Since she was revealed as Prince William's girlfriend seven years ago, millions of words have chronicled Kate Middleton's life.
For the most part, her childhood in Berkshire, her love of hockey and tennis, and the student life at St Andrews University in Scotland that led her to her prince, reflect her roots in a middle-class, middle-of-the-road upbringing in middle England.
Yet, for two-and-a -half years, the young Middleton family lived a very different life in the Middle East.
It's a period of Miss Middleton's life revealed in a blink-and-you-miss-it entry on the official royal wedding website.
That it rates a mention at all suggests that the family look back on it with affection.
Today, her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, run the family business, a party-planning and supplies website called Party Pieces from their home in the affluent village of Bucklebury, west of London.
But both were employees of British Airways - Michael as a manager, Carole as a flight attendant - when, in May 1984, Mr Middleton was offered a posting to Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Kate was two years old and Mrs Middleton was on extended maternity leave with eight-month-old Pippa.
Hanna Hashweh, 69, chief executive of the Hashweh Corporation travel agency in Amman, remembers the family. Mr Hashweh was a BA agent at the time and visited the Middleton home several times during their years in Jordan.
"Michael was straightforward and honest," he recalled. "He was a man of integrity. During the week they didn't have a very active social life because he worked long hours.
"But he used to play tennis at the British Embassy Club and the family used to go to Petra and [the Roman ruins at] Jerash during the weekends. I visited them several times.
"They lived in a two-storey rented villa, close to a park and the nursery where Kate went. I remember she was a very beautiful little girl."
While Mrs Middleton looked after Pippa at home, Kate was enrolled in Assahera nursery, one of the most expensive nurseries in the area with an annual fee of about US$1,000 at the time.
From Sunday to Thursday, the nursery day began at 8am and ended at 12.30pm, recalled the founder of the now-closed nursery, Sahera al Nabulsi, 67, in Amman.
"Kate's father used to pick her up sometimes in his work uniform and the kids used to get very excited and run to see him. But most of the time the mother picked her up. She was always on time," she said.
Kate was in a class of 12 children and the nursery as a whole looked after close to 100 children between 3 and 5 years of age. As well as British nationals, Jordanians, Japanese, Indian, Indonesian and American children were enrolled in the nursery. In the morning, the children were brought together and taught in both Arabic and English, before separating into different classes.
"The morning routine was to have all the children sitting in a circle where they would all sing, Incy Wincy Spider, both in English and Arabic," Mrs Nabulsi said.
The singing was then followed with a short verse from the Quran.
"We would read one verse from the Quran," Mrs Nabulsi recalled, "to improve the children's Arabic and tell stories about the Prophet's companions, like Omar Bin Khattab. The idea was to reinforce concepts such as respect and love."
The children celebrated Christmas, when Mrs Nabulsi dressed as Santa Claus, and Ramadan, when a drum-playing Musarati was invited to entertain the children.
"Foreign children also learnt Arabic words when we grouped the children together. The teacher used to ask in Arabic, 'Who is wearing red today?' so that the children would recognise the colours," Mrs Nabulsi said.
At 9.30am the children sat down to a breakfast of hummus, cheese and labneh. They fed rabbits and ducks, played in the sandpit and put on plays.
Twice a month there were outings to nearby places of interest. A favourite at the time was the Haya Cultural Centre, inaugurated by King Hussein and Queen Alia Al Hussein.
The family returned to the UK in September 1986, settling back in Berkshire when Mr Middleton's posting came to an end. Miss Middleton then started school.
The sojourn in Jordan was by all accounts a happy time in Miss Middleton's childhood. There is speculation that she may return there with Prince William during their honeymoon, following their wedding on Friday. Whether or not they do visit, those years forged a link with the region that, given the warm relationship between the British and Jordanian royal families, may be strengthened in her role as Prince William's wife.
lcollins@thenational.ae
smaayeh@thenational.ae
Suha Philip Ma'ayeh reported from Amman
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5