton was just a normal teen working terrible jobs for almost no pay. The summer before Kate started college at the University St. Andrew's (where she would meet Prince William and begin her fairytale love story), Kate scraped together extra cash by working as a deckhand.
Like many jobs held by young people, the pay was low and the hours were long. Kate earned just $75/day for her trouble and worked from 7 a.m. until at least 6 p.m. That means that, during a typical 11-hour day on the boat, Kate was earning roughly $6.81 per hour. To do hardcore manual labor. Oof.
In her book Kate: The Future Queen, royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl says that Kate spent four months working on Challengers at the Ocean Village Marina in Southhampton. Nicholl wrote of Kate's time on the job:
"It was back-breaking work," Cal Tomlinson, one of the skippers Kate worked under at the time, told Nicholl for the biography. "Kate mucked in and was very professional. She fitted right in, although she did stand out for being so pretty. She spoke well, she was very attractive, and she an air about her. She was competent and confident but very unassuming. She was polite and respectful to whoever was in charge of her and neat as a pin. She was never wore any makeup; she was naturally beautiful."
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for theMarie Claire newsletter.
RELATED STORIES
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Princess Kate Is Absolutely Nailing the Business Casual Look This Week
Pantsuits everywhere!
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
24 Hours With Naomi Osaka
The tennis star on her new beauty routine after welcoming her baby, easing back into tennis, and her self-care ritual.
By Brooke Knappenberger
-
Leighton Meester Just Went Full Blair Waldorf in Milan
And her dress is in stock!
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince William Makes Sure to "Treat George and Charlotte as Equals," Body Language Expert Says
I should hope so!
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince William Isn't "A Workaholic Like His Father," Royal Expert Claims
He's got more of a work-life balance.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Princess Kate's New "Signature" Gesture? The Stealthy "Bum Pat" to Prince William
Love this for her.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry Says His "Spirit Is Renewed" as He Attends the Warrior Games for Wounded Service Members in San Diego
The Games inspired his Invictus concept.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince William Not Expected to Invite Prince Harry to His Coronation, Friend Claims
That doesn't sound good.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
We Finally Know Where the Earthshot Prize 2023 Will Take Place
Let's go!
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Princess Kate Is Seen Skipping Happily With Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte in Behind-the-Scenes Footage
This is too cute.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry Blames 'Daily Mirror' Publishers for Chelsy Davy Breakup in Court Documents
The court case began this week.
By Iris Goldsztajn