Catherine, Princess of Wales, GCVO born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, 9 January 1982, is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne.
Catherine, Princess of Wales Facts
- Born : Catherine Elizabeth Middleton9 January 1982
- Spouse : William, Prince of Wales
- Issue: Prince George of Wales
- House : Windsor (by marriage)
- Father: Michael Middleton
- Mother : Carole Goldsmith
Catherine, Princess of Wales Early life, education and career
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born on 9 January 1982 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading into an upper-m Her parents, Michael Middleton and Carole (née Goldsmith), were a flight dispatcher and flight attendant at British Airways, respectively; she is the eldest of their three children. In 1987, her mother founded Party Pieces, a privately held mail order company that sold party supplies and decorations, which collapsed into administration in 2023.
Catherine By the early 20th century, the Middleton family had married into British aristocracynd benefited financially from trust funds which they had established over a century ago.Her Middleton relatives, including her great-grandparents Noël and Olive Middleton, played host to members of the British royal family in the 1920s through to the 1940s. Her mother’s family are descended from coal miners, and have been described as working-class.he has a younger sister, Philippa, and a younger brother, James
Catherine Despite being offered a seat at the University of Edinburgh,Middleton took a gap year, studying at the British Institute of Florence in Italy and travelling to Chile to participate in a Raleigh International programme.he worked as a deckhand at the Port of Southampton in the summer preceding university She subsequently enrolled at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, to study art history. She briefly studied psychology before focusing solely on art historyShe worked part-time as a waitress during her studies.While attending university, she achieved a gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.Middleton was an active member of The Lumsden Club, which held fundraisers and community projects each yearIn 2005, she graduated from the University of St Andrews with an undergraduate MA (2:1 Hons) in art history
In November 2006, Middleton commenced part-time work for twelve months as an accessory buyer with the clothing chain Jigsaw. In 2007, she curated a photography exhibition to mark the book launch of Time to Reflect, by Alistair Morrison, to raise funds for UNICEF.In 2008, Middleton made several trips to Naomi’s House Hospice, where she brought gifts and read to children.Later that year, she organised a 1980s-themed roller disco fundraiser which raised £100,000, split between Oxford Children’s Hospital, for the construction of Tom’s Ward to treat pediatric cancer, and Place2Be, an organisation which provides mental health counselling to school childrenShe also worked until January 2011 at the family business in catalogue design and production, marketing, and photography.While working for the company, she launched the firm’s junior brand for toddlers, and began working with the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps terminally ill youth, providing party essentials for sick childrenMiddleton also helped coordinate the Boodles Boxing Ball, which raised money for the charityPrior to her marriage, she lived in an apartment owned by her parents in Chelsea, London, with her sister
Catherine, Princess of Wales Personal life
Catherine The couple married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey (St Catherine’s Day), with the day declared a bank holiday in the United Kingdom. Estimates of the global audience for the wedding ranged around 300 million or more, whilst 26 million watched the event live in Britain alone.Her wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.Catherine assumed the style “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge”.The couple was given the country home Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham Estate, as a wedding gift from the Quee Catherine keeps bees on the grounds.[86] Following their marriage in 2011, the couple used Nottingham Cottage as their London residence They moved into the four-storey, 20-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace in 2013. Renovations took 18 months at a cost of £4.5 million. Kensington Palace became William and Catherine’s main residence in 2017. In 2022, it was announced that the couple and their children would move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. They officially moved into the house in September 2022.
On 3 December 2012, St James’s Palace announced that Catherine was pregnant with her first child. The announcement was made earlier in the pregnancy than is usual as she had been admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness.[ince George was born at St Mary’s Hospital in London on 22 July 2013. The severe morning sickness returned with the subsequent pregnancies, forcing Catherine to cancel her official engagements.She gave birth to Princess Charlotte on 2 May 2015 and to Prince Louis on 23 April 2018.George, Charlotte and Louis were respectively third, fourth and fifth in the line of succession to the British throne at the
Catherine, Princess of Wales Health
In January 2024, Catherine underwent abdominal surgery due to undisclosed medical reasons that did not involve cancer. She was subsequently hospitalised at The London Clinic, which resulted in the postponement of several of her public engagements
Catherine, Princess of Wales Public life
Catherine Middleton’s first public appearance with William following their engagement announcement in November 2010 was at a fundraising event organised by the Teenage Cancer Trust in December 2010.She was formally introduced to public life on 24 February 2011, when the couple attended a lifeboat-naming ceremony in Trearddur, near their home at that time in Anglesey, North Wales. A day later they appeared in St Andrews to launch the university’s 600th anniversary celebrations.] In March 2011, the couple toured Belfast.Catherine’s first official engagement after her wedding came in May, when she and William met Barack and Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace.William and Catherine’s first royal tour of Canada took place in July 2011. The couple’s activities included attending celebrations for Canada Day.The tour’s two-day trip to California was Catherine’s first visit to the United States.[In October 2011, she undertook her first solo engagement at a reception for In Kind Direct, hosted at Clarence House, stepping in for Prince Charles.
