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The royal family in the United Kingdom is probably the only family that gets more attention on a global scale than the Kardashians. Whenever someone marries into the royal family, it becomes massive news that’s broadcasted to millions and millions around the world. In more recent years, one of those that became part of the family is Kate Middleton, who tied the knot with Prince William to officially become the Duchess of Cambridge. Now a mother of three, Middleton is a pop culture icon, especially in the fashion world.

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Middleton was born on January 9, 1982 in Reading, England to a family that wasn’t exactly on the royal level, but did quite well for themselves. “I was lucky,” Middleton said of her upbringing. “My parents and teachers provided me with a wonderful and secure childhood where I always knew I was loved, valued and listened to.” Her family had gotten to know some of the higher ups in the United Kingdom, and she would also become a standout student. Middleton was accepted into the University of St. Andrews, and that’s where she had met Prince William, who was also attending.

At the time, Middleton was taking part in a fashion show for charity where they began talking for the first time in 2002. By the following year, Middleton and William were dating, though living outside of the public eye for the most part. After about four years of being together, though, the two had separated without getting married. Thankfully, they had patched things up a few months later and started dating again.

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While the couple was in Kenya in 2010, William proposed to Middleton, and she accepted. The anticipation had been built for the eventual wedding, which took place on April 29, 2011 with more than 25 million people watching in the U.K. while some estimates said that there were 2 billion (of the 7 billion people on Earth) that watched it worldwide.

Just like the wedding was big news, so was the eventual time where they’d have children, as their oldest child would be the next in line to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and William himself. The expected eventual king was born on July 22, 2013 when Prince George was born, and it became headline news on just about every paper in Europe.

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Being a child in the royal family, you’re bound to get a lot of expensive presents, and Middleton’s children are no exception. Their second child, Princess Charlotte, has perhaps gotten the most luxurious presents. On Charlotte’s first birthday, she received a slew of gifts from family members and fans of the royal family, but it was the rattles that really took the cake.

One of the rattles that Charlotte received came from the Natural Sapphire Company. Donned with the U.K. flag on the rattle, it was decked out with jewels and white gold. It ended up being worth $44,000. That would be the most expensive material present, while there were also donations made to various causes to charities in Charlotte’s name that reached upwards of $100,000. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are incredibly grateful for all the letters, gifts and good wishes they have been fortunate to receive in the year since Princess Charlotte was born,” they said in a statement, while Kate added that her grandmother in law “was really thrilled that it was a little girl,” that was born. “I feel very, very lucky that George has got a little sister.”

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Since Charlotte was born, Middleton and William have welcomed a third child into the royal family after Prince Louis was born in April of 2018. The family remains very involved with the royals, while also spending a lot of their time doing philanthropic work. Much of that work involves children, especially after becoming a mother. “I am sure you will agree that all children deserve time, attention and love from the adults in their lives,” Middleton said. “These basic qualities are so much more valuable than the always-changing material and social concerns that can seem so important to young people.”

On top of that, Middleton has been looked to as one of the biggest inspirations for the more fashionable crowd, which was something that his husband’s mother (Diana) had accomplished back in the 1980s and 1990s when she married into the royal family.

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It’s been a long road for Middleton and the man that would eventually become her husband. “Well I think if you really go out with someone for quite a long time, you do get to know each other very, very well. You go through the good times, you go through the bad times. You know both personally, but also within a relationship as well.”