At the start of his visit to Jordan, Prince William revealed how his wife Kate was "very upset" that she hadn't been able to join him. The Duchess, who is back in London taking care of their three young children, actually lived in Jordan for two and a half years. Her family relocated to the capital city Amman when she was two, where her dad Michael Middleton worked as a British Airways manager. His wife Carole was on maternity leave, taking care of eight-month-old Pippa.
Kate was two at the time and attended a British nursery where she had a very different upbringing to what she would have experienced back in the UK. She was enrolled in Assahera nursery, one of the most expensive pre-schools in the area with an annual fee of about £750. The founder of the now-closed nursery, Sahera al Nabulsi, has previously spoken to The National UAE about Kate's experience.
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"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. "We would read one verse from the Quran 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. 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."
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The Duchess lived in Jordan for two and a half years
Kate was in a class of 12 children, joining other British, Jordanian, American and Indian youngsters among other nationalities. The nursery celebrated Christmas, when Mrs Nabulsi would dress up as Santa Claus, as well as Ramadan, when a drum-playing Musarati would entertain the children.
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Prince William revisits the same place Kate had her photo taken as a child
At 9:30am, they would sit down for breakfast – hummus, cheese and labneh – and during breaktime, would play in the sandpit and feed the rabbits and ducks. Twice a month, Kate and her classmates would go on school trips to nearby places of interest, including the Haya Cultural Centre. "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," said Mrs Nabulsi. "But most of the time the mother picked her up. She was always on time."
The Middletons moved back to Berkshire in 1986 when Michael's posting came to an end. Their stay in Jordan was clearly a happy time for the family, and is mentioned in the Duchess' biography on the royal family's website. During Prince William's tour of the Middle East this week, the future King also said of his wife: "She loved it here, she really did. She is very upset that I am coming here without her."
