Kate Middleton turns 40 today and is expected to have a ‘low key’ celebration with her husband Prince William and their three children.
The Duchess of Cambridge is a key member of the Royal Family, a patron of a number of charities and future Queen consort, but she wasn’t born into royalty.
Here we look at her life in pictures.
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, on January 9, 1982.
Her parents are Carole and Michael Middleton and she has two siblings – Pippa Matthews and James Middleton.
Kate was christened at the parish church of St Andrew’s Bradfield in Berkshire on June 20, 1982 and had a happy home life growing up.
In the mid-1980s the Middletons relocated to Amman in Jordan where Micheal worked as a flight dispatcher for British Airways.
The country still holds a special significance for Kate, and it was where a picture of the Cambridges the family used for the 2021 Christmas portrait was taken.
At 13, Kate went to the exclusive private Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she part-boarded.
After finishing school she went to the University of St Andrews, where she graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in history of art.
It was during her studies there that Kate met and began dating William. She is said to have first caught the prince’s attention when she donned a now-famous sheer dress, for a university fashion show.
The couple continued dating after they both graduated, with Kate dubbed ‘Waity Katie’ for her patience during their long courtship.
The couple eventually married at Westminster Abbey in 2011.
During their engagement interview, William described Kate as having ‘a really naughty sense of humour’.
The couple have three children together – eight-year-old Prince George, Princess Charlotte, six, and three-year-old Prince Louis.
A keen photographer, the duchess usually takes the publicly released photos of her children to mark their birthdays – though the youngsters are not always so keen.
She joked: ‘Everyone’s like, “Mummy, please stop taking photographs”.’
Over the years Kate remained close to her family and become a key member of the Windsors.
Together Kate and William have faced challenges over the past year, dealing with the fallout from the Sussexes’ decision to step down as senior royals and their bombshell Oprah interview.
The duchess was publicly singled out by the Meghan Markle during the prime-time tell-all for allegedly making the former Suits actress cry in the run-up to her wedding.
It was said to be a disagreement over flower girl dresses, and Meghan said the Palace failed to correct reports which said she left Kate in tears.
Kate, who has remained silent about the allegations, has often been hailed for her levelheadedness, her measured outlook, and her bubbly, kind nature.
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