With William in Ottawa during their first royal tour of Canada, 2011
In June 2019, Catherine took the royal first salute, typically received by the Queen, at the Beating Retreat military pageant.[150][151] She accompanied her husband on a tour of Pakistan in October 2019, the royal family’s first visit to the country in 13 years.The couple conducted an interview for CNN in Lahore while visiting the SoS Children’s Village, where Catherine gave a speech relating to her work on the early years.In March 2020, the couple carried out a three-day tour of Ireland, visiting County Meath, Kildare, and Galway. In October 2020, William and Catherine met President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and First Lady Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace, the first royal engagement held at the residence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.In December that year, the couple embarked on a three-day tour of England, Scotland, and Wales via the British Royal Train “to pay tribute to the inspiring work of individuals, organisations and initiatives across the country” in 2020.Boris Johnson expressed his support for the initiative, while First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon criticised the tour, citing travel restrictions; UK, Scottish and Welsh governments were consulted before planning the tour.] In May 2021, the couple returned to Scotland for an extensive tour of Edinburgh, Fife and Orkney] In Cornwall on 11 June 2021, William and Catherine attended the G7 summit for the first timeCatherine visited primary students alongside Jill Biden and participated in a roundtable discussion focusing on early childhood education.
With William, their children and other senior royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on 5 June 2022
In February 2022, Catherine visited Denmark to learn about the country’s plans for social and emotional development of youngsters and also to celebrate milestones of both countries’ monarchs. In March 2022, she and William embarked on a tour of Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica to commemorate Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
Catherine, Princess of Wales Charity work
Catherine Following her marriage, Catherine assumed royal duties and commitments in support of the British monarch. In March 2011, she and William set up a gift fund held by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to allow well-wishers who wanted to give them a wedding gift to donate money to charities they care about instead.e elderly, art, sport and conservation. In June 2012, The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry was renamed to reflect Catherine’s contribution to the charityIt is now known as The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
With William attending a Commonwealth Big Lunch at St Luke’s Community Centre in Islington, March 2018
Catherine’s charity work primarily focuses on issues surrounding young children, mental health, sport, addiction and art Her impact on charitable donations and project visibility has been called the “Kate effect”. She holds a number of charitable patronages: Action for Children, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the Anna Freud Centre, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Family Action, the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, the National Portrait Gallery, the Natural History Museum, NHS Charities Together, Place2Be, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, SportsAid, the Scouts, the 1851 Trust, the Foundling Museum, the Lawn Tennis Association, the Royal Photographic Society, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.Catherine, being an art history graduate, also takes an interest in art and handpicked the Art Room, which helped disadvantaged children access art therapy before its closure, as well as the National Portrait GalleryCatherine She acquired patronage of the Lawn Tennis Association, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Action for Children, and the Royal Photographic Society after they were passed down by Queen Elizabeth II.In December 2015, she assumed patronage of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets for youths 12–19 years of age. The Duke of Edinburgh, who had been patron of the RAF Cadets for 63 years, formally handed over during an audience at Buckingham Palace. Catherine was also a local volunteer leader with The Scout Association in north Wales, of which Queen Elizabeth II was patron, before being made co-president in September 2020, alongside the Duke of Kent.
In 2014, Catherine wrote the foreword for Living in the Slipstream: Life as an RAF Wife, whose proceeds raised money for charity. Since acquiring patronage of the RAF Cadets, she has made visits to their base in Cambridgeshire and celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2016.In January 2018, locks of her hair were reportedly donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which made wigs for children diagnosed with cancer.In February 2018, she became patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.She also launched Nursing Now, a three-year worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the profile of nurses.She has written of her family ties with nursing and that both her grandmother, Valerie Middleton, and her great-grandmother, Olive Middleton, were VAD nurses for the British Red Cross.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Catherine undertook many in-person and virtual engagements supporting National Health Service workersShe discreetly volunteered with the Royal Voluntary Service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catherine has called herself an “enthusiastic amateur photographer”and has taken official portraits of her children, as well as other members of the royal family. In 2019, she supported workshops run by the Royal Photographic Society in partnership with Action for Children to highlight the effect of photography in expressing thoughts in young people As patron of the Royal Photographic Society she and other photographers took part in an exhibition that marked 75 years since the end of the HolocaustPhotos taken by Catherine of the Holocaust survivors were later included in an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. Catherine curated an exhibition of Victorian photography at the National Portrait Gallery with a thematic focus on childhood.] In May 2020, she launched “Hold Still”, a project to capture people’s life during lockdown, which garnered 31,000 submissions. In July 2020, the exhibition was released, with the final 100 photographs being displayed online. In October 2020, the portraits were displayed on 112 public sites, including billboards, murals, and posters, across 80 towns and cities The online exhibition collected over 5.2 million page views. The photographs were published in a book on 7 May 2021, titled Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, with a foreword written by Catherine.
In May 2021, Catherine received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by NHS staff at the Science Museum in London, encouraging use of the vaccine and thanking the staff for “playing a part in the rollout”. In October 2022, she became patron to Preet Chandi, a British Army medical officer who aimed to complete a 1,000-mile solo expedition in the South Pole after finishing a 700-mile journey in the continent earlier that year.
