Princess Kate was once left "terrified" after being "chased by photographers" late at night

Sure, being a royal has its advantages – the fashion, the princes, the tiaras, the castles – but it definitely also has its drawbacks, from the end of privacy to the dreaded rumour mill.

No one knows this more than the now Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, becoming a national treasure and therefore a paparazzi favourite since joining the royal fold.  

Upon closer inspection however, Kate was fighting for her privacy long before Prince William popped the question.

In fact, reports resurfaced this month that the Princess was once left "terrified" after a late-night chase by the paparazzi.

"A friend tells me Kate was even chased late at night by several men in a car," the Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah reported, going on to explain that Kate found it "terrifying".

This of course wasn't the first trouble Kate had with the paparazzi, with Prince William famously forced to step in on her behalf to protect her privacy in 2007.

According to 2011 documentary, Chasing the Royals, Kate was particularly hounded by the paparazzi in 2007 on her 25th birthday, something that is said to have upset Prince William.

There were rumours that William would be proposing to Kate and it was thought that approximately 30 paparazzi were waiting outside her Chelsea flat to get a statement. Her car was reportedly blocked and camera lenses were within a foot of her face.

"An angry Prince William issued a statement to the press to stop harassing his girlfriend," the documentary explained.

"Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his girlfriend," read the statement on behalf of William. "He wants, more than anything, for it to stop. Miss Middleton should, like any other private individual, be able to go about her everyday business without this kind of intrusion."

The statement concluded: "The situation is proving unbearable for all those concerned."

We will continue to update this story.