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Royal Wedding Attracts Over 1 Million Facebook Updates.

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The Royal Wedding gathered world attention and a massive amount of Facebook updates. Read on for who was popular….

The Big Numbers

· Over a million people in the UK used Facebook statuses to discuss the Royal Wedding in the past 24 hours.

· During this morning alone some 684,399 status updates referencing the wedding were posted in just 4 hours in the UK – equating to an average of 47 mentions every second.

· Many people in the UK were so excited they couldn’t sleep, with just under 500 people updating about the pending nuptials per hour ahead of 8am

· Much has been said about the US obsession with today’s wedding – and this was reflected in our numbers – with greater numbers of American Facebook users posting updates than those from the UK – 1.953 million to the UK’s 1.004 million.

So who were people talking about?

· David Beckham’s arrival led to a surge in discussion – with 9,000 mentions of his name in just 20 minutes!

· Just under double the number of people were talking about David Beckham than Victoria Beckham

· The Queen and Prince Philip didn’t even feature in the top list of discussed people – and Prince Andrew was nowhere to be seen.

· Instead, we saw Harry’s position at number three and fledgling Royal celebrity Pippa Middleton at number 8

· Kate’s rebrand into ‘Princess Catherine’ has begun in earnest, with nearly 2,000 people mentioning her new name for the first time after the ceremony

· Prince Beatrice’s hat became the subject of a Facebook fan page – ‘Princess Beatrice’s Ridiculous Royal Wedding Hat’ (4000 fans) http://on.fb.me/lGyn7z

US versus UK

· Despite not featuring in the top ten list in the UK, in the US the Queen was the 14th most discussed topic – with a position in the list similar to that of Victoria Beckham in the UK.

Here’s the list for the UK:

1

Kate Middleton

131,385 mentions

2

Prince William

104,747 mentions

3

Prince Harry

64,107 mentions

4

David Beckham

22,421 mentions

5

Victoria Beckham

12,346 mentions

6

Elton John

12,283 mentions

7

Princess Diana

11,103 mentions

8

Pippa Middleton

8,619 mentions

9

Prince Charles

6,791 mentions

10

Princess Beatrice

4,439 mentions

11

Princess Catherine

1,928 mentions

12

Princess Eugenie

1,385 mentions

13

Guy Ritchie

290 mentions

And what got people chatting?

The dress…

· Speculation grew throughout the morning as to the designer of Kate’s dress; with references to Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, and Diana’s dress designer, David Emanuel.

o 13,120 mentions of Sarah Burton

o 7,863 mentions of Alexander McQueen

o 4,264 mentions of Emanuel

The hat…

· Samantha Cameron’s lack of a hat attracted a lot of attention – as she arrived at Westminster Abbey there was some 600 mentions of her total lack of hat…

…and the nose…!

· Tara Palmer-Tompkinson’s nose attracted a lot of discussion – with 2046 mentions in just 20 minutes!

Elton

· National treasure Elton John featured prominently in pictures from the Abbey – leading to over 12,000 mentions of him within status updates.

Where were people talking about the wedding?

· Thousands of people crowded the streets of London in order to see the event – and lots of them got closer to it by checking in to the key locations along the route using Facebook Places.

· Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey were most popular – with XXX and XXX people checking in.

New ways to interact with a Royal Wedding….

· ITN’s live stream was available on its Facebook Page with live comments: www.facebook.com/itn – It saw 3.5million streams + peaked at 110,000 viewers online.

· ITN used Facebook Questions to ask “who is the best dressed” and “where should they go on their honeymoon?” https://www.facebook.com/eonline#!/ITN?sk=questions

· CNN live streamed the event on its website with live comments: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2011/royal.wedding/live/

· ABC live streamed the wedding on its Page: https://www.facebook.com/abcnews as well as creating royal wedding polls: https://www.facebook.com/abcnews?sk=app_20678178440

· ITN, CNN and ABC incorporated live Facebook statistics into their TV broadcasts.

Facebook Stories

· Facebook Stories, an app that enables people to share their thoughts and views, saw thousands of submissions from more than 30 countries, in more than 20 languages

Syrian Ambassadors Invitation to Royal Wedding Revoked. Full Guestlist and Schedule.

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The Syrian ambassador has been removed from guest list by the Foreign Office after hundreds were slaughtered in an uprising. Below is the full guest list and schedule.

