Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Kate Middleton: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge


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

 Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge popularly known as "Kate", is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. William is second in line to the thrones of the sixteen Commonwealth realms, and if he becomes king, she will become queen consort.Catherine grew up in Chapel Row at Bucklebury, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, England.She studied in Scotland at the University of St Andrews, where she met 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 the wedding, Catherine attended many high-profile royal events. Once their relationship became public, Catherine received widespread media attention and there was much speculation that she and William would eventually marry. Their engagement was announced on 16 November 2010, and they married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

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.She is the eldest of three children born to Carole Elizabeth Middleton (née Goldsmith), a former flight attendant and now part-owner of Party Pieces, a private company with an estimated worth of £30 million,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,and in 1987, founded Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations.Her siblings are Philippa "Pippa" Charlotte and James Middleton.The family has complained about press harassment of Pippa and their mother since Catherine's engagement.

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.In February 2006, it was announced that Catherine would receive her own 24-hour security detail supplied by the Royalty Protection branch. This fuelled further speculation that she and William would soon be engaged, since she would not otherwise be entitled to this service.


Prince William and Catherine Middleton became engaged in October 2010 in Kenya, East Africa, during a 10-day trip to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to celebrate William passing his RAF helicopter search and rescue course.Clarence House announced the engagement on 16 November 2010.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 range from 300 million to two billion people, whilst 24.5 million watched the event live in the United Kingdom.

 


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