Catherine has been hosting a Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey called Together At Christmas annually since December 2021.The 2021 concert honoured those who made significant contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.n 2022, the event was dedicated to honouring the efforts of individuals, families, and communities across the United Kingdom, and it also paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. The 2023 service celebrated those who support babies, young children, and families across the United Kingdo
Catherine, Princess of Wales At HM Prison High Down, September 2023
In March 2022 and amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Catherine and William made a donation to help the refugees.In February 2023, they donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which was helping victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.In May 2023, Catherine hosted the first children’s picnic at the Chelsea Flower Show for students from ten primary schools who were participating in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Campaign for School Gardening.
Catherine has tackled issues surrounding mental health and disabilities and has previously made visits to charities and hospitals such as St Thomas’ Hospital and the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute to spend time with mothers and children who deal with these issues. She has also been credited with raising national awareness of children’s mental health; Benita Refson, president of Place2Be, has praised her work, saying that she would “shine the spotlight on child mental health”, while Peter Fonagy, CEO of the Anna Freud Centre has called her one of the most important figures in the field, and stated that “to the millions of children who have been suffering in silence, she is their voice”.In recognition of their work with charities concerned with children’s mental health, Catherine and William were awarded the Gold Blue Peter badge, an award previously granted to Queen Elizabeth II. To encourage people to open up about their mental health issues, Catherine, William and Harry initiated the mental health awareness campaign “Heads Together” in April 2016 The campaign was first envisioned by Catherine earlier that year. “Heads Together” reportedly resulted in over one million people speaking out about their mental health, and an investment of £3m in mental health innovations he later voluntarily talked about her struggles as a mother, and admitted that she suffered a “lack of confidence” and “feelings of ignorance” during certain periods of time.
Catherine has discussed her experiences with “mum guilt” in balancing wore commitments, and described bringing her newborn home from the hospital for the first time as “terrifying”. She has also highlighted the importance of “a happy home” and “a safe environment” for children, and described her “passion” for the outdoors, referencing it as an asset to building childhood wellbeing and developmental foundations. She launched the Mentally Healthy Schools website, which helps the students and staff with access “to reliable and practical resources to improve awareness, knowledge and confidence in supporting pupils’ mental health”.Catherine held sessions for the programme at the Mental Health in Education Conference in 2019.After two years of development, the website had over 250,000 visitors accessing its resources. In February 2016, she travelled to Edinburgh to promote the work of Place2Be, and launch the Children’s Mental Health Week, which she commemorates annually. Catherine guest-edited HuffPost UK as a part of the Young Minds Matter movement, an effort “to raise awareness for children’s mental health issues”.
In 2019, Catherine worked with the Royal Horticultural Society as one of the co-designers for a garden display at the Chelsea Flower Show.he designed the “Back to Nature Garden” together with Andree Davies and Adam White.The garden, which featured “a tree house, waterfall, rustic den and a campfire” among other parts, was unveiled at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2019 to emphasise “the benefits the natural world brings to mental and physical well-being”.The garden was later expanded and moved to Hampton Court Palace as a part of the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show,[274] before being shown at the Back to Nature Festival at RHS Garden Wisley. A playground, inspired by the “Back to Nature” garden, was built on the Sandringham Estate in 2021.In May 2019, as a part of their “Heads Together” initiative, Catherine together with her husband and in-laws, launched Shout, a text messaging service for those who have mental issues. As of November 2020, the programme has facilitated over half a million conversations. In October 2019, Catherine, together with some of her royal relatives, voiced a PSA video for Public Health England “as part of its Every Mind Matters program”.In March 2020, she and William started supporting a new mental health initiative by the Public Health England amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In April 2020, the couple announced Our Frontline, an initiative providing mental health support to emergency medical workers. In May 2020, the couple’s recorded radio message for Mental Health Awareness Week was broadcast across all the stations in the United Kingdom. In June 2020, Catherine hosted an online assembly to 80 elementary school students across the United Kingdom, focused on the importance of self-care and expressing one’s feelings openly.
In February 2021, Catherine recorded a video message about the importance of positive mental health during the pandemic.The video has been watched by over 3.5 million people.In May 2021, William and Catherine, with other prominent personalities, voiced 2021 Mental Health Minute, a one-minute record delivered by Radiocentre and Somethin’ Else to mark 2021 Mental Health Awareness Week.The record was broadcast across all radio stations in the United Kingdom and reached over 20 million listeners. In May 2022, the couple voiced the Mental Health Minute message again, which was broadcast on every radio station in the United Kingdom on 13 May and asked people to help individuals around them that suffer from loneliness.
Catherine In February 2022, Catherine made a surprise appearance on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, where she read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson as part of the conclusion of Children’s Mental Health WeekIn October 2022, to mark World Mental Health Day, she and William took over Newsbeat and interviewed four guests on topics related to mental health.In the following year, the couple took part in a forum for young people in Birmingham, alongside BBC Radio 1 and a charity called The Mix, called Exploring our Emotional Worlds continuing their longstanding work to promote mental well-being.