Almost since the moment they first stepped out together, back in 2003, we have been anticipating an engagement announcement. Eight years later, that day has arrived.
It has been a very long time coming. Miss Middleton, who is so frequently seen on William's arm at the weddings of his friends, was even nicknamed 'Waity Katie' amid criticism that she had been hanging on for a proposal.
Only earlier this year, in February, William said: 'You'll have to wait a while yet,' when asked by a member of the public about the prospect of a royal wedding.
Engaged: Kate Middleton with Prince William at the wedding of Harry Meade last month. The pair are to marry next summer
Engaged: Kate Middleton and Prince William at a wedding last month. The pair are to marry next summer
But the rumour mill went into overdrive earlier this month, when Miss Middleton's parents were spotted enjoying a shooting weekend at Birkhall, Prince Charles’s private residence on the Balmoral estate - a clear sign that the middle-class family had been accepted into the Royal fold.
And last week Royal aides would not rule out the prospect of an invitation for Miss Middleton to spend Christmas Day on the Sandringham estate for the first time - though this now looks less likely given that William has volunteered to work at RAF Valley in Anglesey on Christmas Day.
But it has been a far from easy ride for the 28-year-old bride-to-be, whose family, career and even fashion sense have come under criticism over the past decade.
Her lack of blue blood has been a source of criticism, even though the Countess of Wessex and Sarah Ferguson both hail from a middle-class background.
Just good friends? Prince William with Miss Middleton at a rugby match in 2004
No longer just good friends: Prince William and Miss Middleton together at a rugby match in 2004
Her mother, Carole, was highly criticised for chewing what turned out to be nicotine gum at William's Sandhurst passing-out parade. And Mrs Middleton's former career as an airline stewardess earned her the sniffy nickname 'Doors To Manual'.
The media attention focused on the couple was so intense, that the pair even split, briefly, in April 2007, not long after Miss Middleton made an complaint to the Press Complaints Commission over alleged harassment.
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It was not to last long though. Just two months later the couple were seen kissing and dancing together at an Army party, and by May the following year, it seemed that the relationship was back on track when Kate attended the wedding of William's cousin, Peter Phillips, to Autumn Kelly, on her own, while her beau attended another wedding in Africa.
The couple's long courtship began with a friendship back in 2001, when they met at St Andrews University.
Miss Middleton in a St Andrews University charity fashion show
Model behaviour: Miss Middleton modelling for the Really Wild clothing company
Model behaviour: Miss Middleton in a St Andrews University charity fashion show in 2002, where she caught the eye of the young Prince, and modelling for the Really Wild clothing company three years later
Miss Middleton had her first taste of the limelight during their first year, when William was spotted in the audience as she modelled in a charity fashion show.
The Prince paid £200 to watch fellow students take to the runway, but Miss Middleton, in a sheer black lace dress over a black bra and bikini bottoms, stole the show.
This is a relationship that has its foundations in friendship though, and though they lived together in their second year, they did not start dating straight away. Miss Middleton dated fellow student Rupert Finch, while William was linked with close friend Jecca Craig.
Public romance: The pair kiss on the slopes during a skiing holiday in Klosters, Switzerland
Public romance: The pair kiss on the slopes during a skiing holiday in Klosters, Switzerland
Back together, April 2008: The couple's reunion appears permanent, following a brief split in 2007
Back together, April 2008: The couple's reunion appears permanent, following a brief split in 2007
It is not known exactly when William and Kate became an item but it is rumoured to be around Christmas 2003. Their romance was finally exposed after they were pictured on the ski slopes of Klosters together in March 2004.
William's statement on the same holiday was perhaps an indication of the wait Miss Middleton had coming. He said: 'I don't want to get married until I'm at least 28, or maybe 30.'
The following year, William was still noncommittal about the relationship, and Miss Middleton was a noticeable absence at his father's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles.
Just three months later, however, she is on his arm at the wedding of William's close friend Hugh van Cutsem - the first of many the pair will attend together.
Shortly after, their families met for the first time their graduation ceremony. Now that their studies were over, it would be the first of many occasions that would spark rumours of an engagement.
Instead they would enjoy a string of lavish holidays, taking in the Lewa Downs game reserve in Kenya, and another skiing trip to Klosters, where they were pictured kissing for the first time, before William began his Army training at Sandhurst.
(sourcedailymail.co.uk)
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