Revealed... how Kate followed William on his Chile mission

12 April 2012

Kate Middleton was today revealed to have followed in Prince William's footsteps on a foreign adventure just months before they met at St Andrews university.

Pictures were released showing a 19-year-old Miss Middleton on a 10-week Raleigh International expedition to Patagonia in Chile during her gap year in 2001.

Expedition leader Malcolm Sutherland, 41, was in charge of leading both William and Miss Middleton's groups and today spoke of the "absolutely crazy" coincidence.

Speaking from his home in the Scottish Highlands, he told the Standard: "With the expedition that William was on, there was a clear understanding of who he was, while Kate was like you and I. She was like everyone else; she didn't have a profile.

"She was by herself, like most people. She was definitely one of the fitter and stronger members of her group, which assisted her for sure. At times it was physically demanding. She was pretty easy going.

"There are no hair dryers, and there are very few showers to be seen. Even if you are a princess, it's very hard to operate as a princess."

Miss Middleton's first three weeks in January 2001 were spent wilderness trekking, when she would carry her food and kit in a rucksack. That was followed by a three-week marine survey, travelling in a rigid inflatable boat and helping British and Chilean scientists to analyse marine life. The remainder of the course saw her complete the construction of a new fire station, with Miss Middleton helping to fit its windows and roof cladding.

William's 10 weeks, which began the previous October, were similarly divided but involved different tasks. He sea-kayaked in a two-person boat - setting up camp each night on rocks or beaches - then worked on a community project that required all 15 adventurers to sleep "like sardines" ina community centre as they renovated a fire station. The final task was to repair a wooden walkway used by villagers to move around their hillside village.

Another of Miss Middleton's expedition leaders, Rachel Hunmphrys, told the BBC that she was popular with the group but retained a "certain aura". She added: "She was always very in control of herself and impeccably behaved."

Mr Sutherland said he first realised he had led William and Miss Middleton when stories appeared in the press about their arrival at St Andrews university.

He remains surprised that it has taken a decade for Miss Middleton's expedition to become public knowledge. "For me, it was a normal assumption that everybody else would have realised what that connection was. I think a lot of people don't realise there is that common connection there in their pasts."

A spokeswoman for Raleigh International said that participants would have had to each raise £2,995 to fund their place. Raleigh International no longer runs trips to Chile but focuses instead on India, Borneo and Costa Rica.

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