Long before she became part of the royal family, Kate Middleton’s life was pretty dang ordinary (well, if you ignore the whole aristocratic roots thing). Not only did she work as a deckhand, but she was also humiliated by her co-workers during a NSFW prank.
Here’s what you need to know: The summer before Middleton started college at St. Andrews, she worked on a yacht at the Ocean Village Marina in Southhampton, England.
In Katie Nicholl’s brand-new book, Kate: The Future Queen, the author spoke with Cal Tomlinson, one of Middleton’s former co-workers, who dished on the prank they pulled on the duchess during a safety demonstration.
When Middleton tried to show the guests how to properly wear a life vest, she was showered with—wait for it—condoms. “When she pulled the toggle, the thing inflated and a load of condoms fell out,” Tomlinson recalled. “She was mortified and very embarrassed. She took it more seriously than the others might have, but she wasn’t thrown off her stride.”
