The whole world is sending well wishes to Kate Middleton after the Princess revealed her heartbreaking cancer diagnosis last week. As a prominent figure in the royal family and the future Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales has long been a subject of public interest, even prior to marrying Prince William. (The beginning of their relationship was recently highlighted in the final sixth season of The Crown.) Read on to see photos of Kate Middleton young vs. now.
Middleton was born in Reading, England, in 1982. Her father, Michael Middleton, and her mother, Carole, were a flight dispatcher and a flight attendant at British Airways, respectively. She has a younger sister, Philippa (Pippa), and a younger brother named James. Kate’s great-grandparents, Noël and Olive Middleton, hosted members of the British royal family from the 1920s through to the 1940s.
After attending Marlborough College from 1996 to 2000, Kate took a gap year to study at the British Institute in Florence, conduct charity work in Chile, and row with Round the World Challenge in the Solent strait. The following year, she enrolled at the University of St. Andrews in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she first crossed paths with Prince William.
William and Kate were friends for a year before they started dating. “I think you said I actually went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off. [I was] feeling very shy about meeting you,” Kate said to William years later in their engagement interview, according to People. The Princess of Wales also recalled feeling “really nervous” to meet then-Prince Charles, but noted that he was friendly from the beginning. “It couldn’t have gone easier for me,” Kate remembered about the monarch.
After graduating from St. Andrews in June 2005, Kate was pictured cheering in the stands at horse traces, watching charity polo matches to see Prince William and Prince Harry compete, attending book launches and parties, and going out with her friends and sister Pippa.
On November 16, 2010, the couple finally announced their engagement to the world after eight years of dating (and a brief breakup in April 2007). William proposed while the pair were vacationing in Kenya with friends a few weeks before the interview. “It was a total shock when it came,” Kate revealed then. “There’s a true romantic in there.”
Kate and William officially tied the knot in a grand royal ceremony in April 2011. Since then, they’ve welcomed three children: Prince George (age 10), Princess Charlotte (age 8), and Princess Louis (age 5). To see how different Kate looked when she was younger, scroll on to see photos of Kate Middleton before she became the Princess of Wales.
Kate Middleton Photos Then Vs. Now
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Keep reading to see photos of the Princess of Wales at her graduation at St. Andrews, her early days attending royal events, and more.
June 4, 2005: Kate Middleton at the wedding of Hugh Van Cutsem Junior and Rose Astor
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Kate Middleton and her then-boyfriend Prince William attended the wedding of William’s close friend Hugh Van Cutsem Jr. and Rose Astor at Burford Parish Church in Burford, England.
June 23, 2005: Kate Middleton at the University of St. Andrews
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A young Kate Middleton was pictured before her graduation ceremony at the University of St. Andrews in June 2005.
June 23, 2005: Kate Middleton at the University Of St. Andrews
Photographers snapped a picture of Kate Middleton arriving at the University of St. Andrews graduation ceremony in June 2005.
August 6, 2005: Kate Middleton at the Gatcombe Park Festival
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Here, Kate Middleton was pictured attending the second day of the Gatcombe Park Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park in August 2005.
November 3, 2005: Kate Middleton at The Spirit Of Christmas Shopping Festival
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Kate Middleton and her mother were spotted at the Spirit Of Christmas Shopping Festival at Olympia London in November 2005.
March 17, 2006: Kate Middleton at the Cheltenham Races
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Kate Middleton was seen sporting a Russian-style fur hat at the final day of Cheltenham Races in Cheltenham, England.
May 6, 2006: Kate Middleton at the wedding of Laura Parker Bowles
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Kate Middleton was Prince William’s date at the wedding of his stepsister Laura Parker Bowles, who married former Calvin Klein underwear model Harry Lopes at St Cyriac’s Church in Lacock, Wiltshire, in May 2006.
June 14, 2006: Kate Middleton at the Bluebird
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Kate Middleton attended the grand opening of The Shop at Bluebird on June 14, 2006.
