Duchess of Cambridge. Born January 9, 1982, in Reading, Berkshire, England, to pilot Michael and flight attendant Carole Middleton. Kate, the oldest of three children, has a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") and a younger brother, James.
Born into a family of coal miners and builders, Kate came from decidedly working-class stock. Kate's maternal grandmother, Dorothy Goldsmith, became the first member of the family to attempt to improve the family's social and economic status. Dorothy pushed her children to aim high and, as a result, Kate's mother became an airline hostess—at the time, a considerably glamorous job. It was on this job that Carole met dispatcher Michael Middleton. The couple married soon after.
By the time Kate was born, her mother was already looking for new ways to climb the social ladder. In 1987, Kate's mother founded her own mail-order party goods company, with ambitions of sending her children to private schools. The business was a surprise success, eventually making the Middleton family multi-millionaires.
