Jump to content

Catherine, Princess of Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 68.9.59.55 (talk) at 22:12, 25 June 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Catherine, Princess of Wales
OccupationAssistant accessories buyer for Jigsaw
Parent(s)Michael and Carole Middleton

Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (born 9 January 1982) is the on-again/off-again girlfriend of Prince William of Wales.

Early life

Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, England and was baptised in the Church of England.[1] She is the elder daughter of businessman Michael Francis Middleton, an airline officer at the time of her birth and related to the well-known Lupton family in Leeds. 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. Middleton's parents now own Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells children's party paraphernalia, and are self-made millionaires.[2] She has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") and a younger brother, James.

Middleton was raised in Bucklebury, Berkshire, in the south of England.[1] She went to St Andrew's School, Pangbourne until she was 13 and then attended the public school Marlborough College (the same school William's cousin Princess Eugenie of York attends), where she passed eleven GCSEs and three A-level exams. Like the Prince, Middleton was a student at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. She graduated in mid-2005 with a 2:1 (Upper Second-Class) degree in History of Art.

While attending the University of St Andrews in 2001, Middleton met Prince William of Wales. At the time, Middleton was in her first year at St Andrews. From around Christmas of 2003 to April 2007, she and Prince William were involved in a relationship that was subjected to intense media attention.

Relationship with Prince William

File:William and Kate.jpg
Middleton with Prince William.

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 17 October 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 fuelled 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 and the Guardian Media Group, publishers of The Guardian and The Observer, decided to refrain from publishing paparazzi photographs of her.[3]

Middleton attended at least one event as an official royal guest, Prince William's "Passing-Out" parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on December 15 2006. It was reported by the Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, that she was invited by the Queen to Christmas lunch in 2006, which would have made her the first unmarried partner of a royal to be asked to the festive celebrations at the royal estate of Sandringham House near Sandringham, Norfolk. Middleton declined the offer, preferring to spend Christmas with her own family. The article claimed she refused to attend any future gathering with the Queen and Royal Family unless she and William were married.[4] According to the December 2006 issue of People,[5] a palace "insider" stated that Middleton was not at this time being groomed or being advised to be a future princess.

Nevertheless, retailers such as Woolworths were preparing commemorative merchandise to be ready should an engagement announcement occur.[6]

Recent

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.[7]

The conservative Daily Mail newspaper reported that after passing out of Sandhurst in December of 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.[8] Prince William himself has stated that he does not intend to marry until he is at least 28.[5][9]

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.[10]

End of relationship

On 14 April 2007 The Sun newspaper broke, a 'world exclusive' suggesting that Prince William and Kate Middleton had split up.[11] Other media outlets such as the BBC confirmed the story as the day progressed. The couple decided to break up during a recent holiday in the Swiss resort of Zermatt, according to newspaper reports.[12][13]

Clarence House has made only one comment about the relationship's end, according to The Times, stating, "We don't comment on Prince William's private life." Newspapers have speculated about the reasons of the split, although these reports have relied on anonymous sources. The original report in The Sun quoted a "close friend of the couple" as saying that Middleton felt William had not been paying her enough attention. The paper highlighted reports that William had been spending time with other young women, and said the Prince, aged 24 at the time of the split, felt he was too young to marry.

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.[14] In June 2007 Middleton and Prince William insisted they were "just good friends" following reports of a reconciliation. [15]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Wilkes, David; Hale, Beth (2005-08-05). "Did Kate's pushy mother send her hunting a prince?". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-04-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Alderson, Andrew (2005-12-03). "William may turn to human rights court to protect Kate". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
  3. ^ Rubin, Courtney; Nudd, Tim (2007-01-16). "Kate Middleton Seeks Privacy from Paparazzi". People. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Nicholl, Kate (2006-12-16). "I'm not coming for Christmas until we're married, Kate tells Royals". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b Tresniowski, Alex; Williams, Ashley (2006-11-29). "Is Prince William Ready to Wed?". People. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "No engagement yet, but royal wedding souvenirs in the works". cbc.ca. 2006-11-17. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
  7. ^ "Kate Middleton lands job with fashion chain Jigsaw". The Daily Telegraph. 2006-12-01. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Churcher, Sharon; Collins, Laura. "Get engaged or cool it with Kate, aides tell Officer William". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Larcombe, Duncan. "thesun.co.uk : I'm Too Young to Marry". The Sun. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Bracchi, Paul (2007-03-10). "Prince William has a very savvy young lady..." Daily Mail. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Wills and Kate split", The Sun, 14 April 2007. Retrieved on 15 April 2007.
  12. ^ Wills & Kate: Tears in the Alps (The Sun)
  13. ^ Prince William splits from Kate (BBC)
  14. ^ "A historic act of folly and supreme egotism on the part of the Prince", Daily Mail website, 14 April 2007. Retrieved on 15 April 2007.
  15. ^ News: Wills and Kate are 'just friends' (The Sun)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catherine,_Princess_of_Wales&oldid=140616660"