| Catherine Elizabeth, Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, earlier known as Kate Middleton; born on January 9, 1982, Reading, UK is the wife of William, Duke of Cambridge.
Kate Middleton’s Biography:
Kate Middleton was born January 9, 1982 in Reading in the English county of Berkshire to Michael Francis Middleton (born on June 23, 1949) and Carole Elizabeth Middleton, née Goldsmith (born on January 31, 1955).
Middleton Family:
Kate's parents were married on June 21, 1980 in parish church in Dorney of Buckinghamshire county. They met while working in civil aviation: Carole was a stewardess and Michael was a flight dispatcher (later on, he became a pilot for British Airways).
Friendship with Prince William:
From 2002 Kate and William, already being friends, rented a house in Fife together and from 2003 – a country cottage. The beginning of their romantic relationship belongs to this period. During student's vacations, prince William and Kate travelled together several times and in 2003, the girl was among a very few close friends who were invited to the 21st birthday of the prince.
In 2005, Kate graduated from St. Andrew's University with a second grade bachelors degree and more often appeared in public with the prince. Rumors about their impending engagement appeared during that period in the mass media. But, William took admission to the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst and Kate got the invitation to work in the sales department of the clothing chain store "Jigsaw". From then, she was living in London's Chelsea region.
On December 15, 2006, Kate and her parents were invited to the passing out ceremony in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, at which Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family were also present.
In 2007, Prince William went to a military training camp in the county of Dorset and Kate remained in London. Specified circumstances and also growing pressure on Kate from journalists were named among the possible reasons for them parting ways which was declared in April, 2007.
In the summer of 2007, the mass-media were informed about the probable revival of the romance of Kate and prince William, since they were spotted together in June at a party, organized in a military division, where the prince served. In July, Kate and William attended the ceremonial concert in the memory of Diana, princess of Wales, though rumors about the getting together of the pair were not confirmed by official sources. Subsequently, it was stated that prince William and Kate decided to revive their relations in August, 2007.
Engagement:
On November 16, 2010, Clarence House declared the engagement of prince William and Kate Middleton. It was decided to have the wedding ceremony on November 23, 2010 at 11:00.
For the wedding ceremony, Kate Middleton ordered two wedding dresses (one for the wedding ceremony and the second for the wedding supper). The first dress, which has become the main intrigue of the ceremony, amazed all the fashion experts. The bride selected a dress from the British brand Alexander McQueen. The second dress was designed by known British fashion designer and stylist Bruce Oldfield, who earlier participated in designing the wardrobe of Princess Diana.
Only the most well-known, rich and influential persons were honored to be present on the biggest ceremony of the year. Musician Elton John, director Guy Ritchie, football player David Beckham with wife, actor Rowan Atkinson, who became famous not only in the role of Mr. Bean but was also a friend of groom's father, made it to the honored list of invitees.
The British capital made a lot of money off the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, successor of British Crown, slated for April 29, 2011. Analysts from Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) recounted that the expenditure on guests of British Capital reached 107 million pounds sterling (about $176.5 million).
Marriage:
On April 29, 2011, Kate Middleton married William, Prince of Wales. The wedding ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey in London and the young couple were conferred with the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge by Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain.
In the middle of November 2011, the magazine "InTouch" stated that, the Duchess is in her 6th week of pregnancy, however, official confirmation or denial did not follow.
Fashion Icon:
Kate was regularly included in the list of the most stylish and fashionable women on the planet by leading glossy magazines. In 2010, she was included in the prestigious magazine "People" as a person with excellent taste and a year before, Style.com named her a fashion icon. |
Major royal celebrations rolled yesterday, because (believe it or not) Kate Middleton has turned the big 3-0!
At 30 years young, the Duchess of Cambridge has a lot to be celebrating. This past year was a major one, what with becoming a British royal as well as a fashion obsession and one of the most buzzed-about people of the year. So how did Catherine and her new high-profile family mark her milestone on Monday? Kate's birthday bash was planned by Pippa Middleton and Prince Harry, who certainly know a thing or two about partying - the extravagant Royal party, at which Kate said goodbye to her twenties, was "'80s-themed" with karaoke. Happy 30th Birthday, Kate!
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