Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Colored Sneakers
    • DIY Facials
    • Anti-Blush
    • Sasha Compère
    • Micro-Trends
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Kate Middleton Underwent an Emergency Operation in High School

    Future queen? Yes. Drama queen? Definitely not.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 9 June 2019 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    The Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge Visit Coventry
    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    • One thing you can never call Kate Middleton is a drama queen. In fact, the Duchess of Cambridge has actually been known t0 downplay serious situations regarding her own health.
    • When she was a student at Marlborough, Kate discovered a lump on her head that a doctor ordered her to get removed immediately with an emergency surgery.
    • Royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl wrote about the incident in her book Kate: The Future Queen.

    Kate Middleton might be the future Queen of England, but she's not a drama queen. Is there an opposite of drama queen? Like, as in, someone who weirdly downplays objectively dramatic life events? Because Kate might actually be that instead.

    Case in point: When Kate was in high school, she had a major health scare, followed by an emergency operation and throughout the whole ordeal was like, "Meh, NBD."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    In her book Kate: The Future Queen, royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl relays the story, which is just terrifying. Apparently, during Kate's time at Marlborough, she discovered a lump on the left side of her head. The school called Kate's mom, who promptly took her to the doctor. That doctor ordered an emergency operation to remove the lump.

    Magazine, Design, Pattern, Poster, Child model, Pattern, Photography, Child,

    (Image credit: Amazon Prime)

    "I can remember the incident and her having an operation," Ann Patching, who worked at Marlborough for years, told Nicholl. "I don’t recall anything happening on the hockey pitch [field] that had anything to do with the lump. Catherine had the operation during her term time. She was back at school very soon afterwards. As usual, nothing was too much of a big deal for her. You could never accuse Catherine of being a drama queen, but Carole was very worried, as any mother would be."

    You may like
    • NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 13: Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) attend Vernon Park during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham on June 13, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) Queen Elizabeth Felt Princess Kate Came From “A Very Different Place” Than Other Royal Wives
    • Princess Kate accepting flowers from a little girl Princess Kate Has the Sweetest Reaction When She's Mistaken for Another Royal
    • Pippa Middleton wearing a white dress and sunglasses at Wimbledon Pippa Middleton Could Be Offered One Future Role With Princess Kate

    The evidence of Kate's emergency operation is still around today, in the form of a scar on her hairline that you can still spot in pictures of the Duchess.

    Blue, Event, Suit, Fun, Night, Photography, Formal wear, Electric blue,

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    "Privately, she and William—who uncannily also bears a scar on his head from being struck by a golf club at age nine—are said to refer to their wounds as their 'Harry Potter scars,'" Nicholl wrote.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Just another thing Will and Kate have in common.


    For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

    subscribe here

    RELATED STORIES

    White, Blue, People, Red, Yellow, Fashion, Event, Smile, Dress, Photography,

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Kate Pretended to Be Will's Girlfriend in College

    People in nature, Photograph, Botany, Event, Smile, Photography, Grass, Tree, Ceremony, Love,

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Will and Kate Made a Secret Marriage Pact in 2007

    Explore More
    princess catherine
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. 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.

    Read more
    Pippa Middleton wearing a white dress and sunglasses at Wimbledon
    Royals Pippa Middleton Could Be Offered One Future Role With Princess Kate
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince William Princess Kate dating
    Royals Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    By Christine Ross
     
     
    Princess Kate Middleton has long wavy brown hair and wears a black polo neck sweater with a brown blazer
    Royals One Royal Has Become "Very Close" to Princess Kate
    By Amy Mackelden
    Princess Kate wearing a green cap holding an umbrella and grimacing
    Royals Princess Kate Proves She Can't Quit This Royal Habit
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Earl Spencer, Prince Harry, Prince Philip, Prince WIlliam and Prince Charles standing in front of Princess Diana's coffin with their backs to the camera
    Royals Earl Spencer Reveals One Royal's "Brilliant" Role in Princess Diana's Funeral
    A close up of Queen Camilla's red tartan skirt and hands holding a green Demeillier bag
    Royals Queen Camilla Carried This It-Girl Fall Bag Before It Hit Stores
     
     
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals The Royal Family Is Being Targeted in Concerning AI Attacks
    Prince William and Princess Kate walking next to each other and smiling in fall outfits
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate's Secret Weekend Getaway Revealed
     
     
    Latest in News
    Earl Spencer, Prince Harry, Prince Philip, Prince WIlliam and Prince Charles standing in front of Princess Diana's coffin with their backs to the camera
    Royals Earl Spencer Reveals One Royal's "Brilliant" Role in Princess Diana's Funeral
    A close up of Queen Camilla's red tartan skirt and hands holding a green Demeillier bag
    Royals Queen Camilla Carried This It-Girl Fall Bag Before It Hit Stores
     
     
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals The Royal Family Is Being Targeted in Concerning AI Attacks
    Alexa Chung's corset and trousers look at the McQueen Spring/Summer 2027 show at London Fashion Week
    Celebrity Style Alexa Chung Found the Coolest Way to Wear a Corset for Fall
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.