Members of the British Royal Family

The Queen
The Duke of Edinburgh
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
Prince Henry of Wales
The Duke of York
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Eugenie of York
The Earl and Countess of Wessex
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
Mr and Mrs Peter Phillips
Miss Zara Phillips with Mr Mike Tindall
Viscount Linley and Viscountess Linley
And The Hon. Charles Armstrong-Jones
The Lady Sarah Chatto and Mr Daniel Chatto
And Master Samuel Chatto
And Master Arthur Chatto
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Earl and Countess of Ulster
The Lady Davina and Mr Gary Lewis
Lady Rose and Mr George Gilman
The Duke and Duchess of Kent
Earl and Countess of St Andrews
Lord Downpatrick
The Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor
The Lady Amelia Windsor
The Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor
The Lady Helen Taylor and Mr Timothy Taylor
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
The Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor
The Lady Gabriella Windsor
Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy
Mr and Mrs James Ogilvy
Miss Marina Ogilvy
The Lady Saltoun
Members of Foreign Royal Families
The Prince and Princess of the Asturias
The Crown Prince of Bahrain
Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium
The Sultan of Brunei and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha
King Simeon II and Queen Margarita of the Bulgarian
The Queen of Denmark
King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes
Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece and Prince Constantine of Greece
Sheikh Ahmad Hmoud Al-Sabah of Kuwait
Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso and Princess Mabereng Seeiso of Lesotho
The Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia
Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miss Charlene Wittstock
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
The Crown Prince and Princess of The Netherlands
The King and Queen of Norway
Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman
The Emir of The State of Qatar and Sheika Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned
King Michael I of Romania and Crown Princess Margarita
Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Princess Fadwa bint
Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman
The Queen of Spain
The King of Swaziland
The Crown Princess of Sweden and The Duke of Västergötland
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
The King of Tonga
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia
The Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia
Dignitaries
The Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda
The Governor-General of Australia and His Excellency Mr Michael Bryce
The Governor-General of The Bahamas and Lady Foulkes
The Governor-General of Barbados
The Governor-General of Belize and Lady Young
The Governor-General of Canada and Mrs. David Jonhnston
The Governor-General of Jamaica
The Governor-General of New Zealand and Lady Satyanand
The Governor-General of Papua New Guinea and Mrs Michael Ogio
The Governor-General of the Solomon Islands and Lady Kabui
The Governor-General of St Christopher and Nevis
The Governor-General of St Lucia
The Governor-General of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Lady Ballantyne
The Prime Minister of Australia and Mr Tim Mathieson
The Prime Minister of The Bahamas and Ms Delores Miller
The Prime Minister of Barbados
The Prime Minster of New Zealand and Mrs. John Key
The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Lade Somare
The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Mrs. Rosalia Nestor King
The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines and Mrs Ralph Gonsalves
The Premier of Bermuda and Mr. Germain Nkeuleu
The Premier of The British Virgin Islands and Mrs Ralph O’Neal
The Premier of the Cayman Islands and Mrs Kerry Bush
The Hon Sharon and Mr. Rodney Halford (Falkland Islands)
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Mrs. Peter Caruana
The Chief Minister of Montserrat and the Reverend Doctor Joan Delsol Meade
The Hon John and Mrs. Vilma Cranfield (St Helena)
Members of Government, Parliament and Devolved Administrations
The Prime Minister and Mrs David Cameron
The Deputy Prime Minister and Ms Miriam Gonzalez Duantez
First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Mrs William Hague
The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Hon Mrs Osborne
The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor and Mrs Kenneth Clarke
The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities, and Mr Philip May
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and Mrs Jeremy Hunt
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband, MP and Ms Justine Thornton
The Speaker of the House of Commons and Mrs John Bercow
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales and the Lady Elis-Thomas
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and Mrs Alex Fergusson
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Mrs William Hay
The Lord Speaker and Mr Martin Hayman
First Minister of Wales and Mrs Carwyn Jones
First Minister of Northern Ireland and Mrs Peter Robinson
First Minister of Scotland and Mrs Alex Salmond
The Mayor of London and Mrs. Boris Johnson
The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor and The Lady Mayoress
Sir Gus and Lady O’Donnell
The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of Westminster and Count Paolo Filo della Torre
Mr and Mrs Simon Fraser

