What became of Kate Middleton’s St Andrew’s prep school friends?

With their arms around each other and smiling broadly at the camera, six fresh-faced St Andrew’s schoolgirls pose together in their sundresses with a teacher positioned in the centre.

No one at the time could have predicted that the young woman on the far left of the school photograph would grow up to be a future Queen, becoming Great Britain’s much-loved Princess of Wales.

But while Kate, 41, who met her former history teacher Jim Embury, 79, for the first time in 25 years yesterday in Cornwall, now fills her time with royal duties, what happened to dear friends with the ones that posed?

The princess has spoken candidly about her time at St Andrew’s Preparatory School in Pangbourne, Berkshire, which she attended from 1986 to 1995.

He even paid an £8,165 per term visit to the school in November 2012 to officially open a new Astroturf hockey pitch.

In her short speech, the royal described her time at St Andrew’s as one of the “happiest years of my life”.

She said: ‘It’s a pleasure to be back here at St Andrew’s. I loved my time here; they were some of my happiest years, which makes it incredibly special to be here today.

“In fact, I enjoyed it so much that when I had to leave I told my mother that I was going to come back to be a teacher,” the princess admitted.

While Kate didn’t become a teacher, her friends in that picture of beaming classmates found various careers, including as a TV star, photographer, and glamping site owner.

Here, FEMAIL investigates what happened to the princess’s St Andrew’s school friends with whom she posed for the photo…

1. Kate Middleton – Princess of Wales

Kate was something of a star pupil at the exclusive establishment, a short drive from her home in Bucklebury, where she won awards in both sport and music.

According to a fellow student, Kate thrived in the close-knit family atmosphere at school.

There was also the Under 12/13 rounds team for which Kate, listed under her full name Catherine Middleton, was named the season’s leading scorer.

She was also a great swimmer and athlete. On sports day she won the 200m Under 12/13 in 31.24 seconds and set records in both the long jump and high jump of 4.14 meters and 1.39 meters respectively.

On the day of the awards show, her prowess was rewarded with the Calvert Cup for rounders and the Leslie Cup for outstanding overall sporting achievement for a girl.

The royals moved on to Marlborough College and then attended St. Andrew’s University, where she met Prince William.

2. Zoe de Turberville – Photographer

With one arm around Kate, Zoe de Turberville can be seen smiling sheepishly in the photograph alongside her classmates and her former teacher.

The student went on to study music at Cardiff University, before earning a music teaching degree from Cambridge.

She then married her husband Steve MacLachlan in 2018 and the couple have two children together.

Like the princess, who is a keen amateur photographer, Zoe is also passionate about photography. Kate’s former classmate often shares photos of her online, taking snapshots at weddings and christenings.

While Kate has become known for taking photos of her children to commemorate their birthdays, Zoe also loves taking “life as it happens” photos.

3. Fiona Beacroft – Glamping Site Owner

Fiona Beacroft, who now uses her married name of Szegedi, earned a business and media diploma from Oxford University after school.

She then went on to become an account manager at Beacroft Farms, based in Moulsford, Oxfordshire.

Online, she describes herself as “a hard-working, competitive, and results-focused person who can adapt to any situation.”

She married her husband Matt, a carpenter, and like Prince William and Kate, the couple have three children.

In January 2021, she became the owner of Rolling Fields Glamping, a site located on the border of Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

4. Professor Kevin Allford

Professor Kevin Allford with his wife Denise Evans-Alford taught Kate, Pippa, and James Middleton while they were at St. Andrew’s Prep.

Kevin taught German, French and PE at school, also tutoring the royals for several years while she was between the ages of 11 and 13. Meanwhile, Denise was also a sports instructor at the school.

The couple had a daughter, Angharad Evans-Allford, while she worked at the school.

In February 2020, Kevin, who remembers the princess as part of a ‘wonderful class of girls’, said: ‘It was wonderful that he gave us so much time. She said it’s such a small world and she didn’t expect to see her ex-teachers in Swansea.

“We last saw her when she and Pippa went back to school to visit James, she was 14 years old. We haven’t seen her since. Obviously we’ve been following her career. She was in a wonderful class of girls and they got along very well together.

Kevin said that he enjoyed teaching Kate and the other students in his class so much that he asked to do it for another year. Both teachers said how much Kate had liked her time in high school.

“He loved it so much,” said Ms. Evans-Alford, who taught physical education. ‘We had a fantastic time there. She was on my netball team and rounders team. She was wonderful. She hasn’t changed a bit at all, it shows her. Pippa and James were also wonderful.

The royal, who later studied at Downe House and Marlborough College, seemed equally excited about the reunion and beamed as she spoke to the teachers.

She told the couple: “I want to instill in my children the life I had at St Andrew’s.”

7. Emily Bevan – Actress

While many of Kate’s classmates have moved away from the spotlight, Emily has made a successful acting career.

After leaving school, he attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and received a Master of Arts in classical acting.

The 40-year-old actress has starred in television roles including Doc Martin, JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy and In the Flesh.

Most recently, the star, who is also an author, appeared in Gemma Arterton’s Funny Woman (2023).