Royal of the Month: Catherine Posted on 12 Jan 00:00

This month's Royal of the Month is the gorgeous, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. The Duchess celebrated her 34th Birthday this weekend and what better way to commemorate it with her being our Royal of the Month for January.

The Duchess of Cambridge, previously known as Kate nee Middleton, was the first child born on 9 January 1982 at The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading to loving parents, Carole and Michael. She was christened at St Andrew's Bradfield on 20 June 1982. A year later,  Carole and Michael welcomed their second daughter, Philippa Middleton (a.k.a. Pippa) on 6 September 1983. 1987 saw the birth of the couple's first son, James Middleton, who was born on the 15 April.

Beauty Icon

Kate was selected as 'Most Promising Newcomer' in 2006, 'Number 8' in the 'Top Ten Style Icons of 2007', has been featured in Best-Dressed Lists (2007 and 2010), selected as Style.com's Monthly Beauty Icon in 2008, Vanity Fair included her in the 'International Best-Dressed List' of 2008. Most recently, she was named the Top Fashion Buzzword for 2011 and was voted 'Headwear Person of the Year' in 2012, and consecutively from 2010 to 2013, won Vanity Fair's Annual Best Dressed' lists.

When William met Kate

The famous love story began in 2001, where both Prince William and Kate attended St Andrews University. William was studying Geography, whilst Kate studied History of Art. Kate attracted William's attention when he attended a Fashion Show held by St Andrews University - it was at this time where Kate caught his eye (and heart!) when she appeared on the cat walk in an opaque dress.

Two years later from first meeting in 2001, the couple began dating, and attended various Royal events together - although their relationship was never confirmed.

April 2007 was a sad time for the couple as they briefly split up. William and Kate were subsequently seen together in public on a number of occasions, sparking rumours that the couple had got back together - and my, are we glad that they did get back together!

 Engagement & Wedding

A happier time for the couple came in October 2010, where Prince William proposed to Kate during a trip to Kenya - in which he was celebrating his success of passing his RAF Helicopter Search and Rescue Course. William proposed to Kate with an engagement ring which belonged to his mother, Diana, a 18K white gold ring consisting of 14 solitaire diamonds around a 12 carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire, and Kate accepted! Their engagement was officially announced by Clarence House on 16 November 2010.

The most-anticipated Royal Wedding happened a year later - and was watched amongst millions across the globe. Commemorative items were made, street parties were held and the wedding day was even declared a Bank Holiday in the UK. Kate and William married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Prince William and Kate were officially named as His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Catherine (Kate), Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

The Duke and Duchess set up a gift fund held by The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry - which allowed well-wishers to donate money towards charities that the couple cared about, instead of wedding gift money. The gift fund supported 26 charities including children, the elderly, armed forces, arts sector, sports and conservation trusts.

The Duchesses first official engagement after becoming Prince William's wife, was a trip in May 2011 to meet President of the United States, Barack Obama, and First Lady, Michelle Obama.

In October 2011, it was declared by Commonwealth leaders that the British Law would be changed  to adopt absolute primogeniture - this meant that the first child born to the new Duke and Duchess would be eligible to take the throne, whether it was a male or female.

The Queen issued a new letters patent on 31 December 2012, allowing all children born after William and Catherine's first child, to also be referred to as Prince or Princess - normally, it would only be the eldest son who would enjoy the Princely title.

The Birth of Prince George

A Christmas surprise was announced in December 2012 - that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their first child. The wonderful news was announced early as the poor Duchess suffered from severe morning sickness. The beautiful couple welcomed their first child, a son, on the 22 July 2013 and two days later, it was confirmed that the new Prince would be named George Alexander Louis.

The Birth of Princes Charlotte

The couple delighted us again with the announcement of the Duchess' second pregnancy in September 2014. Catherine suffered severe morning sickness again and was required to cancel all official engagements. On 2 May 2015, William and Catherine welcomed a beautiful daughter into the world at the same St Mary's Hospital where she delivered Prince George. Two days later, it was officially announced that the new Princess would be named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

Bright Goods 'Catherine'

Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, is one of our most favourite Royal Family Members due to her sophistication, elegance and beauty. The style icon was one of our inspirations for when we picked the names for our new range of LED filament light bulbs. The Duchess is always photographed with a beautiful smile on her face and always has a 'glow' about her - we instantly knew that our GLS sepia tinted bulb had to be named after Catherine! And, more importantly, not only is the Duchess Catherine popular amongst the British public, she is also a favourite amongst Bright Goods customers with a customer stating that her "glow is gorgeous" (see the gallery here).

Do you like Catherine as much as we do? We would love to hear your thoughts on the Duchess or even our bulb - get in touch with us on Twitter by using our unique hashtag, #lightmytuesday.