Kate

Kate Middleton was born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton on January 9, 1982. Middleton has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") and a younger brother, James.

Kate came from a decidedly working-classstock of coal miners and builders. Her maternal grandmother, Dorothy Goldsmith, became the first member of the family to attempt to improve the family's social and economic status. Dorothy pushed herchildren to aim high and, as a result, Kate's mother became an airline hostess—at the time, a considerably glamorous job. It was on this job that Carole met dispatcher Michael Middleton. The couplemarried soon after.

By the time Kate was born, her mother was already looking for new ways to climb the social ladder. In 1987, Kate's mother founded her own mail-order party goods company, withambitions of sending her children to private schools. The business was a surprise success, eventually making the Middleton family multi-millionaires.

In 2001, Middleton became a student at theUniversity of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, Middleton was placed in the dormitory St. Salvators Hall—the same building as Prince William of Wales. Middleton and Prince William shared several classes in theircourse schedule as well, and soon became friends. But while they often shared breakfast and walked to classes together, the two were not interested in each other romantically at first.

RoyalRomance

In 2003, Middleton and the prince fell into a natural romance, and began dating. At first, Middleton's life didn't change much. The couple kept their relationship a secret for several years,CONTENTS

mostly due to the prince's extreme distrust of the press. The couple agreed not to hold hands in public, or be seen sitting together at dinner parties. This seemed to throw off the press forthe most part, and by June 2003 Kate had graduated with an honors bachelor's degree in art history, without any real disruptions from the press.

But in 2004, Kate was caught by paparazzi while on...