▲By now formally introduced to public life, she undertook her first solo event in her new role in October 2011, appearing at an engagement for the charity In Kind Direct.

▲Other "firsts" followed, including her first solo military engagement and her first speaking engagement.

▲As early as 2006, Kate Middleton was appearing on numerous "best dressed" lists. Prominent for her fashion style, in 2018 Tatler named her on its list of Britain's best-dressed people.

▲She wears apparel from many new designers, but has also been seen in dresses by Catherine Walker, who designed many of Princess Diana's favorite evening gowns and day suits.

▲The Duchess is seen by many young adults from abroad as best representing UK culture, with the "Kate Middleton effect" responsible for sales of particular fashion products.

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The alleged rift between Kate and Meghan has had celebrity gossip tongues wagging overtime. According to the Sun newspaper, royal aides claim that they are "very different people" and that the American former actress had at times struggled to fit into royal circles.

▲During a November 2018 visit to Leicester City Football Club where William and Kate paid their respects to the victims of a helicopter crash that killed five people, including the club’s chairman, Kate ended up chatting in Italian to a soccer fan in the crowd.

▲The couple married in Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.

▲In a 2014 interview, Kate and William reflected on the turbulent times during their courtship. They were both young and still trying to find themselves. The split in 2007 gave them both the time needed to reevaluate the situation.

▲In September 2017, the couple's third pregnancy was announced.

▲In April 2014 the couple and their son embarked on a two-week visit to Australia and New Zealand. This was Prince George's first major public appearance since his christening a year earlier.

▲She was born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton on January 9, 1982, in Reading, England.

▲But a 2019 article in Marie Claire notes that Kate was reportedly very hurt by the British monarch's early criticisms of her lifestyle.

▲The global audience for the wedding was estimated at around 300 million: 26 million people watched the event live in the United Kingdom alone.

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Kate graduated in 2005 from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. It was here that she met Prince William in 2001.

The pair were students in residence at St Salvator's Hall. Apparently she caught William's eye during a charity fashion show at the university. They started dating in 2003.

▲Kate Middleton has given her royal patronage to several causes, and her charity work focuses mainly on issues surrounding young children, addiction, and art.

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In 2018, locks of her hair were reportedly donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which makes wigs for children diagnosed with cancer.

▲In her capacity as patron of Action on Addiction, the Princess has occasionally made visits to its centers, spending time with recovering addicts and joining in with leisure activities.

▲Whereas it's totally natural for most couples to hold hands in public, William and Kate rarely express public displays of affection (PDA). Some royal observers believe this is because the late Queen rarely held hands with her husband in public, and this appears to have set an unwritten precedent with other members of the royal family.

▲But while the Wales' PDA is clearly limited, there's no doubt the couple are deeply in love and emotionally close.

▲Catherine is seen inspecting a training plane during a visit to the RAF Air Cadets at RAF Wittering in February 2017. The Princess of Wales is Royal Patron and Honorary Air Commandant of the Air Cadet Organization.

▲William, Kate, George, and Charlotte arrive at Victoria, in British Columbia, during their 2016 tour of Canada.

▲In December 2012 it was announced that the Kate was pregnant with her first child. In July 2013, she gave birth to Prince George.

▲The little princess's full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, named for her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales.

▲The royal couple with their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, enjoy a short private skiing break in 2016 in the French Alps.

▲Kate pictured with younger sister Pippa. She began receiving media attention after her appearance as the maid of honor at Kate's wedding to Prince William.

▲Kate Middleton in one of her effortless, best-dressed moments.

▲Back together, Prince William and Kate Middleton became engaged in 2010 during a trip to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.

▲William says it with flowers during the royal couple's 2014 tour of Australia.

▲Kate looking radiant with a bouquet of flowers while attending the National Review of The Queen's Scouts at Windsor Castle in 2013.

▲In fact, Kate can be highly emotional during spectator events as she follows the highs and lows of competitive sport.

▲Kate has adapted to her royal duties with great ease, and is always relaxed and willing to join in festivities wherever she goes.

▲Kate and husband William react with the crowd like regular spectators at the velodrome during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

▲As patron of The Art Room, Kate, who studied history of art at university, encourages children to express themselves through art.

▲Jokes, laughter, small talk... and eye-catching headwear are shared by Kate and her father-in-law, the now King Charles, at a royal event.

▲Kate's younger sister Pippa and brother James, who's the youngest of the three.

▲On May 2, 2015, Kate Middleton gave birth to Princess Charlotte. The couple and their newborn daughter are seen here at St Mary's Hospital, London.

▲Kate grew up in the village of Chapel Row in Berkshire. At age four she enrolled at St Andrew's School, and she boarded part-weekly at St Andrew's in her later years. She's pictured front row, center, with classmates.

▲In her teenage years she studied at Downe House School and was a border at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. She's pictured front row, left, with her hockey team.

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With her husband expected to become King one day, Catherine, Princess of Wales looks set to become the future Queen Consort.

▲Prince Louis was born on April 23, 2018.

▲Catherine and William meet the Obamas at Buckingham Palace two weeks after their wedding. The occasion marked her first official engagement as a duchess.

▲On that day, Catherine assumed her first title: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

▲In April 2007 Kate and William split up. Press speculation was rife as to the reasons behind the breakup.

▲The ring, a Ceylon sapphire stone set in white gold, was originally Princess Diana's engagement ring.

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An almost identical version of Kate Middleton's wedding dress, a white lace floor-length gown designed by Alexander McQueen, was made available at H&M.

▲When it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex were planning to move out of Kensington Palace, rumors began to surface of a feud between Kate and Meghan, and of increased tension between the princes.

▲Over the years, the relationship between the late Queen Elizabeth II and Kate became stronger and stronger.

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A member of the British royal family, Catherine, Princess of Wales is also one of its most stylish and fashion conscious.

▲Kate and her breezy girl-next-door look.

▲In September 2012, the then Duke and Duchess embarked on a tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

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Kate Middleton with sister Pippa and their father Michael in Jerash, Jordan. The Middleton family lived in Amman from 1984 to 1986, where Michael Middleton worked for British Airways.

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Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, is one of the most famous women in the world. She grew up as Kate Middleton, but her life changed when she met her future husband William, who is expected to become King, which would make her the future Queen Consort. Still affectionately known as Kate by an adoring public, she's now a wife, mother, and "Her Royal Highness."

Browse the gallery and revisit some of the highlights in the life of Catherine, Princess of Wales.