Catherine - Duchess of Cambridge
Catherine in 2008
Spouse : Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Full name: Catherine Elizabeth
House : House of Windsor (by marriage)
Father : Michael Francis Middleton
Mother : Carole Elizabeth Goldsmith
Born : 9 January 1982 (1982-01-09) (age 29)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Religion : Anglican, Church of England


Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Catherine "Kate" Elizabeth, née Middleton; born 9 January 1982) is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Through marriage, she is also the current holder of the titles Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus.

Catherine grew up in Chapel Row at Bucklebury, a village near Newbury, Berkshire,[1] and studied in Scotland at the University of St Andrews, where she met Prince William in 2001. They started a romantic relationship that continued until a break-up lasting for several months in 2007. However, they continued to be friends and rekindled their relationship later that year.

Prior to her wedding, the Duchess attended many high-profile royal events. She has been admired for her fashion sense and has been placed on numerous "best dressed" lists. Once their relationship became public, Catherine received widespread media attention and there was much speculation that she and Prince William would eventually marry. Their engagement was announced on 16 November 2010, and they married on 29 April 2011, at Westminster Abbey.

Early life and family

Catherine was born at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on 9 January 1982, and christened at St Andrew's Bradfield, Berkshire on 20 June 1982.[5][6]:32 She is the eldest of three children born to Carole Elizabeth (née Goldsmith), a former flight attendant and now part-owner of Party Pieces with an estimated worth of £30 million,[7] and Michael Francis Middleton, who also worked as a flight attendant prior to becoming a flight dispatcher for British Airways, currently also an owner of Party Pieces. Her parents married on 21 June 1980, at the Parish Church of Dorney, Buckinghamshire,[8] and in 1987, founded Party Pieces, a successful mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations.[9][10] Catherine's two siblings are a sister, Philippa Charlotte, known as "Pippa" (born 1983),[11][12] and a brother, James William (born 1987).[11][13] The family has complained about press harassment of Pippa and their mother since Catherine's engagement.[14]

Catherine's paternal family came from Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and her great-grandmother Olivia was a member of the Lupton family, who were active for generations in Leeds in commercial and municipal work.[15] Her ancestors include The Rev. Thomas Davis, a Church of England hymn-writer.[16][17][18][19] Carole Middleton's maternal family, the Harrisons, were working class labourers and miners from Sunderland and County Durham.[20]

Catherine's parents were based in Amman, Jordan, working for British Airways from May 1984, to September 1986, where Catherine went to an English language nursery school,[21] before returning to their home in Berkshire.[22] After her return from Amman, Catherine was educated at St. Andrew's School in the village of Pangbourne in Berkshire, then briefly at Downe House.[23] She continued her studies at Marlborough College, a co-educational independent boarding school in Wiltshire,[24] followed by the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland where she met William. She graduated with a 2:1 (Hons) in the History of Art.[25]
Career

In November 2006, Catherine accepted a position as an accessory buyer with the clothing chain Jigsaw.[26] In September 2007, it was reported[by whom?][citation needed] that Catherine was planning to give up her job as an accessory buyer to become a professional photographer. It was announced[by whom?][citation needed] that she intended to take private classes with photographer Mario Testino, who had taken several well-known photographs of Diana, Princess of Wales and her sons. Catherine and Testino apparently were introduced by Prince William. Testino later denied that Catherine was going to be working for him.[27]
Public image and style

Catherine has been featured in several best-dressed lists and was selected by The Daily Telegraph as the "Most Promising Newcomer" in its 2006 list of style winners and losers.[28] Tatler placed her at number 8 on its yearly listing of the top ten style icons in 2007.[29] She was featured in People magazine's 2007 and 2010 best-dressed lists.[30] Catherine was named as one of Richard Blackwell's ten "Fabulous Fashion Independents" of 2007.[31] In June 2008, Style.com selected Catherine as its monthly beauty icon.[32] In July 2008, Catherine was included in Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list.[33] In February 2011, Catherine was named the Top Fashion Buzzword of the 2011 season by the Global Language Monitor.[34]
Relationship with Prince William

Catherine's status as the undeclared girlfriend of William brought her widespread media coverage in Britain and abroad and she was often photographed on her daily outings. On 17 October 2005, she complained through her lawyer about harassment from the media, stating that she had done nothing significant to warrant such publicity.[35] In February 2006, it was announced that Catherine would receive her own 24-hour security detail supplied by the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department. This fuelled further speculation that she and William would soon be engaged, since she would not otherwise be entitled to this service.

No engagement was forthcoming and Catherine was not granted an allowance to fund this security. Media attention increased around the time of Catherine's 25th birthday in January 2007, prompting warnings from both Charles and William and from Catherine's lawyers, who threatened legal action. Two newspaper groups, News International, which publishes The Times and The Sun, and the Guardian Media Group, publishers of The Guardian, decided to refrain from publishing paparazzi photographs of her.[36] Catherine attended at least one event as an official royal guest, William's Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006.[37] In December 2007 it was reported that Catherine had moved in with Prince William at Clarence House, the residence of the Prince of Wales in London.[38] Clarence House later denied this.[39]

On 17 May 2008, Catherine attended the wedding of William's cousin Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly, which the prince did not attend.[40] On 19 July 2008 she was a guest at the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor and George Gilman. William was away on military operations in the Caribbean, serving aboard the HMS Iron Duke.[41] In 2010 Catherine pursued an invasion of privacy claim against two agencies and photographer Niraj Tanna, who took pictures of her over Christmas 2009.[42] Catherine obtained a public apology, £5,000 in damages, and legal costs.[43]
Breakup and reconciliation
Catherine with Prince Harry, June 2008

On 14 April 2007 The Sun newspaper broke a "world exclusive" suggesting that Prince William and Catherine had split up.[44] Other media outlets, such as the BBC, confirmed the story as the day progressed. The couple decided to break up during a holiday in the Swiss resort of Zermatt.[45][46] Clarence House made only one comment about the relationship's end, according to The Times, stating, "We don't comment on Prince William's private life."[47] Newspapers speculated about the reasons for the split, although these reports relied on anonymous sources.

The original report in The Sun quoted a "close friend of the couple" as saying that Catherine felt William had not been paying her enough attention. The paper highlighted reports that William had been spending time with other young women and said the Prince, aged 24 at the time of the split, felt he was too young to marry.[48] A report in the Daily Mail blamed a desire by royal courtiers not to "hurry along" a marriage announcement, and William's desire to enjoy his bachelor status within his Army career. The Mail also suggested that a friend of William encouraged the Prince to take a "careless approach" to relationships. The same article suggested that Catherine had "expected too much" in wanting William to demonstrate his commitment to her.[49]

In June 2007, Catherine and William insisted they were "just good friends" following reports of a reconciliation.[50] Catherine and her family attended the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, where she and William sat two rows apart.[51] The couple were subsequently seen together in public on a number of occasions and several news sources, including the BBC and the Daily Mail, stated that they had "rekindled their relationship".[52] Catherine also joined William and Charles on a deerstalking expedition at Balmoral[53] and attended the wedding of William's cousin, Peter Phillips, even though William, due to a prior commitment, did not. In April 2008 Catherine accompanied William when he was awarded his RAF wings at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.[54] On 16 June 2008, Catherine attended William's investiture into the Order of the Garter, along with the Royal Family.