What's the last name of Kate, the woman who married Britain's Prince William in 2011?
And the answer: Middleton.
Born with the name Catherine Elizabeth Middleton in 1982, Kate Middleton is now known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Her husband, Prince William, is second in the line of succession to the British throne. Together they have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
For some, entering the public eye as a newly-turned British Royal can be an intimidating task. For others like Kate Middleton, it was always meant to be. The soon-to-be queen consort may have not sought out the throne, but after meeting Prince William as a child and then again in the early 2000s, Kate and William all but ensured their romance would take them to Buckingham Palace.
Beyond strokes of fate, Middleton's circles never ran far from William. Born into an upper-middle class family in Berkshire, Middleton attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland (where she eventually met William for the second time in 2001). Before marrying into the royal family, Middleton held jobs in retail and marketing, while pursuing charity work on the side. Luckily, one of the primary duties of royal family members is charity and nonprofit work, which Middleton continues to maintain in her role today.
Middleton has come to be associated with her elegant fashion and kind demeanor. Sometimes considered "untraditional" for her non-royal blood, Middleton's grace and poise has elevated her in her role and given way to fashionable, charitable movements in her name. The Duchess of Cambridge devotes her time to supporting a number of charitable causes and organizations, including a number of which she started herself.
