In Pictures: The Duchess of Cambridge over the years
Kate celebrates her 37th birthday on Wednesday.
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Duchess of Cambridge
As the Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 37th birthday on Wednesday, here’s a look back at Kate’s royal life so far:
– The Engagement
Kate Middleton became engaged to Prince William in 2010 when she was 28 years old, after months of speculation.
Kate and William during their engagement photocall in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace in 2010 (John Stillwell/PA)
The former student flatmates, who met at St Andrews University in Fife, Scotland, had been dating for more than seven years when William proposed on a romantic holiday to Kenya.
Kate Middleton at her graduation ceremony in 2005 (Mike Dunlea/Daily Mail/PA)
William smuggled his late mother’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring in his rucksack to surprise Kate.
– Getting to know the ropes
In February 2011, Kate and William carried out their first official public engagement after announcing their engagement.
Kate with William at the naming ceremony for the RNLI’s new Atlantic 85 Lifeboat Hereford Endeavour, at Trearddur Bay (Phil Noble/PA)
They visited Trearddur Bay in Anglesey, North Wales, to attend a service of dedication for a new RNLI lifeboat.
Future royal Kate was at ease, laughing and smiling as she poured champagne over a lifeboat as part of the ceremony.
– The wedding
Kate and William tied the knot in front of 2,000 guests and a television audience of millions in London’s Westminster Abbey on April 29 2011.
Prince William and Kate Middleton during their wedding at Westminster Abbey (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Kate’s elegant wedding gown with its fitted bodice and delicate lace neckline and sleeves was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
Miss Middleton became an HRH, the Duchess of Cambridge and a future Queen after saying her vows.
The bride and groom in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace (Dimitar Dilkoff/PA)
The newlyweds kiss on the balcony (John Stillwell/PA)
– The Family
Kate and William were overjoyed to welcome Prince George in 2013, and went on to add to their young family with Princess Charlotte in 2015 and then Prince Louis last year.
The family of five posed together at Anmer Hall in an image used for their 2018 Christmas card.
The Duchess of Cambridge holding newborn Prince George outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
William and Kate with Princess Charlotte (John Stillwell/PA)
– The Tours
Kate’s first official overseas tour saw the Cambridges travel to Canada in June 2011 and then onto California in the US.
Kate, wearing the colours of the Canadian flag, in Gatineau, Quebec, on Canada Day 2011 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
The Duchess of Cambridge rowing in a dragon boat as she races against William in Dalvey-by-the Sea, on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada (John Stillwell/PA)
Since then the couple have travelled to the Far East and South Pacific in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, taken Prince George to New Zealand and Australia, and toured India and Bhutan.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge drink from a coconut from a tree planted by the Queen during a visit to a Tuvalu village in 2012 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
The duchess dances with locals at Vaiaku Falekaupule during a visit to Tuvalu, Solomon Islands (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
Kate visiting the Assyakirin Mosque in Kuala Lumpur in 2012 (Tim Rooke/PA)
William, Kate and George look at a Bilby called George at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia in 2014 (Chris Jackson/PA)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge playing football during a visit to the Banganga Water Tank in Mumbai, India in 2016 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
William and Kate at the Taj Mahal in India (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
The duke and duchess after their trek to the Tiger’s Nest monastery near Paro, Bhutan in 2016 (Joe Giddens/PA)
Other trips have included Germany and Poland with George and Charlotte, and Sweden and Norway.
William, Kate, George and Charlotte depart from Chopin airport, in Warsaw during their tour to Poland and Germany (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Kate hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm (Victoria Jones/PA)
– The big events
The duchess joined the Queen and the royal family at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
Other festivities have included the Queen’s 90th birthday, as well as annual favourites including Trooping the Colour, state banquets, diplomatic receptions and the Order of the Garter parade.
The Duchess of Cambridge with the Duchess of Cornwall on the Spirit of Chartwell for the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
The Duchess of Cambridge laughs as the Queen gestures while they watch part of a children’s sports event during a visit to Vernon Park in Nottingham in June 2012 (Danny Lawson/PA)
The Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Edinburgh, Peter Phillips and the Queen watch entertainment for the Patron’s Lunch in The Mall, London in honour of the monarch’s 90th birthday (Toby Melville/PA)
Kate at her first Trooping the Colour balcony appearance with the Countess of Wessex, Prince Harry, the Duke of York, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Michael of Kent in 2011 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
The duchess with the royals including the Duchess of Sussex at the 2018 Trooping the Colour celebration (Yui Mok/PA)
Kate talks to guests at an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace in 2018 (Victoria Jones/PA)
– Charity work
Kate is now patron of 17 charities and organisations, and has focused her charity work on helping children have the best possible start in life, particularly surrounding their mental health.
She has worked closely with the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and Place2Be, which provides early intervention mental health support in schools.
The duchess visiting the Reach Academy Feltham, in London, a school working in partnership with Place2Be in January 2018 (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA)
Kate takes part in a drumming music therapy session as she attends the Anna Freud Centre Family School Christmas party in north London in 2015 (Chris Jackson/PA)
In 2017, the duchess championed the Heads Together mental health campaign with William and Prince Harry.
Kate during a reception for runners from Team Heads Together at Kensington Palace in London, as they prepare for the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon (Chris Jackson/PA)
The duchess listens in to real calls during a visit to YoungMinds in London, a helpline service run by one of the eight charity partners of the Heads Together mental health campaign (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) and Kate and William during the first Royal Foundation Forum in London in February 2018 (Chris Jackson/PA)
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