Kate Middleton turns 44 today – and is expected to mark the occasion with a rather scaled-back celebration.
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.
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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 Michael 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 became a key member of the Windsors.
Together, Kate and William have faced challenges over the last few years, dealing with her cancer diagnosis and treatment and even moving homes.
This April, Kate and William shared a tipple of whiskey to celebrate their 14th anniversary.
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