Will and Kate: A look back at their love story

While William struggled to adjust to campus life at first, Kate persuaded him to stay, with the Prince eventually switching to a geography degree. For their second year, they moved into a student house along with two other friends, but romance didn't blossom until the end of 2003, when Kate split up with her boyfriend (a fellow St Andrews student). The relationship became public knowledge when they were photographed on a skiing trip to Klosters in 2004; the following year, the pair were pictured together on their graduation day.

These were the golden years for Kate and Will's early relationship - while they took very separate paths after university (the former working as a party planner for her parents' company, the latter starting officer training at Sandhurst) but their relationship continued to go from strength to strength. It's at this point, several years into the romance, that Kate began to appear at William's side for important events, proving that she'd very much become part of the (royal) family. The pair attended the wedding of William's step-sister Laura Parker Bowles in the summer of 2006, but Kate's most significant appearance came later in the year, when she watched William graduate from Sandhurst (a ceremony that also counted the Queen and Prince Charles among its guests).

After reports emerged that Kate and William's relationship had cooled, it was confirmed in April 2007 that the pair had parted ways, with the intense media interest doubtless a factor in the decision. The break, however, didn't last long, with the young couple back 'on' just a couple of months later, and Kate was photographed attending the Concert for Diana, marking the tenth anniversary of her sad passing, in July.

April 2008 marked the first time that Kate had attended a high profile public event with her boyfriend since their brief split the previous year: along with members of his close family, she watched as William received his RAF wings (marking him as a qualified pilot) at a ceremony in Cranwell, definitively proving that all was well once again in the relationship. Just over two years later, the couple moved into their first home together, a cottage close to William's RAF base in Anglesey where they would remain for the next three years.

William proposed his mother Diana's 18 carat sapphire and diamond engagement ring while the pair were on a Safari trip together in Kenya, later revealing that he had to carry this priceless heirloom around in his rucksack for around three weeks before eventually getting down on one knee. After weeks of speculation, the happy news was finally confirmed at a press conference just over a month later, held at St James's Palace. William's decision to give Kate his mother's ring was '[his] way of making sure [Diana] didn't miss out' . 'She's not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of it all, so this is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all,' he explained.

On 29th April 2011, William and Kate were married at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony thought to have been watched by as many as two billion people in more than 180 countries around the world. Similar to the anticipation around Princess Diana's wedding dress, there was a lot of speculation around what Kate would choose to wear. In the end, she opted to wear a bespoke gown designed by Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, which rapidly became one of the most iconic (and most copied) wedding dresses of all time.

Will and Kate's first role as newlywed royals was hosting Barack and Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace. After that, the new couple were put straight to work, embarking on their first overseas tour. The trip took in the United States and Canada, encompassing everything from a glamorous BAFTA event in LA to dragon boating to an appearance at a rodeo.

'Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby,' read the official pregnancy announcement released by the Royal Family, adding 'The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.' Kate's pregnancy was revealed earlier than usual, when she had not yet passed the first trimester, as she was admitted to hospital for acute morning sickness, or hyperemesis gradivarium.

It's a boy! On 22nd July 2013, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born, becoming the third in line to the throne of Great Britain. The baby prince was christened in October, in the Royal Chapel at St James' Palace, wearing an antique christening gown that has been worn by royal babies as far back as 1841.

In September 2014, the Duke and Duchess had yet more happy news to share: an announcement from Clarence House confirmed that Prince George was set to become an older brother, as the Duchess was expecting her second child. Suffering again from acute morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy, the Duchess was forced to cancel a string of royal engagements.

On 2nd May 2015, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge was welcomed into the world, born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital (just like her older brother). 'I feel very, very lucky that George has got a little sister,' the Duchess later told an interviewer.

Kate, William and their two young children continued to enjoy family life away from the cameras at their home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk, with the young Prince eventually enrolling in nursery at the Westacre Montessori School. At the start of this year, however, it was announced that the royals would be moving to Kensington Palace in the autumn in order to step up their official engagements, also coinciding with the start of term at Thomas's Battersea, Prince George's new school. 'From this autumn, the Duke and Duchess will increasingly base their family at Kensington Palace,' the official statement read. 'As they have in recent years, Their Royal Highnesses are keen to continue to increase their official work on behalf of The Queen and for the charities and causes they support, which will require greater time spent in London.'

Just a few weeks after celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary, Kate and William attended the nuptials of her younger sister, Pippa, with their two young children taking on starring roles in the proceedings: George as a page boy and Charlotte as a bridesmaid, both kitted out in their wedding best from Pepa & Co. While Kate wasn't officially a bridesmaid for her younger sister, she did help keep the young bridal party (including a reprimanded Prince George) in line.

On September 4th 2017, Kensington Palace released a statement confirming the Duchess of Cambridge's third pregnancy. 'Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child,' it read. As with her previous two pregnancies, the Duchess suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge is the couples third child, born on the 28th April 2018 in St Mary's hospital, London.

After a year of dating Prince Harry, Meghan Markle is reported to have met Kate and Princess Charlotte in January 2017. However it's not until a year later that the two Royal couples are officially photographed together - earning the title 'the Fab Four' at Anmer Hall as they walk to the Christmas Service.

In May 2018, Princess Charlotte is a bridesmaid for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's nuptials mark the first major Royal Wedding since Kate and Williams in 2011.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the family decided to isolate at their home in Norfolk. But that didn't mean a stop to their royal engagements, as the pair visited surprised pupils at Casterton Primary Academy in Lancashire with a Zoom call, and have now, finally, returned to face-to-face engagements.

The Middletons' sent out this Christmas portrait, which sees the whole family in good spirits. The family remained at Anmer Hall in Norfolk and homeschooled their children, after England was plunged into Lockdown 3.