219: Catherine (née Middleton)
Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales
Born: 9 January 1982, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Formerly Known As: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge
Kate is married to Prince William, which means she will likely become Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and other commonwealth countries when he ascends the throne. As of September 2022, with the death of William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, William became the Prince of Wales and Catherine, the Princess.
They have three children as of 2022: George, Charlotte, and Louis.
Kate’s parents were working class-ish until they founded a mail order party goods company which made them multi-millionaires.
Kate and William met in 2001 while attending college together.
In 2005, Kate graduated with an honors degree in art history.
In 2011, Kate and William married.
With all three of her pregnancies Kate suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum—or acute morning sickness, which sadly made international headlines!
Kate uses her position and influence alongside her husband and brother-in-law to advocate for better mental health awareness—especially in children.
In early 2024, controversy and conspiracy theories began to run rampantly online regarding to the princess. Catherine's last public appearance was on Christmas 2023, and she was not seen again until March 20th 2024. During the princess's "disappearance", Kensington Palace stated the reason for her absence was because she had abdominal surgery in January but would not resume public duties until after Easter.
The speculation only grew more heated after a photograph of Catherine with her children was posted to the Prince and Princess's official Instagram account for UK Mother's Day. The photo had been obviously photoshopped, fueling the firestorm that something was seriously wrong with Catherine.
A few weeks after the now-infamous photograph was released, a noticeably thinner Catherine released a video message to the public, announcing that following her abdominal surgery she had been diagnosed with cancer and would be undergoing chemotherapy as a result. The princess seemed hopeful that she would make a full recovery, but did ask that her family and herself be given more privacy in the months ahead.
Badges Earned:
Located In My Personal Library:
Royal Love Stories by Gill Paul
Kings & Queens of England and Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry
Queen Elizabeth II, a Life in Photographs by Erin Blakemore (National Geographic Exclusive)
The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor- The Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown
The Royal Wardrobe: Peek Into the Wardrobes of History's Most Fashionable Royals by Rosie Harte
Sources:
https://www.biography.com/royalty/kate-middleton
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62968227
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/getty-images-kate-middleton-video-b2521870.html