Catherine, Princess of Wales

Catherine, Princess of Wales, GCVO (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine a likely future queen consort.

Born in Reading as a commoner, Middleton grew up in Bucklebury, Berkshire. She was educated at St Andrew's School and Marlborough College before studying art history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she met William in 2001. She held jobs in retail and marketing and pursued charity work before their engagement was announced in November 2010. They married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The couple's children-Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis-are second, third, and fourth in the line of succession to the British throne respectively.

Catherine holds patronage within over 20 charitable and military organization, including Action for Children, SportsAid, and the National Portrait Gallery. She undertakes projects through The Royal Foundation, with her charity work focusing on issues surrounding young children, addiction, and art. To encourage people to open up about their mental health issues, Catherine envisioned the mental health awareness campaign "Heads Together" launched with William and Prince Harry in April 2016. The media have called Catherine's impact on British and American fashion the "Kate Middleton effect" In 2011, 2012, and 2013, Times magazine selected her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. On 9 September 2022, she became Princess of Wales when her husband was created Prince of Wales by his father, King Charles III.

Early Life and Career

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on 9 January 1982 into an upper-middle-class family. She was baptized at St Andrew's Bradfield, a local parish church, on 20 June 1982. She is the eldest of three children born to Michael Middleton (b. 1949) and his wife, Carole (nee Goldsmith; b. 1955), a former flight dispatcher and flight attendant, respectively, who in 1987 founded Party Pieces, a privately held mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations with an estimated worth of 30 million. By the early 20th century, the Middleton family had married into the British aristocracy and benefited financially from trust funds which they established over 100 years ago. Her Middleton relatives, including her great-grandfather Richard Noel Middleton and his wife Olive, played host to members of the British royal family in the 1920s through to the 1940s. Her mother's family are descended from coal miners, and been described as working-class. She has a younger sister, Philippa, and a younger brother, James.

The family moved from Bradfield Southend, Berkshire, to Amman, Jordan, in May 1984, where her father worked for British Airways. Middleton attended an English-language nursery school. When her family returned to Berkshire in September 1986, she was enrolled aged four at St Andrew's School, a private school near Pangbourne in Berkshire. She boarded part-weekly at St Andrew's in her later years. In 1995, the Middletons moved to the village of Bucklebury. She studied at Downe House School. She was a boarder at Marlborough College, a co-educational independent boarding school in Wiltshire; Middleton showed talent in sports and was captain of the women's field hockey team. While at Marlborough, she underwent an operation on the left side of her head, reportedly to remove a lump. She obtained three A-Levels in 2000, with an 'A' in mathematics, an 'A' in art, and a 'B' in English. Despite being offered a seat at the University of Edinburgh, she took a gap year, studying at the British Institute of Florence in Italy and travelling to Chile to participate in a Raleigh International program. She worked as a deckhand at the Port of Southampton in the summer preceding university. subsequently enrolled at University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, studying history of art. She briefly studied psychology before focusing solely on art history. She worked part-time as a waitress during her studies. While attending university, she achieved a gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Middleton was an active member of The Lumsden Club, which held fundraisers and community projects each year. In 2005, Middleton graduated from the University of St Andrews with an undergraduate MA (2:1 Hons) in the history of art.

In November 2006, Middleton commenced part-time work for twelve months as an accessory buyer with the clothing chain Jigsaw. In 2007, she curated a photography exhibition to mark the book launch of "Time to Reflect," by Alistair Morrison, to raise funds for UNICEF. In 2008, Middleton made several trips to Naomi's House Hospice, where she brough gifts and read to children. Later that year, she organized an '80s-themed roller disco fundraiser which raised $100,000 split between Oxford Children's Hospital, for the construction of Tom's Ward to treat pediatric cancer, and Place2Be, an organization which provides mental health counselling to school children. Middleton also worked until January 2011 at the family business in catalogue design and production, marketing, and photography. While working for the company, she launched the firm's junior brand for toddlers, and began working with the Starlight Children's Foundation, which helps terminally ill youth, providing party essentials for sick children. Middleton also helped coordinate the Boodles Boxing Ball, which raised money for the charity.

Prior to her marriage, Middleton lived in an apartment owned by her parents in Chelsea, London alongside her sister, which was estimated to be worth $1-1.4 million. In 2018, Catherine's total net worth was estimated at 5-7.3 million, most of which is from her parents' company.

Personal Life-Early Relationship With Prince William

In 2001, Middleton met Prince William while they were students in residence at St Salvator's Hall at the University of St Andrews. 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 reportedly began dating in 2003. During their second year, Middleton shared a flat with William and two other friends. From 2003 to 2005, they both resided at Balgove House on the Strathtyrum estate with two roommates. In 2004, the couple briefly split but continued their relationship soon afterwards.

After her graduation, Middleton and her family were faced with intensive tabloid press scrutiny. She was often photographed daily by the paparazzi outside her flat and work over the course of their relationship. This prompted multiple warnings from the Palace and Middleton's lawyers. She attempted William's Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006.

In April 2007, they ended their relationship. She and her family attended the Concert for Diana in July 2007, where she and William sat two rows apart. It was subsequently reported that the couple had reconciled. On 17 May 2008, Middleton attended the wedding of William cousin Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly in William's stead, and met Queen Elizabeth II for the first time.

Middleton attended the Order of the Garter procession at Windsor Castle in June 2008, where Prince William was made a Royal Knight of the Garter. On 19 July 2008, she was a guest at the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor and George Gilman. Prince William was away on military operations in the Caribbean, serving aboard HMS Iron Duke.

In June 2010, the couple moved into a cottage on the Bodorgan Estate in Anglesey, Wales where Prince William resided during his RAF search-and-rescue training and subsequent career.

Marriage and Children

Middleton and Prince William became engaged in October 2010, in Kenya, during a 10-day trip to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to celebrate William passing the RAF helicopter search and rescue course. 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. Middleton, who was christened as a child, decided to be confirmed into the Church of England preceding her wedding. The confirmation service was conducted on 10 March at St James's Palace by the Bishop of London with her family and William in attendance.

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. Estimates of the global audience for the wedding ranged around 300 million or more, whilst 26 million watched the event live in Britian alone. Her wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. Upon her marriage, Catherine assumed the style "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge." The couple were given the country home, Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, as a wedding gift from the Queen. Catherine keeps bees on the grounds of Anmer Hall. Following their marriage in 2011, the couple used Nottingham Cottage as their London residence. They moved into the four-story, 20-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace in 2013.

Renovations took 18 months at a cost of $4.5 million. Kensington Palace became William and Catherine's main residence in 2017, moving from their country home, Anmer Hall. In 2022, it was announced that the couple, along with their children, would to move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

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 hospital for three days. Prince George was born at St Mary's Hospital in London on 22 July 2013. The severe morning sickness returned with the subsequent pregnancies, forcing Catherine to cancel her official engagements.

She gave birth to Princess Charlotte on 2 May 2015 and to Prince Louis on 23 April 2018. Prince George was third in the line of succession to the British throne, while Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were fourth and fifth, respectively, at the times of their births.

William and Catherine have owned two English Cocker Spaniels, named Lupo and Orla.

Public Life

Middleton's first public appearance with Prince William following their engagement was at a fundraising event organized by the Teenage Cancer Trust in December 2010. She was formally introduced to public life on 24 February 2011, when the couple attended a lifeboat-naming ceremony in Trearddur, near their home at the time in Anglesey, North Wales. A day later they appeared in St Andrews to launch the university's 600th anniversary celebrations. In March 2011, the couple toured Belfast. Catherine's first official engagement after the wedding came in May, when she and William met U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace. William and Catherine's first royal tour of Canada took place in July 2011. The couple's activities included attending celebrations for Canada Day. The tour included a two-day trip to California. This was Catherine's first visit to the United States. On 27 October 2011, she undertook her first solo engagement at a reception for In Kind Direct, hosted at Clarence House, stepping in for the then Prince of Wales.