Representatives from the Church and other Faiths
The Most Reverend Gregorious, Archbishop of the Greek Archdiocese of Thysteira and Great Britain
The Archbishop of Canterbury and Mrs. Rowan Williams
Rabbi Anthony Bayfield
Mr Anil Bhanot
The Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Archbishop Sean Brady
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, The Most Reverend David Chillingworth
The Right Reverend John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Mr. Malcolm Deboo President, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
The Rt Reverend Doctor Norman Hamilton
The Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Reverend Alan Edwin Harper
Monsignor Philip Kerr, The Convener, Action of Churches Together in Scotland
Commissioner Elizabeth Matear, Salvation Army
The Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend Doctor Barry Morgan
The Reverend Gareth Morgan Jones, President of the Free Church Council of Wales
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-Connor
The Archbishop of Westminster, The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols
Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
Rabbi Alan Plancey
Imam Mohammad Raza
The Chief Rabbi (Lord Sacks)
The Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, Acting Head Monk, The London Buddhist Vihara
Maulana Syed Raza Shabbarm, Muhammadi Trust
Mr Natubhai Shah, President, the Jain Academy
Dr Indarjit Singh, Director, Network Sikh Organisations (UK)
Canon Chirstopher Tuckwell
The Reverend Martin Turner
The Archbishop of York and Mrs John Sentamu

Senior Members of the Defence Services
Major General and Mrs William Cubitt, Major General Commanding Household Division and GOC London District
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen and Lady Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff General Sir Nicholas and Lady Houghton
Air Vice-Marshal the Hon. David and Mrs Murray, Defence Services Secretary
General Sir David and Lady Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff
Admiral Sir Mark and Lady Stanhope, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff
General Sir Peter and Lady Wall, Chief of the General Staff

Mr David Allan
David Allan is the Chairman of Mountain Rescue, England and Wales.
Major Tom Archer-Burton
Major Archer Burton was Prince William and Prince Harry’s Commanding Officer in the Household Cavalry.

Mr Charlie Mayhew
Charlie Mayhew is Chief Executive of the Conservation Charity, Tusk Trust.

Mrs Alison Moore-Gwyn
Alison Moore Gwyn is Chief Executive of Fields in Trust.

Mr Seyi Obakin
Seyi Obakin is Chief Executive of Centrepoint.

Mr Peter Cross
Peter Cross is Chief Executive of the charity SkillForce, of which Prince William has been Patron since 2009. E

Miss Amanda Berry
Amanda Berry is Chief Executive of Bafta.
Mrs Ann Chalmers
Ann Chalmers is Chief Executive of the Child Bereavement Charity.

Mrs Julia Samuel
Julia Samuel is Chair of the Child Bereavement Charity
.
Mrs Tessa Green
Tessa Green is former Chairman of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. f
Mr Simon Johnson
Simon Johnson worked closely with Prince William as Chief Operating Officer of the FA’s 2018 World Cup bid.
Sir Trevor Brooking
.
Sir Clive Woodward

Mr Gareth Thomas

Mr Ian Thorpe
Australian Olympic swimmer.
Mr Barty Pleydell-Bouverie

Rear Admiral Ian Corder
Rear Admiral Ian Corder is Rear Admiral of Submarines. Prince William was appointed Commodore-in-Chief of Submarines by The Queen in 2006.
Brigadier Ed Smyth-Osbourne

Major William Bartle-Jones

Wing Commander Steven Bentley

Sergeant Keith Best
Sgt Keith Best is a colleague of Prince William’s at RAF Valley, in Anglesey, North Wales.
Squadron Leader Paul Bolton
Sqn Ldr Paul Bolton is a colleague of Prince William’s at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.
Wing Commander Kevin Marsh
Wing Commander Kevin Marsh met Prince William through his service in the RAF.
Lance-Corporal Martyn Compton
Martyn is a Lance-Corporal in the Household Cavalry.
Miss Holly Dyer
Holly is sister to 2nd Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2007.
Mrs Susie Roberts
Susie Roberts is the widow of Major Alexis Roberts, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007.
Mr and Mrs Bryn Parry
Former soldier Bryn Parry and his wife Emma founded the charity Help for Heroes to assist wounded service men and women.
Mr Edward Gould
Mr Edward Gould was Master of Marlborough College whilst Miss Middleton was a student.
Dr Andrew Gailey
Dr Andrew Gailey is the Vice-Provost of Eton College and was Prince William’s Housemaster.
The Hon Edward Dawson-Damer

Mr Sam Stevenson

Sir John Major
Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, Sir John Major was appointed a guardian to Prince William and Prince Harry with responsibility for legal and administrative matters.
Mr Rowan Atkinson
Friend of The Prince of Wales.
Mr Tom Bradby
Mr Ben Fogle

Sir Elton John

Mr and Mrs David Beckham

Mr Guy Ritchie

Miss Joss Stone

Mr Mario Testino

Miss Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

Mr Sam Waley-Cohen
Amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen is a friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.

Mr Galen Weston
Canadians Galen and Hilary Weston are friends of The Prince of Wales and his family.

More than 1,000, of the guestlist are drawn from Prince William and Miss Middleton’s family and friends and more than 50 Members of the Royal Family;
Royal Wedding Schedule.
0815 and 0945: Guests arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey ahead of the 11am service.
From 0950: Distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.

1010: Prince William and his best man Prince Harry leave Clarence House in a Bentley for Westminster Abbey, arriving five minutes later. The route between Buckingham Palace and the Abbey goes by The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Square (the south side) and Broad Sanctuary.
1020: Foreign royal families arrive at the Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
1020: Kate Middleton and mother Carole Middleton and brother James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for the Abbey.
1025: Members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, arriving at 1030.
1035: The following members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, arriving at 1040: The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.

1038: The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House, arriving at the Abbey at 1042.
1040: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace, arriving at the Abbey at 1045.

1048: The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel, arriving at the Abbey at 1055.
1051: The bride and her father Michael Middleton leave for Westminster Abbey in a Rolls Royce
1100: The marriage service begins and is relayed by speakers along the route. There will also be big screens in Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square.
1215: The carriage procession of the bride and groom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by the Queen’s procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves the Abbey for Buckingham Palace. The bride and groom will be in the 1902 State Landau, or the Glass Coach if it is raining.
1230: The bride’s carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
1240: Members of the Royal Family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
From 1240: Other guests for the reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1325: The Queen and the bride and groom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
1330: The Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight do a fly over.

Royal Wedding Playlist; The Songs For Kate and William.

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Frost and MUZU’s music video experts have been busy researching William and Kate facts and debating song choices in order to come up with the ultimate street party playlist for the royal wedding on Friday.

We have selected songs that will most resonate with William and Kate, and which may even be among special requests given to Guy Pelly, Prince Harry’s close friend, who will be DJ-ing at the reception.

http://www.muzu.tv/wedding/. There is also a competition to win a £100 gig voucher. We’re inviting people to watch our first dance playlist and vote for the song they think will be Will and Kate’s first dance http://www.muzu.tv/wedding/1st-dance?channelId=818636).

Here’s our MUZU.TV royal wedding street party playlist:

1. Adele – Make You Feel My Love

This song was originally written by Bob Dylan, who has an honorary degree from St Andrews University, where William and Kate met – at breakfast. Adele made the song famous again with her debut album ‘19’.


ADELE – Make You Feel My Love

2. Paul McCartney – Dance Tonight [Video ID 215641]

It’s widely reported that William and Kate have asked Macca to sing some Beatles classics at their wedding. Sir Paul does have a tradition of performing for royalty and was a highlight of the televised concert to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. There’s another connection: cakes. Fiona Cairns, who is making the royal wedding cake, also supplies Paul McCartney with a Christmas cake every year.


Paul McCartney – Dance Tonight

3. Abba – Dancing Queen

The team wanted to include at least one Abba song for Kate who loves the 80s Swedish band. She also looks a little bit like the young Frida Lyngstad (one of the two girls that made up the band).


Abba – Dancing Queen

http://www.muzu.tv/abba/dancing-queen-music-video/210780

4. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling [Video ID 482065]

The Black Eyed Peas performed at the 2007 Diana Tribute Concert and it’s rumoured that they’re invited on Friday. Looking at their schedule they certainly don’t have any live performances booked…


Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

5. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life [Video ID 54057]

…as featured in the classic 1987s films, Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze. William loves 80s dance music and the couple have been snapped smooching on dance floors in the past… perhaps he plans to surprise his bride-to-be with his own version of ‘the lift’ on Friday?


Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life

6. Dancing in the Street – David Bowie / Mick Jagger [Video ID 34355]

The British public voted this as their number on street party song for the Royal Wedding, according to a PRS for MUSIC. Also Mick Jagger serenaded William and Kate and a crowd of people at a party to celebrate the famous Basil’s Bar on the privately owned island of Mustique in 2008. Flamboyant owner Charles Basil is said to have been invited to the wedding.


David Bowie & Mick Jagger – Dancing In The Street

7. Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire

The band met Harry backstage when they played London’s O2 last December and drummer Nathan Followhill thrashed him at table tennis that same night. Nathan has since said he’d be delighted to play for either brother’s weddings. We’re not sure he made it onto the guest list for Friday though.


Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire

8. Elton John – Candle in the Wind [Video ID 236869]

Three reasons for picking this song. First, Sir Elton John is a solid friend of the princes, and has been invited the wedding. Second, the song is closely associated with Princess Diana after he sung it at her funeral in 1997, also in Westminster Abbey (the single went on to sell more 33 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling single in history…) And third, it was voted top choice for the couple’s first dance by the British public according to PRS for MUSIC.


