Kate Middleton

 

Name

Kate Middleton

Date of Birth

January 09, 1982

Birth Place

Berkshire, England

 

Royal insiders have called Kate Middleton, with her grace and sporty elegance, "a natural" as Prince William's wife.

The captivating brunette may not come from royalty, but she does have good breeding – her father is a self-made millionaire and she attended the prestigious and pricey private boarding school Marlborough College. After excelling at field hockey and cross-country running, Middleton studied art history at University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she took William off the market in 2002.

After an eight-year fairy tale romance, William proposed to Middleton with his late mother's engagement ring. The couple wed in London on April 29, 2011, ennobling Middleton as the Duchess of Cambridge.

Coed Roommates

Middleton and William, along with the Prince's Eton College pal Fergus Boyd and another female student, move into a four-bedroom apartment near the town center. Middleton doesn't see their platonic arrangement as "a big deal," says a pal. One local begs to differ, telling PEOPLE, "Everybody knows he is with Kate. They are together."

St. Andrews Friendship

Middleton attends the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where Prince William of Wales is also a student. Both major in art history before becoming close friends (William will later change his course of study to geography). That March, the dashing prince forks over $200 to sit front row to cheer on Middleton in a student-run charity fashion show. Middleton's walk down the runway in a sheer black sheath over a bandeau top and bikini bottom marks her first brush with the British press.