She will one day be Queen Consort beside her husband Prince William, but already Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is one of the most watched women in the world.
As a member of Britain’s royal family, she often poses for official portraits and looks immaculate on her various tours and official engagements but every so often a photo of Kate emerges that shows a side we rarely see.
Whether it’s a cheeky smile, a moment where she’s caught off guard or something dug up from the Middleton family archives, royal fans love nothing more than seeing a new picture of the duchess.
Granted, there aren’t many photos we royal fans haven’t already seen of Catherine as she is very accustomed to having her picture taken.
“Every picture editor in London wants a full-length photograph of her because she looks so elegant and stylish,” The Sun‘s royal photographer Arthur Edwards once mused.
“Every day she is machine-gunned by photographers but not used to posing,” Paolo Roversi, the photographer who snapped her iconic 40th birthday portraits, observed in 2022.
From her early years as a sporty schoolgirl through to her life as a royal mum-of-three today, see the best forgotten photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.
01
Recognise that schoolgirl third from the left in the back row? During her years at St Andrew’s School, the Duchess of Cambridge was a member of the tennis team.
02
Alongside her little sister Pippa, the then Kate Middleton watches her handsome prince play polo in 2006.
03
An avid athlete, Kate takes part in a rowing training session with the Sisterhood cross Channel rowing team in 2007.
04
Before she was a bona fide royal, Kate was rubbing shoulders with some big names. Here she is with Richard Branson at his pre-Wimbledon party in 2006.
05
On the eve of her royal wedding, Kate was all smiles as she arrived at London’s Goring Hotel for her final night as a “commoner”.
06
The newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rode through London by carriage after the Westminster Abbey service, but as a mark of respect Catherine would bow her head every time William would salute.
07
Even a painting of William can’t keep his eyes off his wife!
08
Just months after welcoming Prince George, the duchess was jumping at the volleyball net for a Sportaid Athlete Workshop, and in heels no less!
09
You can run but you can’t hide George!
10
Shakkas! The royal couple embrace their inner surfers in 2016.
11
12
The royal is no stranger to being chauffeured but got behind the wheel when she took part in an off-road driving experience on a 2017 royal outing.
13
With hair as iconic as Catherine’s no wonder this little girl wanted to check it out for herself.
14
A quick cuddle from mum always makes things better, right Charlotte?
15
We can’t get enough of this cheeky moment captured between the duchess and her youngest son Prince Louis in 2019.
16
Sometimes not even royalty can keep their cool when a gust of wind comes along!
17
The royal embraces her adventurous side as she scuba dives in the Caribbean on her 2022 royal tour.
