With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, a lot has changed. Charles is now King Charles III and Catherine has become the new Princess of Wales. This is her story.

Youth

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born on 9 January 1982 into an upper-middle-class family. She is the eldest of three children born to Michael Middleton and his wife, Carole (née Goldsmith). She has a younger sister, Pippa, and a younger brother, James. She had a happy and warm childhood.

Meeting William

In 2001, Kate started her studies at the University of St Andrews and this is where she met Prince William. She reportedly caught William’s eye at a charity fashion show at the university in 2002 when she appeared on the stage wearing a see-through lace dress. The couple probably started dating in 2003. During their second year, she shared a flat with William and two other friends.

The couple dated for a couple of years and Kate attended a couple of Royal events, such as Prince William’s Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006. Media attention increased after that and this may have led to their split in April 2007.

Catherine and her family attended the Concert for Diana in July 2007 at Wembley Stadium, where she and Prince William sat two rows apart. The couple were subsequently seen together in public on a number of occasions and news sources stated that they had “rekindled their relationship”. Her long-term relationship with William before the marriage earned her the nickname “Waity Katie” in the tabloid press.

Engagement and marriage

Prince William and Catherine Middleton became engaged in October 2010, in Kenya, during a 10-day trip to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Clarence House announced the engagement on 16 November 2010. Prince William gave Middleton the engagement ring that had belonged to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

On request of the engaged couple, photographer Mario Testino took some nice engagement pictures.

The couple married in Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011 (St. Catherine’s Day), with the day declared a bank holiday in the United Kingdom. On marriage, Catherine assumed the style “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge”.

Catherine looked stunning in her wedding dress, designed by English designer Sarah Burton, creative director of the luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen.

Do you want to rewatch the wedding day? Please wath this video with all the best bits.

Motherhood and children

On 3 December 2012, St James’s Palace announced that Catherine was pregnant with her first child. The announcement was made earlier in the pregnancy than is usual as she had been admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness. She remained in the hospital for three days. She was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in London in the early stages of labour on the morning of 22 July 2013 and gave birth to Prince George later that day.

Her second pregnancy was announced on 8 September 2014. As with her first pregnancy, Catherine suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum that required her to cancel official engagements. On 2 May 2015, she gave birth to Princess Charlotte.

On 4 September 2017, her third pregnancy was announced. She was again forced to cancel engagements due to hyperemesis gravidarum. Prince Louis was born on 23 April 2018.

Charity work & style

Catherine’s charity works focus mainly on issues surrounding young children, addiction, and art. The media has called Catherine’s impact on British and American fashion the “Kate Middleton effect”. In 2012 and 2013, Time magazine selected her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Catherine, prominent for her fashion style, has been placed on numerous “best dressed” lists. In June 2016, she took part in her first magazine shoot for Vogue’s centenary issue appearing on the cover. In 2018, Tatler named her on its list of Britain’s best dressed people, praising her for “recycling her looks, rather than wearing them as one-offs”, as well as her use of “both high street and high-end brands”.

Princess of Wales

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on the 8th of September 2022, Charles became King Charles III and William, the new Prince of Wales. Catherine received the title Princess of Wales.

Do you want to see more pictures of Catherine? Please have a look at my Pinterest bord: