Kate Middleton is a fan of adult coloring-books

The day-to-day life of the Duchess of Cambridge has long been something of a mystery. While we know she makes many public appearances, and must put in time at a number of engagements, and goes on tours, and no doubt has made more small talk with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall over the past decade than anyone could even conceive of, we do not know very much at all about what Kate gets up to when she's at home, just . . . hanging out at the palace. We know that she has two children, and that her parents and siblings live close by, but the question of what Kate likes to do when she has a few spare hours on a Thursday morning, let's say, is quite unclear. (That she has no personal social-media accounts simply adds to the mystique.)

But thanks to a chatty O.B.E. recipient, we have now gleaned (slightly, and even "slightly" probably isn't enough of a qualifier here) more information about what sort of pastimes Kate enjoys.

See photos of Kate Middleton through the years:

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Johanna Basford, who recently received an Order of the British Empire designation, is the author of a 2013 adult coloring book called Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book, which was a runaway hit, selling more than a million copies and having been translated into 14 languages. After meeting Prince William at the ceremony, Basford told reporters, "Prince William actually said that his wife likes to color in the Secret Garden, which was really sweet." (She added, of the recent adult-coloring book craze, "I think people are just craving a digital detox.")

Now, there is of course a possibility here that William was just being polite. Maybe he says to anyone and everyone he meets at this point—instinctively, not even thinking about it—"Oh, Kate loves your restaurant!" or "Oh, my brother digs that kind of gym equipment!" or "Oh, my dad is a huge fan of kites!" to the chef or fitness instructor or, uh, kite maker he happens to be meeting.

Or, more likely, Kate is in fact a fan of adult coloring books. And if that is the case, please excuse us while we update our fan-fiction-style Kate Middleton daily diary that we've been adding to since 2010.

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