Kate Middleton: 'The Duchess of Cambridge' Before and During Pregnancy

Kate Middleton is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. The Duke of Cambridge is second in line to the thrones, after his father, of the 16 Commonwealth realms; and the Duchess is expected to eventually become queen consort. Let us have look at the splendid journey of Kate from college sweetheart to queen in waiting.

Middleton's parents are Michael and Carole Middleton, self-made millionaires who run a mail order company in the genteel village of Buckle bury, England. Their oldest daughter, Kate, attends the $35,000-per-year boarding school Marlborough College and excels at field hockey and cross-country running.

Middleton attends the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where Prince William of Wales is also a student. That March, the dashing prince forks over $200 to sit front row to cheer on Middleton in a student-run charity fashion show. Middleton's walk down the runway in a sheer black sheath over a bandeau top and bikini bottom marks her first brush with the British press.

Bringing years of speculation to an end, Prince William and Middleton, both 28, announce their engagement, with plans to wed on April 29, 2011 in London. The prince proposed to his girlfriend of eight years with his late mother Diana's engagement ring while the couple vacationed in Kenya in October.

Middleton and William exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey and became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The bride wore a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress for the royal affair, whilst her sister Pippa served as maid of honour.

From a river ride down the Thames to a star-studded pop concert, the Duchess of Cambridge helped usher in Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, which marks the monarch's 60-years reign, alongside husband Prince William and brother-in-law Prince Harry.

On 3 December 2012, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced they are expecting their first child.

"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news," reads a statement from the Palace, noting that Kate has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London for acute morning sickness.

Members of the royal family were "waiting by the telephone" for word of the imminent birth of Prince William and his wife Kate's first child, expected this week amid a heat wave in London and rising royal baby fever. The birth will be announced in the traditional way with an envelope containing the baby's details taken from the hospital to Buckingham Palace, where the news will be posted outside.

"Prince William and Kate's child will be next in line to the throne after William regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl," said the British Cabinet Office, Monday. Last year, Commonwealth leaders agreed to change British succession laws to allow a female to take the throne ahead of a younger brother.