Biography: Kate Middleton

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Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (born 9 January 1982) was the former girlfriend of Prince William of Wales, elder son of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and second in line to the throne of the United Kingdom.

Early life Kate Middleton
Born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, England, Middleton is the elder daughter of self-made millionaire Michael Middleton (born 1949), who was an airline officer at the time of her birth, and his wife, the former Carole Goldsmith, who was an air hostess. [1] Her parents now own Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells children's party paraphernalia. She has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") and a younger brother, James. Middleton was raised in Bucklebury, Berkshire, in the south of England. She went to St Andrew's School, Pangbourne until she was 13 and then attended the public school Marlborough College (the same school William's cousin Princess Eugenie of York attends), where she passed eleven GCSEs and three A- level exams. Like the Prince, Middleton was a student at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. She graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 (Upper Second-Class) MA (Hons) degree in History of Art.
In early 2006, it was rumored that Middleton intended to found her own mail order company, selling high-end children's clothes. After a key investor stepped down, however, she decided to hold off on this plan. [2] In November 2006, she accepted a position as an assistant accessories buyer with the British clothing chain Jigsaw.

Kate Middleton and Prince William
While attending the University of St Andrews in 2001, Middleton met Prince William of Wales. At the time, Middleton was already in her second year at St Andrews...

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...a British tabloid newspaper, that she was invited by the Queen to Christmas lunch in 2006, that would have made her the first unmarried partner of a royal to be asked to the festive celebrations at the royal estate of Sandringham House near Sandringham, Norfolk. Middleton declined the offer, preferring to spend Christmas with her own family.

In 2007, the couple briefly split after struggling to find time as Prince William pursued his army career. However, they soon came back together.

Engagement of Kate Middleton and Prince William

On 16th November, 2010, Kate Middleton and Prince William announced their plans to marry in the new year

Announcing their engagement Prince William said: "The timing is right now, we are both very, very happy." Miss Middleton added that joining the Royal Family was a "daunting prospect" but said: "Hopefully I'll take it in my stride."

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