Kate Middleton, wife of the new heir to the throne Prince William, has grown from a commoner who captivated the future monarch to the beating heart of the British royal family, as it faces a future without the beloved queen at its helm.
Born Catherine Middleton, the eldest of three children of middle-class, self-made entrepreneurs is now the Princess of Wales, a title last held by William's late mother Diana whose celebrity power and charity work eclipsed the royals around her.
