File:Kate Middleton 2008.JPG

Full name:Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton.

Born : 9 January 1982 (1982-01-09) (age 28) Reading, Berkshire, England.

Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (born 9 January 1982) is the girlfriend of Prince William of Wales. Since their relationship first began, Middleton has received widespread media attention and there has been constant speculation that they will eventually marry.

Born in 1982, Middleton grew up in Berkshire, and after attending Marlborough College went to the University of St Andrews. She met Prince William, also studying there, in 2001. They soon started a relationship, media attention quickly followed, and in 2005 her lawyer complained of harassment. In April 2007, it emerged in the press that William and Middleton had split up. They continued to be friends, and later in 2007 the pair reunited. Since then, Middleton has attended many high-profile royal events. She has been admired for her fashion sense, and has been placed on numerous 'best dressed' lists.

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born on 9 January 1982 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, the daughter of Michael Francis Middleton (born 23 June 1949) and Carole Elizabeth (née Goldsmith; born 31 January 1955).

Middleton, an airline pilot, and Goldsmith, an air stewardess, had married on 21 June 1980 at the Parish Church in Dorney, Buckinghamshire. Kate Middleton's paternal family came from Leeds in West Yorkshire, and her great-grandmother Olivia was a member of the Lupton family, who were active for generations in Leeds in commercial and municipal work. Carole Middleton's maternal family, the Harrisons, were working class labourers and miners from County Durham.In 1987, the Middletons founded their own company, Party Pieces, a mail order firm that sells party supplies and decorations.They have since become millionaires.