20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, United kingdom
Catherine Middleton waves to the crowds as her sister and Maid of Honour Pippa Middleton holds her dress before walking in to the Abbey to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey.
20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, United kingdom
In this composite image a comparison has been made between the Royal Wedding cathedral departure images of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer and that of Prince William with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, United kingdom
In this composite image a comparison has been made between the Royal Wedding cathedral departure images of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer and that of Prince William with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, United kingdom
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge waves as she travels beside husband Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in the 1902 State Landau carriage on the procession route along The Mall to Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate.
Princess Charlotte and Prince George hold the hands of their father, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, as they arrive at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London for the christening of their brother, Prince Louis, who is being carried by their mother, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge departs Kensington Palace to attend a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on day one of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands & Queen Maxima of the Netherlands State Visit.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the men's single final on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit sthe Karolinska Institute to meet with academics and practitioners to discuss Swedens approach to managing mental health challenges during day two of their Royal visit to Sweden and Norway.
Kate Middleton is a member of the British royal family. Her husband, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is expected to become king of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, making Catherine a likely future queen consort.
Background
Kate was born on January 9, 1982, in Berkshire, England. She grew up in Chapel Row at Bucklebury, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, England. She is the eldest of three children born to Michael Middleton and Carole Goldsmith. In 1987 they founded Party Pieces, a privately held mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations. Her father's family has ties to British aristocracy and benefited financially from trust funds which they established over 100 years ago. She has a younger sister, Pippa, and a younger brother, James.
Education
Kate attended St Andrew's School, a private school near Pangbourne in Berkshire, and then Downe House School. She was a boarder at Marlborough College, a co-educational independent boarding school in Wiltshire, and graduated in 2005 from the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, with a Master of Arts in the history of art. Before university, during a gap year, she travelled to Chile to participate in a Raleigh International programme, and studied at the British Institute of Florence in Italy.
After graduating Middleton worked as an accessory buyer with the clothing chain Jigsaw, where she worked part-time until November 2007. She also worked until January 2011 at the family business in catalogue design and production, marketing, and photography.
On marriage to Prince Willian in 2011, Catherine assumed the style "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge." She was formally introduced to public life on 24 February 2011, two months before the wedding, when she and Prince William attended a lifeboat-naming ceremony in Trearddur, Anglesey, in North Wales. The Duchess's first official engagement after the wedding came in May, when she and her husband met Barack Obama, the President of the United States, and First Lady Michelle Obama. On 26 October 2011, she undertook her first solo event for In Kind Direct, stepping in for the Prince of Wales, who was in Saudi Arabia. On 19 March, she gave her first speaking engagement for the opening of the Treehouse, a new children's hospice opened by East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), a charity of which she is a patron. In June 2012, The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry was renamed The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, to reflect Catherine's contribution to the charity. The Duke and Duchess were announced as ambassadors for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, alongside Prince Harry. As part of her role, the Duchess attended numerous sporting events throughout the games. She was also present at many official visits home and abroad.
The Duchess of Cambridge's charity works focus mainly on issues surrounding young children, addiction, and art. She has a number of patronages: The Art Room, National Portrait Gallery, East Anglia's Children's Hospice, Action on Addiction, Place2Be, Natural History Museum, Anna Freud Centre, Sportsaid, and The 1851 Trust. The Duchess, who was an art student, takes an interest in art and handpicked the Art Room, which"helps disadvantaged children express themselves through art therapy, and the National Portrait Gallery. In 2017, she replaced the Queen as patron of The Lawn Tennis Association, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and Action for Children.
In February 2018, the Duchess became the patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She also launched Nursing Now, a three-year worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the profile of nurses. She said the campaign was personal to her as both her grandmother and great-grandmother were volunteer nurses. In March 2018, Kensington Palace announced the Duchess of Cambridge would become the first royal patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum. In June 2019, she succeeded the Queen as patron of the Royal Photographic Society.
To encourage people to open up about their mental health issues, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry initiated the mental health awareness campaign "Heads Together" in April 2016. The Duchess of Cambridge also launched the Mentally Healthy Schools, a project which helps the students and staff with access to reliable and practical resources to improve awareness, knowledge and confidence in supporting pupils' mental health.
In 2019, the Duchess worked together with the Royal Horticultural Society as one of the co-designers for a garden display at the Chelsea Flower Show. Catherine designed the "Back to Nature Garden" together with Andree Davies and Adam White. The garden, which featured a tree house, waterfall, rustic den and a campfire among other parts, was unveiled at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2019 to emphasize the benefits the natural world brings to mental and physical well-being.
"Since beginning my work in areas like addiction, for example, I have seen time and time again that the roots of poor mental health in adulthood are almost always present in unresolved childhood challenges."
"We need to help young people and their parents understand that it's not a sign of weakness to ask for help."
"Imagine if everyone was able to help just one child who needs to be listened to, needs to be respected, and needs to be loved - we could make such a huge difference for an entire generation."
Membership
Catherine became a member of the Royal Photographic Society in 2017.
Royal Photographic Society
,
United Kingdom
2017 - 2019
Personality
Catherine is admired for her fashion sense and has been placed on numerous "best dressed" lists. The "Kate Middleton effect" is the trend that the Duchess is reported to have had on others in sales of particular products. While Catherine wears items from many new designers, she has also worn dresses by Catherine Walker, who designed many of Diana's favourite evening gowns and day suits. She has worn outfits, hats and ensembles by many other fashion designers. The brands she favours are noted in the media.
Kate revealed she used to be known as "Squeak" during her school days at St Andrews, in Pangbourne, Berkshire.
The couple's nicknames for each other are "Babykins" for Kate and "Big Willie" for William.
Interests
Photography
Writers
Psychological thriller
Sport & Clubs
Tennis, hockey
Connections
Kate and William began dating in 2003. During their second year, Middleton shared a flat with William and two other friends. In April 2007, they ended their relationship. However, the couple were subsequently seen together in public on a number of occasions. Prince William and Catherine Middleton became engaged in October 2010, in Kenya. The couple married in Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. Prince George was born at St Mary's Hospital in London on 22 July 2013. She gave birth to Princess Charlotte on 2 May 2015 and to Prince Louis on 23 April 2018.