Princess Kate's family has revealed what she was like growing up

The Princess of Wales is one of the most talked-about women in the world. And as she returns to royal duty following her cancer diagnosis and subsequent chemotherapy treatment, she has emerged as one of the leaders within the fold.

"Kate is a natural leader who has a magnificent ability to remain composed, even during the most challenging situations," a royal source has previously told Us Weekly, with many experts crediting the 42-year-old mother of three for keeping the royal family afloat.

According to Princess Kate's family however, this is nothing new, with the royal displaying leadership skills from a very young age.

In his recent memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, James Middleton opened up about his own school experience, and by contrast, his older sister's, recalling that she and Pippa Middleton were "exemplary students".

"Naturally, Catherine and Pippa, being exemplary students, managed to get through their entire school lives without a single demerit, but I amassed a handful of them every term," the 37-year-old wrote. "So while the female Middletons would be applauded for being helpful to teachers – opening doors and carrying books for them – I’d undo all their kind deeds by scampering along the corridor instead of walking because I was late for a lesson. And while Catherine and Pippa got full marks for spelling tests and top grades for essay writing, I lagged behind on both counts, accruing a batch of misconduct marks for my below-par schoolwork."

He later continued: "I was never in the first teams, my sisters were, and they did very well, and it worked fantastically for them in how they operated. But for me, it wasn’t like that. I was dragging at the bottom.

"It was a shame, in a way, that some of the things that I found challenging in my life were not picked up then," Middleton reflected. "Because I think that could have gone on to help me manage myself, my own expectations, a bit further down the line, so perhaps not allow me to go where I went to because I would have felt more accepted, not felt like perhaps a failure."

Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life by James Middleton is out now.