Kate Middleton "Cut Off" a Friend After Some 21st Birthday Drama

Kate Middleton leaves Younger Hall after her graduation ceremony, June 23, 2005 in St Andrews, Scotland. The Prince, who earnt a 2:1 class Ma in Geography, will lose the special protection set up to prevent the media from trailing him whilst he was in full-time education. William will be conducting his first solo official engagements in New Zealand over the next few months which will include ceremonies marking the anniversary of the end of World War II.

(Image credit: Getty/Bruno Vincent/Stringer)

published 21 February 2022

In the summer after she turned 21, Kate Middleton's parents planned an elaborate '20s-themed birthday party for her (well, what do you expect when her mom is the party-planning queen herself?).

The invites were sent out, the future duchess' then-boyfriend Prince William was all set to attend and meet the parents, and everything was going according to plan—until one of Middleton's friends, Virginia "Ginny," planned her own 21st birthday for the exact same day.

Now, I don't know the backstory, and it's possible that there was just no other day that Ginny could make it work on—but even then, it feels like she should at least have warned Middleton about it? It sounds like she didn't, because the now-royal was reportedly really hurt over it, with some of her friends having to choose between the two women.

Friends of the Cambridges spoke to royal expert Katie Nicholl about it all for her book, Kate, Our Future Queen. "It caused a real divide and a bit of social rift. Kate was very upset," they said (via the Mirror). Middleton apparently "cut Ginny off a bit after that."

But all's well that ends well, and the party went smoothly after all. Importantly, Prince William made a great impression, too.

"Lots of [the guests] knew each other, and William knew quite a few people there, which made it very relaxed," one guest said.

"We all gave him his privacy, and he kept himself to himself.

"It was a sit-down dinner and dance and William looked very dapper; he seemed to be having a lot of fun—we all were." Phew!

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.