Elton John – Candle In The Wind

9. George Michael – Faith

George was a close friend or Princess Diana’s but we’re told he didn’t get an invitation to the wedding. He has however recorded a cover of Stevie Wonder’s romantic 1972 track ‘You And I’ for the couple as a wedding gift! It has reportedly been given the royal seal approval from the Palace. The team chose the 80s classic Faith, in tribute to Williams love of 80s music – we’re sorry we didn’t have more space for Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Wham…


George Michael – Faith

10. Katy Perry – Firework

A great celebration track. Katy Perry says she plans to gatecrash the wedding, with Russell Brand dressed up as the Queen. We’re not sure they have our blessing…


Katy Perry – Firework

11. Marili Harwood – Billy William & Kate’s Royal Wedding

The 36-year old singer made history this month when she became the first woman to secure a maternity clause in her contract with a record label – in her case, Island records. She won’t work more than 20 hours a week in the second trimester of her pregnancy and can stop work on 1 July (her baby is due in August).


Marli Harwood – Billy (William & Kate’s Royal Wedding)

12. James Blunt – Stay the Night

James Blunt is taking a day off from his North American tour to be at Westminster Abbey April 29. Blunt and Will both served in the British army’s Household Cavalry, though not at the same time. Instead of the obvious ‘You’re Beautiful’ we chose one of Blunt’s new songs. The lyrics are pretty appropriate for the end of reception: “I hope you stay the night, the morning on its way, our friends all say good bye there’s no where else to go, I hope you stay the night…” We reckon she probably will, Will.


wedding

Kate Middleton: The Making Of A Duchess

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Few people manage to capture the publics attention, but it is fair to say that Catherine Middleton is huge right now. She’s bigger than a movie star, just as famous as Diana, she’s (arguably) more popular than her fiancee Prince William. If you google “Kate Middleton” you get 51,700,000 hits. If you google “Catherine Middleton” you get 8,600,000.

The tale of a commoner (okay, millionaires over privileged daughter) done good is a story usually only read in fairytale. Yet on the 29th Miss Middleton will walk down the aisle and marry into royalty. Yet to call her a millionaire’s daughter doesn’t really scratch the truth of the surface. Her mother was a flight attendant (snobbishly nicknamed “doors to manual” by Williams posh friends), it doesn’t take long to find coalminers in her family history. This is what makes her fresh. The royal family need her to make them relevant again. The Queen and Prince Philip are cousins, he of Greek royalty.

Catherine Elizabeth “Kate” Middleton was born on 9 January 1982, she grew up on Bucklebury, Berkshire. Her parents Carole and Michael. She is the eldest and has a sister, Phillipa, and a brother, James. She met Prince William in 2001 when they were both studying at the University of St Andrews. They lived together (and at one point were both seeing other people), they became a couple. There have been two break ups, including one in 2007 that lasted a few months. Kate stayed friends with William and the romance was rekindled. During the break up Kate went out a lot, always looking stunning, and mostly with Williams friends.

It seems naïve that when Kate started dating William she complained about harassment through her lawyer saying “she had done nothing significant to warrant such publicity.” She must have known that you cannot date royalty and come out unscathed. She has had Royal Protection officers since 2006. Kate has done more than her fair share of work on the relationship. She has learned how to shoot, joining a royal deerstalking party in Scotland in 2007, Kate and William had broken up that year and it was a make or break trip. They had broken up because Prince William felt he was too young to get married and because he was too close, and disclosed too much, to ex-girlfriends.

At the Concert for Diana they were just friends but after the shooting party she moved in with William at Clarence House. The home of the Prince of Wales, William’s father. When Kate’s parents were photographed on a stalking trip to Scotland three years later the press went into overdrive. Like Kate they were given shooting lessons. The shooting party was hosted by William and was at his father’s residence, Birkhall. The Middleton’s were all doing their best to fit in and have some royal fun. Kate has said of Prince Charles: “I was quite nervous about meeting William’s father, but he was very, very welcoming, very friendly. It couldn’t have gone easier for me.”

Kate will shortly become Princess or Duchess, she already has her own coat of arms and will be going to Canada for her first Royal tour after her honeymoon. She has come a long way after seeing Prince William playing hockey at her school, from becoming his house mate. She will become the first Queen to have a degree. She hasn’t had any career as such, working at Jigsaw as an accessory buyer and then for her parents. Always on call for William, working her life around his. And now she will become his Queen. Let’s wish her luck, she might need it.

Update: Kate has become Duchess of Cambridge and William Duke of Camdridge. Kate’s dress was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.