Kate Middleton Biography

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• published: 02 Feb 2017
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Kate Middleton was born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton on January 9, 1982, in Reading, Berkshire, England, to airline employees Michael and Carole Middleton. She has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa"), and a younger brother, James. Kate came from a decidedly working-class stock of coal miners and builders on her mother's side. Her maternal grandmother, Dorothy Goldsmith, pushed her children 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 at British Airways that Carole met Michael Middleton, a dispatcher, whose wealthy family hails from Leeds and which has ties to British aristocracy. The couple married soon after. In 1987, Carole and Michael founded a mail-order party goods company. The business was a surprise success, eventually making the Middleton family multi-millionaires. As a result of this newfound income, Kate and her siblings didn't want for much. Kate attended exclusive boarding schools, including St. Andrew's Prep School, Downe House, and Marlborough College. But her time in boarding school did not come without its conflicts. Kate left the exclusive Downe House all-girls boarding school at the age of 14, due to bullying and taunts from other students. And on her first day at co-ed Marlborough, some particularly mean-spirited boys began rating incoming students based on attractiveness and personality. They gave Kate a two out of 10. Despite the initial setbacks, however, Kate did well in her studies, passing 11 GCSEs and three A-level exams. In 2001, Middleton became a student at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. She moved into St. Salvator's Hall—the same dormitory as Prince William of Wales. Middleton and Prince William shared several classes in their course 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. Middleton was dating senior Rupert Finch, and William was busy dealing with the press and struggling with his feelings about his new school. But in 2002, Middleton appeared in an exclusive fashion-show fundraiser wearing a revealing dress. William was also present at the charity event, and became intrigued and interested in Kate in a new way. He attempted to engage her romantically that evening but, still in a relationship with Finch, Middleton spurned the future king's advances. Middleton's boyfriend graduated at the end of the 2002 school term, and the couple soon parted ways over issues of distance. Newly single and entering her sophomore year, Middleton and several friends were invited to share a flat with Prince William, a setting that allowed their budding romance to blossom. At first, Middleton's life didn't change much. The couple kept their relationship a secret, 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 for the most part. But in 2004, Kate was caught by paparazzi while on a royal family ski trip. Her relationship with William became the subject of intense scrutiny and, by 2005, she was a tabloid favorite. The two graduated together that summer, with Middleton earning an honors degree in art history. In February 2006, it was announced that Middleton would receive her own 24-hour security detail from the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department. This led to rumors that Middleton was being groomed for a position of royalty. However, with Prince William headed off to a military academy, Middleton was faced with tending the paparazzi frenzy, alone. As the girlfriend of the prince, finding a job was also difficult; the position had to be considered respectable by the royal family, while also allowing Middleton the flexibility to take off at a moments' notice to be with the prince. In November 2006, Middleton finally found an acceptable position as an assistant accessories buyer with the British clothing chain Jigsaw in London. It was later reported that she left the company in order to study portrait photography. In April 2007, Middleton and Prince William publicly split. Allegedly pressured by the royal family to either propose or let Middleton move on with her life, William apparently broke off the couple's five-year relationship over the phone. Media reports said otherwise, however, as Middleton was spotted at several royal events accompanied by the prince only a few months later. Other rumors indicated that the couple were living together. Both parties denied the rumors. Please Subscribe for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE_hLN0nt2G3z7dQGSktiLA/videos