The Duchess of Cambridge has turned 40 this weekend.
The milestone birthday is likely to be a private family affair marked at the Cambridges’ home in Norfolk.
Here, we take a look at the future Queen consort’s journey in front of the lens more than a decade on from marrying into the royal family.
William and his then-girlfriend Kate enjoy the rugby as England play Italy in the Six Nations at Twickenham in 2007 (David Davies/PA)
William and Kate met at the University of St Andrews. They were secretly engaged in 2010, with William having popped the question with his late mother’s engagement ring as they holidayed at Lake Rutundu.
Kate during her graduation ceremony (Michael Dunlea/Daily Mail/PA)
William and Kate during a photocall in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace to mark their engagement in 2010 (John Stillwell/PA)
The pair officially announced their engagement in November 2010, with William saying in his engagement interview: “When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her.”
The couple were married at Westminster Abbey on April 29 2011 in a ceremony watched around the world.
William was made the Duke of Cambridge by his grandmother the Queen on the morning of his wedding, with Kate taking the title of Duchess of Cambridge.
William and Kate at the altar on their wedding day, with the duchess’s father Michael Middleton (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
William and Kate on an open-top vehicle in the Solomon Islands in September 2012 (Danny Lawson/PA)
The Cambridges at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London with their newborn son Prince George (Yui Mok/PA)
The couple welcomed their first child George in 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in a vintage pram, as they arrive for Charlotte’s christening (Matt Dunham/PA)
The Cambridges, George and two-year-old Charlotte, who was having a tantrum, at Hamburg Airport during the family’s three-day tour of Germany (Jane Barlow/PA)
The duchess views Vermeer’s painting Girl with a Pearl Earring during her solo trip to the Netherlands (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
Kate has toured the world with William and in 2016 made her first official solo overseas trip to the Netherlands.
Two years later, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima were guests at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace where Kate wore a tiara associated with Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Lover’s Knot tiara was Kate’s star accessory during the white-tie event.
The duchess walking with Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar during the state visit by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, at Buckingham Palace (John Stillwell/PA)
The Cambridges with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis after Trooping the Colour in 2019 (Victoria Jones/PA)
The duke and duchess enjoy a pint of Guinness after attending the St Patrick’s Day parade at Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow (Gareth Fuller/PA)
The Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to the Anna Freud Centre in London (Toby Melville/PA)
The duke and duchess and their children, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, attending a special pantomime performance at the London’s Palladium (Aaron Chown/PA)
The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge attending an event at the Eden Project in Cornwall last year (Oli Scarff/PA)
The duchess has become something of a trend-setter, with the so-called “Kate effect” often making pieces sell out quickly.
Kate stunned in a gold sequinned gown at the world premiere of the Bond movie No Time To Die (Chris Jackson/PA)
Kate – now an HRH and a future Queen consort – is patron of numerous charities and organisations, and has focused her charity work on helping children have the best possible start in life, particularly surrounding their mental health.
Kate with members of the Scouts during a visit to celebrate the Scouts’ Promise To The Planet campaign, at Alexandra Park Sports Hub, in Dennistoun (Victoria Stewart/Daily Record/PA)
To mark her birthday, the duchess released three new photos, including a black and white image where she is wearing an Alexander McQueen dress.
