The Princess of Wales has marked 15 years of marriage to Prince William with a new family portrait, a quiet milestone for the woman who first caught the future king's eye as a fellow student at the University of St Andrews in 2002.
Released through Kensington Palace on 29 April, the anniversary post landed alongside an unannounced visit by the couple to an IntoUniversity centre in London, one of 26 charities backed by their 2011 Royal Wedding Gift Fund.
These 10 photographs trace how the woman once known simply as 'Kate Middleton' became Britain's future queen.
The Student Who Turned a Head in 2002
The story begins with the 'Don't Walk' fashion show at the University of St Andrews in March 2002, where Catherine Middleton modelled designer Charlotte Todd's see-through knitted dress. Press photographer Walter Neilson, who took the now-iconic image, said William watched from the front row.
The second photo dates from 16 November 2010, when Catherine debuted Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring at St James's Palace, wearing a sapphire-blue Issa wrap dress that promptly sold out across UK retailers.
The Bride Watched by Two Billion
Image three is the wedding itself on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Catherine wore a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen ivory silk gown and the Cartier Halo tiara, in a ceremony watched by an estimated two billion viewers worldwide.
The fourth photograph shows her on the Lindo Wing steps on 23 July 2013, presenting a one-day-old Prince George in a polka-dot Jenny Packham dress that drew direct comparison with the outfit Diana wore for William's own newborn debut.
Photo five, from a state visit to India on 11 April 2016, captures Catherine in cream Emilia Wickstead, marking the start of the tailored, monochrome wardrobe she has worn ever since.
Pregnancy, Loss, and a New Title
The sixth photo, from a 30 January 2018 visit to Sweden, shows Catherine six months pregnant with Prince Louis in a forest-green Catherine Walker coat.
Image seven was taken on 19 September 2022 at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, just 10 days after Catherine inherited the title of Princess of Wales. King Charles III named William Prince of Wales on 9 September 2022, the day after the late Queen's death.
The Cancer Years and a Quieter Return
Photo eight is the still from Catherine's 22 March 2024 video message, filmed on a bench at Windsor, in which she told the public she had been diagnosed with cancer following abdominal surgery in January and had started preventative chemotherapy.
Watch the full video below.
The ninth captures her return at Trooping the Colour on 15 June 2024, when she rode in a carriage with her three children in a white Jenny Packham dress for her first major appearance since the diagnosis. Catherine announced she was in remission on 14 January 2025.
I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 14, 2025
My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.
We couldn’t have asked for more.… pic.twitter.com/f3sA7yZdOi
The tenth and final photo is the new anniversary portrait, taken in Cornwall over Easter by royal photographer Matt Porteous and released to social media on 29 April. In a striped top and white jeans, Catherine, 44, holds hands with Louis as the family of five lies in the sun.
The arc from the 2002 catwalk to the Cornish grass spans 24 years of public scrutiny, three pregnancies, the death of a monarch, and a cancer diagnosis that the princess still says she is working through. 'You have to find your new normal, and that takes time,' she told patients at Colchester Hospital in July 2025.
