The Duchess of Cambridge may now be a future Queen living in a palace with a grand royal title.
But before she headed off to university and met her future husband Prince William, Kate was like any other student hoping to earn some extra cash.
And like many other youngsters before they move away from home and head off on their studies, Kate took a summer job to scrape together some extra pounds.
But rather than wait tables or stack shelves like many keen students, Kate's job was slightly more unusual.
According to the book Kate: The Future Queen by Katie Nicholl, she was based in Southampton working as a deckhand on a fleet of Challenger yachts.
According to Cal Tomlinson, one of the skippers Kate worked under, her job consisted of "back-breaking" work - although he said that she "mucked in", "was very professional" and was "confident but very assuming".
But despite the seeming hard work, it seemed that some of Kate's colleagues liked to have fun, and even played a prank at her expense.
Among her duties was giving clients a safety demonstration that involved Kate demonstrating how the vessel's life jackets worked.
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However, according to Cal, one day her former colleagues stitched her up during the demonstration - but the future duchess remained ever the professional.
He told the book: "When she pulled the toggle, the thing inflated and a load of condoms fell out.
"She was mortified and very embarrassed. She took it more seriously than the others might have, but she wasn't thrown off her stride.
“She was angry at first, but she settled down, and I don't remember her ever getting them back."
But despite the prank, it seems that Kate is keen to show her children the benefits of having a holiday job.
And earlier this year, she revealed Prince George has a very unusual job to get on with during the school holidays while at the family's Anmer Hall Norfolk home on the Sandringham estate.
On a visit to a goat farm in Wales with William earlier this year, Kate told how George had been responsible for moving animal feed on the estate.
It came after William spotted a robot silage sweeper in one of the barns and pointed it out to the farmer.
The farmer then explained it could also be used to move feed, and Kate replied: “That was George’s job at half term – moving feed.”
After William told his host his children had been getting involved on the farm at Sandringham, where his own dad Charles has been working to turn the estate into a fully organic operation and added: “We are trying some Agroforestry as well.”
