It’s been nine years since Kate Middleton officially married into the British royal family and became the Duchess of Cambridge.
By now, the future Queen Consort of England has had a lot of experience fulfilling her royal duties. To see just how far she’s come, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the mother of three’s first days as royalty.
Grand Wedding
Prince William and Middleton’s nuptials was one of the most-watched events of the 21st century. A reported audience of a billion people tuned in on April 29, 2011 to witness the commoner marry into royalty.
The wedding was attended by 2,000 guests and was televised from Westminster Abbey. One of the most talked-about aspects of the celebration was the bride’s now-iconic Alexander McQueen wedding gown, which cost a reported $434,000.
The event was comparable to the wedding of Prince William’s father Prince Charles to the then-Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. The historic event also got an estimated audience of a billion people at the time.
Royal Honeymoon
Immediately following their much-awaited wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent their honeymoon in Seychelles. Reports say that the destination was a surprise to Middleton, who didn’t find out where they were going until they arrived in the country.
The couple spent the first days of their marriage on an undisclosed one-resort island in the archipelago. They just had 10 days to relax during the romantic getaway before returning to the United Kingdom to begin their royal duties.
Back to Work
Once home, the couple immediately got to work. One of their first official royal engagements as a married couple was a meeting with the Obamas, who came to Buckingham Palace during a state visit.
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle reportedly got along well with Prince William and Middleton as they spent the time chatting with each other. A spokesperson from the Palace even noted the genuine warmth between the two families during their interactions.
This wouldn’t be the last time the two powerful couples would meet. Years later, the Obamas and the Cambridges would cross paths again when the American first couple had dinner at Kensington Palace in 2016.
That time, they were joined by Prince Harry and Prince George, the firstborn son of Prince William and Middleton.