So, that’s where the Duchess got her great looks! In honor of Kate Middleton‘s visit to Bletchley Park—site of the U.K.’s Government Code and Cypher School, where the Duchess’ grandmother Valerie Middleton was a member of the staff during World War II—Clarence House tweeted out a photo of Valerie from back in the day. See adorable pics of the royals here.
The picture shows Valerie, who died in 2006, as a young woman with dark curly hair. She’s staring off camera, but even in profile, she bears a striking resemblance to her now-famous granddaughter; Kate has her grandmother’s cheekbones and smile. The caption reads: “Valerie Middleton, the paternal grandmother of The Duchess of Cambridge, who worked @bletchleypark during #WWII.”
On Wednesday, June 18, Prince William‘s wife paid a visit to Bletchley Park, where she heard stories about her ancestor from other former staffers at the code-breaking school. Dressed for the occasion in an Alexander McQueen skirt-and-blouse combination, the Duchess, 32, spoke with Lady Marion Body, who worked with Valerie (then Valerie Glassborow) in Hut 16 (now Hut 6).
Lady Body, now 90, said the women managed to have fun, even though their jobs were somewhat “tedious.” (Both were civilian members of the staff who checked and monitored listening stations at the school.)
“The Duchess’ grandmother worked on the same desk as me,” she told reporters. “I had been a secretarial college with those two girls”—Valerie and her twin sister, Mary—”so I knew them very well. They were fun,” she added. “When you have such a boring job, you had to get on well. We knew exactly what we were doing—it was part of the war effort.”
The Duchess told Lady Body she asked “granny” about that time in her life when she was younger, but Valerie apparently didn’t speak much about it.
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