Kate Middleton's heroic WWII codebreaker grandmother who still influences her life today

Kate Middleton revealed an extraordinary familial link to WWII during a Red Cross tribute in 2020 as she explained that her grandmother, Valerie Middleton functioned as a crucial codebreaker during the war.

Valerie served a vital role at Bletchley Park, working steadily to crack the Enigma code. This cipher machine, used by Germans throughout the conflict, facilitated complex codes that cloaked classified messages.

In a poignant show of her grandmother's legacy, Kate unveiled a private family photo from World War II presenting Valerie in her nursing attire alongside fellow members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment with the British Red Cross, OK! reports.

To showcase her reverence for the Red Cross and honour her family's ties, Kate wrote a dedicated letter to 150 staff members and volunteers whose names were put forward by the organisation in recognition of their noteworthy contributions.

In this sincere letter, Kate conveyed her gratitude, stating: "I would like to thank and remember the many thousands of staff and volunteers who, over the years, have contributed tirelessly to the organisation's work, including my great-grandmother, Olive, and my grandmother, Valerie, who both served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment with the British Red Cross.

"Oliver during the First World War and Valerie during the Second World War. Like you and many others, they are both part of the rich history of the British Red Cross, which is helping to ensure many people get the support they need during a crisis."

Valerie was born in 1924 alongside her twin sister, Mary. The bilingual sisters were raised in France and attended an English boarding school and later studied at a private secretarial college.

The Princess of Wales' late grandmother played a crucial role in Britain's victory during the Second World War as a code-breaker.

Her colleague, Lady Body, recalled about a defining moment they shared when they learned Japan was surrendering.

Lady Body said:: "Our superior officer, Commander Williams, came into the room smiling and he said, 'Well done, girls. A signal has been intercepted from Tokyo to Geneva and it's the signal that the Japanese are surrendering He told us that a message has gone to the King and the Prime Minister but that it could not be announced until Geneva has sent on the message to London."

However, Valerie's wartime efforts didn't stop there as she also served as a volunteer nurse for the Red Cross.

The Princess of Wales reflected on her family's nursing legacy in 2018 while launching the global Nurses Now campaign as she expressed how much it meant to her.

The mum-of-three is currently battling cancer and has taken a break from her royal duties after her diagnosis was revealed earlier this year.

She previously said:"This campaign means a lot to me personally. My grandmother and great-grandmother were both volunteer nurses."

Kate added: "They would have learned first-hand from working with the Voluntary Aid Detachment and the Red Cross about the care and compassion that sometimes only nurses can provide."

She fondly remembers her "amazing granny" Valerie, discussing the vital influence she had on her approach to bringing up her own kids.

Speaking on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Kate revealed: "I had an amazing granny who devoted a lot of time to us, playing with us, doing arts and crafts and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us."

Explaining how her grandmother has influenced her as a parent, she said:"And I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now."

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