The Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, celebrates her 33rd birthday on 9 January. Kate, who is expecting her second child with husband Prince William, is planning to spend the day privately surrounded by family and friends. To honour the Duchess' special day, HELLO! Online presents 20 facts you may not have known about the royal.
The Duchess of Cambridge turns 33 on 9 January
1. Kate was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on January 9 1982 to parents Michael and Carole Middleton.
2. During an interview after their engagement, Prince William joked that Kate had a poster of him on her bedroom wall when she was younger, however the future Duchess was quick to correct the guy on her wall was in fact the "Levi's guy".
3. In 2001, Kate enrolled at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She graduated with a 2:1 in History of Art in 2005.
William and Kate on their graduation day in 2005
4. This would be where she would meet her future prince charming. Students have a one in ten chance of meeting their future spouses at the university.
5. The Duchess, who has become a style icon, wore more than 25 outfits during her tour of Canada and Los Angeles in July 2011 and seven outfits most recently during her and William’s three-day visit to New York.
6. As Kate marks her 33rd birthday, she has been a member of the British royal family for 1350 days.
Kate at a gala in Los Angeles
7. As a member of the royal family, Kate holds four titles including her most well known title the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate is the Countess of Strathearn when she is visiting Scotland and the Lady Carrickfergus for visits to Northern Ireland. As the wife of Prince William she is also entitled to be referred to as Princess William.
8. During 2014 the dedicated Duchess carried out 91 engagements, which saw her travel across the globe with visits to Australia, Belgium, France, New Zealand and New York.
9. When she was a young child in the mid 1980s, Kate lived in Amman, Jordan, while her parents worked in the Middle East country.
The Duchess of Cambridge giving her first speech
10. In March 2012, Kate gave her first public speech during a visit to the East Anglia's Children's Hospice facility in Ipswich. Since then, she has delivered speeches across the world including Malaysia and Australia.
11. Artist Paul Emsley unveiled Kate’s first official portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in January 2013.
12. Since becoming a royal, Kate has been seen in two tiaras including the diamond halo tiara lent to her by the Queen on her wedding day and a second tiara, previously worn by Princess Margaret, for a reception at Buckingham Palace in December 2013.
Kate admiring her first official portrait
13. On Kate's 30th birthday in 2012, Kim Kardashian unveiled a limited edition shoe she had designed especially for the royal's birthday. "I've created a special shoe just for Kate," reality star Kim explained as she revealed she had called the shoe The Duchess.
14. One of the Duchess’ biggest fans is queen of pop Madonna. "She is a lovely girl with a great sense of style," the singer said in 2011.
15. The Duchess enjoys trying recipes from Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry. "I'm a big fan of your cook books and your cakes," Kate told the popular celebrity baker during an event in March 2013.
The Duchess and Prince George watching Prince William play polo
16. On 22 July 2013, at 4.24pm, the Duchess gave birth to a healthy baby boy who weighed 8lb 6oz. Two days later the proud parents revealed they had called him George Alexander Louis.
17. In September 2014, after much speculation it was confirmed the royal couple would welcome a second child in April 2015. However the Palace was quick to dismiss it was twins.
18. Soon after the announcement ‘Duchess of Cambridge’ and ‘Kate Middleton’ became the top trends on Twitter around the world.
Kate in Australia in April 2014
19. Since becoming a royal, Kate has dedicated her time to charities close to her heart including East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and Action on Addiction.
20. At the time of writing, there are over 2,000 items on eBay.com listed under the Duchess of Cambridge included similar outfits worn by the royal and commemorative wedding spoons.