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| Birth Name(s) : Kate Middleton |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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| Profession:
Model |
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Full Kate Middleton Biography
Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (born 9 January 1982), is known for her relationship with Prince William of Wales.
Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, England and was baptised in the Church of England. She is the elder daughter of businessman Michael Francis Middleton, an airline pilot at the time of her birth. Her mother, Carole Elizabeth Middleton (née Goldsmith), was a flight attendant (air hostess). Her mother's family has coal-mining roots tracing back to Hetton-le-Hole, in the City of Sunderland, while her father was born in Leeds. Middleton's parents now own Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells children's party paraphernalia, and are self-made millionaires. She has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") and a younger brother, James.
Middleton was raised in Bucklebury, Berkshire, in the south of England. She went to St Andrew's School, Pangbourne until she was 13 and attended Marlborough College (the same school William's cousin Princess Eugenie of York attends), where she passed eleven GCSEs and three A-level examinations. Like the Prince, Middleton was a student at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. She graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 degree in History of Art.
Middleton's status as the girlfriend of Prince William brought her widespread media coverage in the UK and abroad, and she was often photographed on her daily outings. On October 17, 2005, she complained through her lawyer about harassment from the media, stating that she had done nothing significant to warrant much publicity.
In February 2006, it was announced that Middleton would receive her own 24-hour security detail supplied by the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department. This fueled further speculation that she and Prince William would soon be engaged, since she would not, otherwise, be entitled to this service. No engagement occurred, and Middleton was not granted an allowance to fund this security. However, media attention greatly increased around the time of Middleton's 25th birthday in January 2007, prompting warnings from both Prince Charles and Prince William and from Middleton's lawyers, who threatened legal action. As a result, two newspaper groups, News International, which publishes The Times, and the Guardian Media Group, publishers of The Guardian and The Observer, decided to refrain from publishing paparazzi photographs of her.
Nevertheless, retailers such as Woolworths were preparing commemorative merchandise to be ready should an engagement announcement occur.
On April 14, 2007 The Sun newspaper broke a 'world exclusive' suggesting that Prince William and Kate Middleton had split up. Other media outlets such as the BBC confirmed the story as the day progressed. The couple decided to break up during a holiday in the Swiss resort of Zermatt.
A report in the Daily Mail blamed a desire by royal courtiers not to "hurry along" a marriage announcement, and William's desire to enjoy his bachelor status within his Army career. The Mail also suggested that William's friend Guy Pelly encouraged the Prince to take a "careless approach" to relationships. The same article suggested that Middleton had "expected too much" in wanting William to demonstrate his commitment to her.
In early 2006, it was rumoured that Middleton intended to found her own mail order company. However, a key investor stepped down, and Middleton decided to hold off on this plan. In November 2006, she accepted a position as an assistant accessories buyer with the British clothing chain Jigsaw, a company owned by close family friends of Middleton.
The conservative Daily Mail newspaper reported that after passing out of Sandhurst in December 2006, Prince William was told that if he wished to pursue an Army career, Middleton could not travel with him on Army time or live with him on base unless they were married. According to the article, the couple were told that since William's professional obligations, such as charities and public engagements, were likely to increase, along with his military duties, they either needed to get engaged or cool the relationship off for a while, an anonymous security source reported. Prince William himself has stated that he does not intend to marry until he is at least 28.
In March 2007, the Daily Mail also, for the first time, painted Middleton in an unflattering light. The article claimed that Middleton had started to use her status as Prince William's girlfriend to her advantage, that she had accepted free gifts, such as a £1,000 Burberry Manor bag and a £300 handbag from Melissa del Bono. According to the Daily Mail, Audi gave Middleton a discount after she bargained with them for a new car. Another claim was that she had argued with a parking warden upon receiving a ticket and used front doors (after fixing her hair and makeup) to leave night clubs instead of private exits, allowing the paparazzi to take photos, even though she had threatened legal action against photographers in the past. Finally, the article suggested that Middleton had had little contact with her university friends since becoming involved with Prince William. |
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