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{"parse":{"title":"Catherine, Princess of Wales","pageid":1677192,"text":{"*":"

Not to be confused with Catherine of Aragon, who was Princess of Wales from 1501 to 1502.

\"Kate Middleton\" redirects here. For the New Zealand diver, see Kate Middleton (free-diver).

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Catherine
Princess of Wales
$\"Photograph\"$ Catherine in 2023
Born	Catherine Elizabeth Middleton (1982-01-09) 9 January 1982 (age 43) Reading, Berkshire, England
Spouse	\n William, Prince of Wales \n (m. 2011)
Issue	\n Prince George of Wales \n Princess Charlotte of Wales \n Prince Louis of Wales \n
House	Windsor (by marriage)
Father	Michael Middleton
Mother	Carole Goldsmith

Alma mater	\n Marlborough College \n British Institute of Florence \n University of St Andrews (MA Hons) \n
Signature

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Royal family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
$\"Badge$
\n The King The Queen\n The Prince of Wales The Princess of Wales\n Prince George of Wales \n Princess Charlotte of Wales \n Prince Louis of Wales \n The Duke of Sussex The Duchess of Sussex\n Prince Archie of Sussex \n Princess Lilibet of Sussex \n \n The Princess Royal \n The Duke of York\n Princess Beatrice \n Princess Eugenie \n The Duke of Edinburgh The Duchess of Edinburgh \n \n The Duke of Gloucester The Duchess of Gloucester \n The Duke of Kent The Duchess of Kent \n Princess Alexandra \n Prince Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent
v t e

The King
The Queen\n
- The Prince of Wales
  The Princess of Wales\n
- The Duke of Sussex
  The Duchess of Sussex\n
  - Prince Archie of Sussex
  - Princess Lilibet of Sussex

Catherine, Princess of Wales (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton;^[a] 9 January 1982), is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne.\n

Born in Reading, Catherine grew up in Bucklebury, Berkshire. She was educated at St Andrew's School and Marlborough College before earning a degree in art history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she met Prince William in 2001 and graduated in 2005. She held several jobs and pursued charity work before their engagement was announced in November 2010. She became Duchess of Cambridge by her marriage on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The couple have three children: George, Charlotte, and Louis.\n

Following her marriage, Catherine has undertaken royal duties and commitments in support of the British monarch. She has represented the royal family on official overseas tours and has played a significant role in various charitable activities by undertaking projects through the Royal Foundation, with her charity work primarily focusing on issues surrounding early childhood care, addiction, and art. Catherine holds patronage with over 20 charitable and military organisations including the Anna Freud Centre, Action for Children, SportsAid, and the National Portrait Gallery. To encourage people to discuss their mental health problems, she envisioned the mental health awareness campaign Heads Together, which she launched with her husband William and brother-in-law Harry in April 2016.\n

Catherine's relationship with the media has been closely scrutinised, particularly regarding her efforts to maintain privacy amidst significant media attention and public interest. The media have referred to her impact on British and American fashion as the \"Kate Middleton effect\". Time listed her as one of the most influential people in the world in 2011, 2012 and 2013. On 9 September 2022, she became Princess of Wales when William was created Prince of Wales by his father, King Charles III.\n

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Honorary titles\n
Preceded by The Duke of Edinburgh as Air Commodore-in-Chief \n	Air Commandant of the Air Training Corps 2015\u2013present\n	Incumbent\n
Preceded by The Prince of Wales \n	Colonel of the Irish Guards 2022\u2013present\n
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom\n
Preceded by The Queen \n	Ladies HRH The Princess of Wales \n	Followed by The Duchess of Sussex \n

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Early life and education

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