Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (born 9 January 1982) was the former fiancée of Prince William of Wales, eldest son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales and second in line to the throne of the United Kingdom. Early life Kate Middleton Born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, England, Middleton is the eldest daughter of self-made millionaire Michael Middleton (born 1949), who was an airline officer at the time of her birth, and his wife , the former Carole Goldsmith, who was an air hostess. [1] His parents now own Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells children's party supplies. He has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") and a younger brother, James. Middleton grew up in Bucklebury, Berkshire, in the south of England. He attended St Andrew's School, Pangbourne until the age of 13 and then attended public school Marlborough College (the same school attended by William's cousin, Princess Eugenie of York), where he passed eleven GCSEs and three A-level exams. A level. Like the prince, Middleton was a student at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. She graduated in 2005 with an MA (Hons) 2:1 (Second Class) in Art History. In early 2006, Middleton was said to be planning to set up her own mail order company, selling high-end children's clothing. After a key investor quit, however, he decided to postpone this plan. [2] In November 2006, she accepted a position as an assistant accessories buyer at the British clothing chain Jigsaw. Kate Middleton and Prince William While attending the University of St Andrews in 2001, Middleton met Prince William of Wales. At the time, Middleton was already in her second year at St Andrews...... middle of paper ...... a British tabloid newspaper, who was invited by the Queen to Christmas lunch in 2006, which would have made her it made her the first unmarried companion of a royal to be invited to festive celebrations at the royal estate of Sandringham House near Sandringham, Norfolk. Middleton declined the offer, preferring to spend Christmas with her family. In 2007, the couple briefly separated after struggling to find time while Prince William pursued a military career. However, they soon got back together. Engagement of Kate Middleton and Prince William On November 16, 2010, Kate Middleton and Prince William announced their plans to get married in the new year. Announcing their engagement, Prince William said: "The time is right now, we are both very, very happy." Miss Middleton added that joining the royal family was a "daunting prospect", but said: "I hope to take it slowly"."