On 2 November, Catherine and William visited the UNICEF Supply Division for malnourished children in Copenhagen, Denmark. On St. Patrick's 2012, Catherine carried out the traditional awarding of shamrocks to the Irish Guards at their Aldershot base; this was her first solo military engagement. On 19 March, she gave her public speech for the opening of a children's hospice opened by her patronage, East Anglia's Children's Hospices. William and Catherine were announced as ambassadors for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. As part of her role, Catherine attended numerous sporting events throughout the games. In September 2012, the couple embarked on a tour of Singapore Malaysia, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee across the Commonwealth. During this overseas visit, she made her first official speech abroad, while visiting a hospice in Malaysia, drawing on her experience as patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices. The couple attended further celebrations of the Jubilee throughout the year, including the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in July.

The first engagement that Catherine carried out after the birth of Prince George was in late August 2013, when she accompanied her husband to meet runners preparing for an ultra-marathon in Anglesey. At the beginning of March 2014, it was announced that the couple would be accompanied by their son on an upcoming tour of New Zealand and Australia from 16 to 25 April. The tour was Catherine's first visit to the area and Prince George's first major public appearance since his christening in October 2013. The tour itinerary included visiting the Plunket Society for children and visiting fire-damaged areas in New South Wales. In June 2014, the couple visited France to attend the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings at Gold Beach. On 21 July 2014, it was announced that Catherine would be making her first solo trip, visiting the island of Malta on 20-21 September 2014, when the island was celebrating its 50th independence anniversary. Her trip was cancelled, when her husband taking her place, after the announcement of her second pregnancy in early September. In December 2014, the couple visited the United States and attended a charity dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In October 2015, she attended her first state banquet at Buckingham Palace, held to host Chinese President Xi Jinping. In April 2016, Catherine and Willaim undertook a tour to India and Bhutan.

Activities included visiting children's charities such as Childline in India, as well as a visit to Lingkana Palace. Later that month, the couple met again with the Obamas at Kensington Palace. The couple toured Canada again in September 2016. On 11 October 2016, Catherine made her first solo foreign trip to The Netherlands. Countries visited by the couple in 2017 include France, Poland, Germany and Belgium. Catherine takes official portraits of her children and joined the Royal Photographic Society in 2017. She visited Luxembourg City in May 2017 for the Treaty of London commemorations. In January 2018, the couple visited Sweden and Norway. In February 2019, William and Catherine carried out a two-day visit of Northern Ireland, visiting Belfast, Fermanagh and Ballymena.

In June 2019, Catherine took the royal first salute, typically received by the Queen, at the Beating Retreat military pageant.

Catherine accompanied her husband on a tour of Pakistan in October 2019, the royal family's first visit to the country in 13 years.

The couple conducted an interview for CNN in Lahore while visiting the SoS Children's Village, where Catherine gave a speech relating to her work on the early years. In March 2020, the couple carried out a three-day tour of Ireland, visiting County Meath, Kildare and Galway. In October 2020, William and Catherine met Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, and Frist Lady Olena Zelenska, at Buckingham Palace, the first royal engagement held at the residence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, the couple embarked on a three-day of England, Scotland, and Wales via the British Royal Train "to pay tribute to the inspiring work of individuals, organization and initiatives across the country" in 2022. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his support for the initiative, while First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon criticized the tour, citing travel restrictions; UK, Scottish and Welsh governments were consulted before planning the tour. In May 2021, the couple returned to Scotland for an extensive tour of Edinburgh, Fife and Orkney. In Cornwall on 11 June 2021, William and Catherine attended the G7 summit for the first time. Catherine visited primary school alongside US First Lady Jill Biden and participated in a roundtable discussion focusing on early childhood education.

Title

29 April 2011-Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge

8 September 2022-Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall

In Scotland: Her Royal Highness Duchess of Rothesay, Her Royal Highness The Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Her Royal Highness The Countess of Strathearn

In Northern Ireland Baroness Carrickfergus

9 September 2022: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, Her Royal Highness The Countess of Chester

House: Windsor (by marriage)

Religion: Church of England

(https://en.wikipedia.org)