Kate Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge when she married into the Royal Family. With her husband, Prince William, she has worked as a full-time royal appearing at official events on behalf of the Queen. Princess Diana also married into the family, however she missed out on something Kate was given, an expert has claimed.
Since then, the Duchess has often been seen performing royal duties and supporting charities close to her heart.
Kate has also been given something Princess Diana never had, according Paul Burrell, former butler of Princess Diana.
Speaking in Amazon Prime documentary, The Diana Story, he explained Kate was more accepted into the family.
He said Kate has been given “the love and support of the Royal Family”, which was something Princess Diana always wanted.
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“Kate’s a very lucky woman because she has something which Diana never had,” Paul added.
“With that strength behind her, she can go the distance. She can go all the way. She doesn’t need anything else.”
Princess Diana announced her engagement to Prince Charles in February 1981 and displayed her sapphire ring, which was made by royal jeweller, Garrad.
The pair married at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981 and had two children together, Prince William and Prince Harry, 35, before later getting divorced.
“Kate is also commended for following Diana’s hands-on parenting style and she also took George as a baby travelling for royal duties rather than leaving him at home with the nanny.”
Both royals had also tried to keep their children’s lives as private as possible.
She added: “Kate values privacy and tries to keep the children away from the media apart from on more special occasions or events.
“However, Kate is definitely seen as traditional. For instance, the children are always dressed in traditional British clothing for public appearances and these appearances are often accompanied with a lot of photos of the children.”
How did Kate Middleton become a royal?
Early life
Kate Middleton, or Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was born on 9 January 1982 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, England.
She was born to Michael and Carole Middleton, a former flight dispatcher and air hostess. The couple founded a party supplies company, Party Pieces, in 1987 – now estimated to be worth £30 million.
Kate has a younger sister Pippa Matthews, 34, and a younger brother James Middleton, 31.
Education
Kate and her family moved to Amman, Jordan, in 1984, where the future Duchess was educated at an English-speaking nursery school.
After moving back to Berkshire the family sent Kate to private school, St Andrews School. She went on to briefly study at Downe House before moving onto Marlborough College where she boarded.
For university the young Kate attended the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Here she was awarded an undergraduate MA (2:1 Hons) in history of art.
Relationship with Prince William
Kate met Prince William when they were both studying at St Andrews, and both living in St Salvator’s Hall. Famously, William reportedly took a fancy to Kate after she wore a see-through dress during a fashion show.
In 2003 the couple began dating and lived together during their second year of university.
The couple split in April 2007, however, in October they were back together.
Wedding
Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his late mother Princess Diana’s engagement ring in October 2010. The couple were holidaying in Kenya at the time.
On 29 April 2011 they married at Westminster Abbey with a whopping 26 million watching the event live.
Kate wore an Alexander McQueen dress worth a reported £250,000 on the big day.
Kate assumed the title “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge” and also become the Duchess of Cambridge on the day.