Back home in Farmington Hills, Michigan, she entered the Miss Oakland County pageant and, to her great surprise, won.

CNN: March 16, 2012 -- Updated 1113 GMT (1913 HKT)

Now that the news is out, however, she said it had been a "great surprise" when Prince William's office contacted her husband Jack in response to a letter the couple had sent.

BBC: Keeping secret on William and Kate's Anglesey visit