Her carefree lifestyle has earned her the nickname 'Waity Katie'.

Kate Middleton is said to be under pressure from the Queen herself to 'get a proper job' - rather than simply waiting for Prince William to propose.

But angry friends have come out in support of the 26-year-old - insisting she was busy working nine to five in a mundane office job.

Busy: Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton in fact has a full-time job at her parents' business, and does not spend all her time shopping and socialising

They said her work consisted of 'compiling and editing catalogues' for her parents' mail order party accessory company five days a week from the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

On top of that, she has been busy organising a charity roller disco in aid of sick children and youngsters in deprived areas with Richard Branson's daughter Holly.

The truth about Kate's working life: This week's Hello! Magazine

She is on a committee running the event in London next month, which will raise funds for Tom's Ward at the Children's Hospital in Oxford and Place2Be, which supports children's emotional well-being through drop-in sessions at 128 schools.

The reaction was sparked after senior royal sources said Miss Middleton's willingness to 'sit around and wait for William to click his fingers' could be having a detrimental effect on the monarchy.

One commented that her lifestyle was 'hardly very 21st century'.

The monarch, who at 82 is still one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family, was said to believe Prince William should not consider announcing an engagement to Miss Middleton until she has secured full-time employment.

But a close friend of Miss Middleton's told Hello! magazine the reports were 'utter nonsense'.

'There is a complete misrepresentation about headlines such as 'Waity Katy', said the friend.

Family business: Kate is working for her parents Carole and Michael at their successful party accessories company

'She is working very hard for her parents at their company, Party Pieces, and has been doing so for the past few months on a daily basis.

'The company is a big one and the catalogues are produced regularly. Kate's responsibility is helping to put them together.

'She is a young woman who wants to keep active and that is why she is annoyed at the headlines saying she doesn't work.

'She is actually working full-time, is on the payroll and plans to continue doing the job.'

Miss Middleton has only had one job since graduating from St Andrews University in 2004 with a 2:1 in history of art.

Career decisions: Kate wanted a job at an art gallery in London but was hounded too much by photographers

She initially hoped to get a job in a London gallery, but encountered difficulties as prospective employers were fearful of paparazzi camping on their doorstep trying to get pictures of the Princess-in-waiting.

She then joined the Jigsaw fashion chain, but quit the four-day-a-week post after less than a year after she was pursued relentlessly by photographers.

One of its owners, Belle Robinson, said recently: 'Kate supported a couple of Jigsaw events we did. Then she rang me up one day and said, 'Could I come and talk to you about work?

'She genuinely wanted a job but she needed an element of flexibility to continue the relationship with an incredibly high-profile man and a life that she can't always anticipate.'