She is actually not as bland as she seems; a warrior woman: Who is Kate Middleton?
In January 2024, she underwent abdominal surgery due to an undisclosed medical condition. She was subsequently hospitalized at The London Clinic, which required her to postpone her public events. Her long absence from public view caused a lot of gossip.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, born Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton, was born on January 9, 1982 in Reading, Berkshire. She is the wife of Prince William of Wales.
Kate Middleton's father, Michael Francis Middleton, is a former airline official and operations officer, and her mother, Carole Elizabeth Goldsmith Middleton, is a former airline stewardess. Middleton has two siblings named Philippa Pippa Charlotte and James William.
Father Michael Middleton built his current fortune from scratch and founded a company that sells toys and entertainment items by mail.
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.
Neither side of the family is from London, the father is from Leeds, the mother is from County Durham, and although their family includes people of various professions, they have no connections with the nobility.
Kate Middleton, who was born in Berkshire, north of London, has two younger siblings.
The family lived in Jordan for work for Michael Middleton from 1984-86.
It is rumored that Middleton closely watched the Prince, who was her peer at a young age, and had a poster of him in her room.
Kate began studying art history at the University of St Andrews in 2001 and met Prince William, who was enrolled in the same course.
In 2002, the prince watched from the front rows of a student fashion show in which Middleton modeled.
Middleton is credited with convincing the Prince, who was struggling in her first year at university, not to drop out.
It is stated that their relationship became even closer during the weekends the Queen spent at Balmoral Palace.
As a result of an agreement reached between the palace and the press, no news was made about the young students for a long time.
However, the public came to know Kate through a photo published despite efforts to keep it secret, in which she was seen next to Prince William and Prince Charles at the Klosters ski resort in Switzerland in 2005.
Newspapers' interest in the young girl increased after she settled in London after her graduation. It is claimed that photographers watched Middleton day and night.
Lawyers stepped in to demand respect for privacy after a photograph of him on a bus in London was published in October 2005.
When the news that protection would be allocated spread in February 2006, the expectation that an engagement might be on the horizon came to the fore.
When Prince William started his duty in the army in December, Kate's attendance at the ceremony with her mother also made headlines.
This was the first serious event in which the young girl was involved with the Queen and other dignitaries of the family.
Paparazzi camped outside Middleton's home led to comparisons with Princess Diana, who died trying to escape photographers.
Following calls for Prince William and Prince Charles to be left alone, some newspapers agreed to back down, but the issue continued to be the subject of the press complaints commission from time to time.
Separation
The announcement that the couple had separated in April 2007 was an unexpected development. It is thought that media pressure also played a big role in this.
At the time, Kate was working as an accessories buyer for the clothing chain Jigsaw, but left this position a few months later.
After the separation, negative news about the Middleton family was published.
For example, it was claimed that the mother chewed gum at William's graduation ceremony and used inappropriate language with words such as toilet when in the presence of the Queen.
It was also claimed that the Prince's friends made jokes about Kate's mother working as a stewardess on airplanes.
After they were seen together at a concert in memory of Princess Diana in June 2007, the duo denied claims that they were back together; "We're just good friends," she said.
However, following this, they continued to appear in public together.
In 2008, Kate Middleton was among the audience at the ceremonies where the Prince completed his flight training and received the Order of the Brace, the most important royal decoration.
Marriage
She got engaged to Prince William in Kenya on October 20, 2010, and their engagement was announced to the public on November 16, 2010. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. Kate Middleton chose a wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen.
The couple's first child, Prince George, was born on July 22, 2013, and their second child, Princess Charlotte, was born on May 2, 2015.
On December 3, 2012, it was announced that Kate was pregnant with her first child. The announcement was made earlier in the pregnancy than usual because she was admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness. She stayed in the hospital for three days. Prince George was born on 22 July 2013 at St Mary's Hospital in London.
She gave birth to Princess Charlotte on 2 May 2015 and Prince Louis on 23 April 2018. Prince George is second in line to the British throne, while Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are third and fourth in line respectively. The family officially resides in Kensington Palace. It was announced that the couple will move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in 2022.
Her husband, Prince William of Wales, is first in line to the British throne. If her husband ascends to the throne, she will automatically become queen.
December 2023
What is Princess Kate Middleton's real role within the royal family? The former royal staffer and royal writer has revealed the unseen side of Princess Catherine.
MEDIATOR
Explaining the relationship of 41-year-old mother-of-three Middleton's relationship with her father-in-law, King Charles, a source said: "It is very clear that she and the King are extremely close to each other. Sometimes even closer to him than to William."
The source also stated that the Princess sometimes acted as a mediator in the stubborn relationship between her husband William and King Charles.
A former royal staffer claimed Princess Catherine "gave William direction." Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith emphasized that the Princess was working with her husband to "pursue initiatives that are important to them."
"THEY DON'T LOOK BACK"
It has been widely stated that there is conflict between Prince Kate and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
One of Princess Catherine's friends said the Princess of Wales had "moved on and William was looking ahead as well."
"They're focused on the important things going forward. They're not looking back."
We learn that it was Kate Middleton who guided the response to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, which had a bombshell effect on the royal family.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that there were concerns within the royals about the skin color of their son Prince Archie before he was born, and made other allegations against royals.
Royal writer Valentine Low noted that Princess Catherine played a key role in the royal family's official response to the allegations. "She thought it was very important that this was not turned a blind eye. She showed real strength and determination to make it clear that there was a different reality. Kate thinks strategically," Low said and added:
"One day she will be queen. She has the long-term interests of the monarchy and the royal family at heart," she said.
"SOMEONE READY TO FIGHT"
So, what is Kate Middleton really like outside of what the public sees?
Valentine Low said about Princess Catherine:
"There's a public image of her being nice, smiling and harmless, so to speak. But actually she's someone with strong ideas, a strong will, who's ready to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right."