Kate Middleton

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  • 28 Oct - 03 Nov, 2017
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Kate Middleton

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, was born on January 9, 1982, in Reading, England to airline employees Michael and Carole Middleton. Kate came from a decidedly working-class stock of coal miners and builders on her mother's side.

In 2001, Middleton became a student at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. She moved into St Salvator's Hall – the same dormitory as Prince William of Wales. Middleton and Prince William shared several classes in their course schedule and soon became friends. But while they often shared breakfast and walked to classes together, the two, at first were not interested in each other romantically. Middleton was dating senior Rupert Finch, and William was busy dealing with the press and struggling with his feelings about his new school.

Middleton's boyfriend graduated at the end of the 2002 school term, and the couple soon parted ways over issues of distance. Newly single and entering her sophomore year, Middleton and several friends were invited to share a flat with Prince William, a setting that allowed their budding romance to blossom. The couple kept their relationship a secret, mostly due to the prince's extreme distrust of the press. But in 2004, Kate was caught by paparazzi while on a royal family ski trip. Her relationship with William became the subject of intense scrutiny and, by 2005, she was a tabloid favourite. The two graduated together that summer, with Middleton earning an honours degree in art history.

On November 16, 2010, Middleton and Prince William announced their engagement and on April 29, 2011, the couple married at Westminster Abbey, London. On July 22, 2013, the palace announced Middleton had given birth to a baby boy, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. On May 2, 2015, Middleton gave birth to a daughter, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. In September 2017, Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child.

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, and her husband Prince William have been involved with charity causes for a long time. Before her 30th birthday in 2012, Middleton travelled across the United Kingdom for extensive research of charities, following which she picked four. The charities she chose to take under her patronage were the Art Room, National Portrait Gallery, East Anglia's Children's Hospice, and Action on Addiction, according to reports.

Middleton is also known for her adventurous spirit, and loves spending time outdoors with children from different organisations. Other patronages of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge include 100 Women in Hedge Funds Philanthropic Initiatives, Natural History Museum, The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Place2Be, The Scout Association, SportsAid, The 1851 Trust, and Air Training Corps, according to the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Before her marriage, Middleton spent some time volunteering in Chile before starting university. In the South American country, she helped with environmental programme and was also involved with a community project for disadvantaged children. The Duchess balances her royal and parental duties along them. While attending charity events, she reportedly puts her kids off to sleep.

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