June 17, 2006: Kate Middleton at Prince William’s charity photo match
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On June 17, 2006, Kate Middleton watched Prince William compete in the Chakravarty Cup charity polo match at Ham Polo Club in Richmond, England.
June 22, 2006: Kate Middleton at Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s pre-Wimbledon party
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Kate Middleton was photographed at Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s pre-Wimbledon party at The Roof Gardens in London, England.
December 16, 2006: Kate Middleton at the Sovereign’s Parade
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On December 16, 2006, Kate Middleton attended the Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy to participate in the Surrey, England event.
March 13, 2007: Kate Middleton at The Cheltenham Festival Race
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Kate Middleton was pictured mingling on the first day of The Cheltenham Festival Race on March 13, 2007.
April 20, 2007: Kate Middleton with a friend in London, England
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Kate Middleton and a friend are photographed walking around London during a night on the town.
May 4, 2007: Kate Middleton at the Badminton Horse Trials
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Kate Middleton looked extra stylish as she walked around the course before the Badminton Horse Trials in Badminton, England.
July 27, 2007: Kate Middleton rowing with the Sisterhood
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During Kate and William’s brief split in 2007, she joined the Sisterhood, an all-female dragon boat team training to become the first all-woman team to cross the English Channel against an all-male crew.
November 28, 2007: Kate Middleton at a book launch party
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Kate Middleton was seen at a book launch party for photographer Alistair Morrison for his novel Time to Reflect.
March 14, 2008: Kate Middleton at the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival
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On March 14, 2008, Kate Middleton was a spectator on Day 4 of the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival in Cheltenham, England.
April 11, 2008: Kate Middleton at Prince William’s Graduation Ceremony at RAF Cranwell
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Kate Middleton accompanied Prince William after his April 2008 graduation ceremony from RAF Cranwell, a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.
June 22, 2008: Kate Middleton at the Beaufort Polo Club
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Kate Middleton stepped out to support Prince William and Prince Harry, who were competing in a charity polo match at the Beaufort Polo Club.
September 17, 2008: Kate Middleton at Day-Glo Midnight Roller Disco
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Kate Middleton, her sister Pippa Midleton, and some friends attended the Day-Glo Midnight Roller Disco at The Renaissance Rooms in London, England on September 17, 2008.
November 19, 2009: Kate Middleton at Tenacity Of The Tasman UK Premiere
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Kate Middleton had a night out at the UK premiere of the 2009 documentary Tenacity Of The Tasman in London, England.
October 23, 2010: Kate Middleton at the wedding of Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford
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On October 23, 2010, Kate Middleton and Prince William attended Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford’s wedding at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Cheltenham, England. William served as one of the groom’s ushers.
November 16, 2010: Kate Middleton and Prince William announce their engagement
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Kate Middleton and Prince William posed for photographs in the State Apartments of St. James Palace on November 16, 2008, the day they announced their engagement to the world.
February 24, 2011: Kate Middleton at Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station
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Kate Middleton and Prince William visited the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station at Anglesey to name the new Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat.
February 25, 2011: Kate Middleton at the 600th anniversary of St. Andrews
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Kate Middleton paid a special visit to her alma mater, the University of St Andrews, in Glenrothes, Scotland, to celebrate its 600th anniversary.
March 8, 2011: Kate Middleton at Greenmount College
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Ahead of their wedding, Kate Middleton and Prince William traveled to Northern Ireland and stopped at Greenmount College, where they received a guided tour.
April 29, 2011: Kate Middleton at her Royal Wedding to Prince William
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They’re married! Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, smile at the crowd as they ride in a royal carriage following their ceremony.
June 27, 2011: Kate Middleton at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships
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Kate Middleton was cheering on the fourth-round match between Great Britain’s Andy Murray and France’s Richard Gasquet at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships on June 27, 2011.
June 30, 2011: Kate Middleton at the National War Memorial
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Two months after their wedding, Kate Middleton and Prince William attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial on June 30, 2011, the first day of the Royal Couple’s North American Tour.
July 9, 2011: Kate Middleton at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club
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During the couple’s North America Tour, the Duchess of Cambridge also appeared at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club on July 9, 2011.
