The Prince and Princess of Wales have been front and centre in 2025. And from Princess Kate’s return to duty, to the speculation around their upcoming house move, the Wales family has been making non-stop headlines.
It is Prince William and Princess Kate’s relationship that gets the world talking the most, with experts noting that the royal couple is even closer after navigating the “toughest year of their lives together”. And from their preparation to become King and Queen to their sweet words about each other, this only looks set to continue.
It was the start of their relationship that got the world talking this week, with Prince William and Kate Middleton meeting at St Andrews University back in 2001.
And according to royal experts, it was during these early days that Prince William’s friends developed a surprising nickname for Kate and her family.
This is something that royal expert Katie Nicholl opened up about in her 2011 book, The Making of a Royal Romance: William, Kate, and Harry – A Look Behind the Palace Walls.
“William’s friends jokingly refer to the close-knit family as ‘the OM Middletons’ meaning the ‘On Masse Middletons’ because they are always together,” she explained.
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The Middletons are known to be close, with both the Prince and Princess of Wales acknowledging the tight bonds within the family. And Kate’s parents Carole and Michael, and her siblings Pippa and James are known to play a huge role in the Wales family’s life to this day.
“The Middletons are a traditional family, which is why William enjoyed being around them so much,” royal expert Ingrid Seward has previously explained in an interview with HELLO! Magazine.
“When things go wrong, they pull together under Carole’s direction,” Seward continued. “She is the matriarch of this family and they all take her advice because they have great respect for their mum.”
We will continue to update this story.