The British royal family has released three new portraits of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, when she will turn 40 on Sunday.
The photographs, taken by Paolo Roversi in London’s Kew Gardens, show the Duchess in Alexander McQueen gowns.
The images will be exhibited across the UK in three locations that hold meaning to the Duchess: Berkshire, where she grew up; St. Andrews, where he studied and met Prince William; and Anglesey, where the couple first settled after their wedding.
The Duchess of Cambridge has become the trusted royalty of Great Britain.
After Prince Harry and Meghan’s stormy departure to California in 2020, the death of Prince Philip last year and now allegations of sexual abuse against Prince Andrew, the former Kate Middleton remains in the public eye as the smiling mother of three. children who can comfort grieving parents. a children’s hospice or surprise the nation by playing the piano during a televised Christmas concert.
“This is the woman who was the commoner who married a member of the royal family and who did not trip, did not cause any embarrassment,” said Katie Nicholl, author of “Kate: The Future Queen,” said. “It has not been an easy year and yet Kate seems to be a beacon in all of this.”
At a time when the House of Windsor faces more controversy than its share, Prince William’s wife has won accolades for her commitment to early education, art and music. The charities you support are enthusiastic about your willingness to be personally involved in their causes.
Olivia Marks-Woldman was touched by the care Kate took in photographing Holocaust survivors Steven Frank and Yvonne Bernstein for an exhibition sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Before filming, the duchess spent time learning the stories of her subjects and used the knowledge to compose the photos, said Marks-Woldman, the foundation’s chief executive.
“It was a really committed and thoughtful participation,” he recalled. “But even after those pictures were taken, the Duchess was supportive of the project and supported Steven and Yvonne and took an interest in them and sent them Christmas cards, invited them to carol service at Westminster Abbey recently and it’s been wonderful “.
Tracy Rennie, deputy executive director of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, has a similar account of the day Kate visited one of the organization’s facilities in 2019. The Duchess agreed to speak with the parents and other family members of a child who had recently died because they wanted to. to meet her, even though his pain was still raw.
“It was actually a very supportive conversation, to the point where we laughed and joked together as a family before we left; You can’t imagine him in such a difficult situation, ”Rennie said. “They were absolutely honored that he had taken the time and were overwhelmed by the fact that he was a ‘normal person’ – his words, not mine. They felt like she really cared. “
Kate is a member of royalty by choice, not by birth.
The daughter of a flight attendant and flight dispatcher, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born in Reading, England, on January 9, 1982, and grew up with a younger sister, Pippa, and a younger brother, James.
The Middletons, from an affluent part of Berkshire, west of London, moved to Jordan when Kate was 2 years old due to her father’s job. They returned to England in 1986 and Kate attended the exclusive Marlborough College, where she was actively involved in sports such as hockey, tennis, and netball.
It was at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland that Kate met Prince William, the eldest son of the late Princess Diana and second in line to inherit the British throne after his father, Prince Charles.
First friends and then housemates along with two other students, William and Kate became romantically linked around 2004, when they were photographed together on a ski trip in Switzerland. Kate graduated in 2005 with a BA in art history and a budding relationship with the prince.
William complained about the press intrusion and Kate’s lawyers asked the newspaper editors to leave her alone. Still, the British media followed every twist in their relationship, including a brief separation in 2007. William later acknowledged that the couple’s romance faltered for several months, saying they were both young and trying to find their way.
The tabloids nicknamed her “Waity Katie” for her patience during the courtship. The couple finally married at Westminster Abbey in 2011. They have three children.
For 11 years under the royal microscope, Kate has largely avoided criticism by embracing the royal maxim “never complain, never explain.”
This was evident last year when Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, alleged in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that Kate had made her cry during a disagreement over flower girl dresses in the run-up to Meghan and Harry’s wedding in 2019. Kate and the palace responded with silence.
However, Kate still has the ability to surprise.
For a Christmas Eve Christmas Eve concert at Westminster Abbey, he sat at the piano and accompanied Scottish singer Tom Walker in “For Those Who Can’t Be Here,” a song inspired by the loss and separation during the pandemic.
While it was no secret that Kate had studied the instrument, the pre-recorded performance during a nationally televised concert was something entirely new. Walker said he did not know what to expect when the palace suggested that the duchess could accompany him in performing the new song at the event.
“It was essentially, for the Duchess, a giant gamble,” Walker told the AP. “It really is jumping into the deep end and just hoping you can swim. Because I’d have my own reservations about rocking into a venue to play with someone else’s band on a song that I hadn’t written and pull it off with absolute grace. It’s not an easy thing, so it must have been quite a challenge. “
Biographer Nicholl, who has watched Kate for years, said the performance offers insight into Kate’s character, describing her as brave and confident, a person aware of her strengths.
With Queen Elizabeth II preparing to celebrate 70 years on the throne later this year and the focus squarely on the longevity of the monarchy, Kate’s place as the wife of one future king and mother of another will become even more important.
“I think the monarchy is in good hands,” Nicholl said.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism