20 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Kate Middleton

Commoner-turned-royal Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011. Since the news of her relationship with William, she has been winning the hearts of people and the media with her style, grace and beauty. Here are 20 facts every fan should know about Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge:

1. She is 5'9" (about 175 cm) tall, and her European shoe size is 39 (8 ½ in American size).

2. As a kid in the mid-eighties, she lived in Amman, Jordan, for a few years while her father was working at the British Airways.

3. During her school days, not only did she excel in sports, but she also excelled in drama and music. Playing tennis, hockey and netball are some of her favorite activities.

4. In her teenage years, she attended Marlborough College, a co-ed private school in Wiltshire, UK. Her sister, Pippa Middleton, and Princess Eugenie studied there as well.

5. Being born in January 1982, she is almost 6 months older than her husband, William, who was born in June 1982.

6. After college, she worked as an accessories buyer for British clothing retailer Jigsaw and Jigsaw Junior.

7. She and William briefly broke up in April 2007 and got back together three months later. The two confirmed this in their official engagement interview.

8. She was training to cross the English Channel with an all-female dragon-boat crew called The Sisterhood in 2007. She had to withdraw from the team due to safety reasons involving the press.

9. The wedding dress she wore featured a 9-feet-long (2.7 m) trail and had hand-embroidered lace flowers.

10. There was a secret in her wedding dress . She followed the bridal tradition “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” Her “something blue” was a secret blue ribbon sewed into the dress.

11. She wore Queen Elizabeth II's tiara . In 1944, the Queen Mother gifted the tiara to then Princess Elizabeth when she was 18 years old. Elizabeth II lent the tiara to Kate for her 2011 royal wedding.

12 She has three royal titles . Aside from being the Duchess of Cambridge, she’s called the Countess of Strathearn when she’s in Scotland. She has the title of Lady Carrickfergus when she's in Northern Ireland.

13. Her wedding to William in 2011 brought different kinds of royal memorabilia. A whole new range was launched, including Kate and William tea bags, dolls and even pizza.

14. Artist Paul Emsley unveiled her first official portrait in January 2013. He was commissioned to paint Kate after being selected by the duchess herself.

15. Her younger brother, James Middleton, revealed in 2014 that he gave Kate the cocker spaniel dog named Lupo as a wedding gift.

16. She likes to cook and enjoys trying out “Great British Bake Off” star Mary Berry’s recipes. In an event in March 2013, she told Berry that she’s a big fan of her cookbooks and cakes.

17. She's a patron of several charities , including The Royal Foundation, Action for Children, Action on Addiction, National Portrait Gallery, Place2Be and SportsAid.

18. Together with William and Harry in 2016, she launched Heads Together. The campaign aims to help end stigma on mental health. Heads Together partnered with various charities to raise awareness on mental health struggles and encourage people to ask for or find support.

19. In 2015, William revealed that one of his and Kate’s favorite TV programs is “Downton Abbey,” during a special tribute to the drama. In 2017, William shared that he and wife are fans of “Game Of Thrones” and “Homeland.”

20. She agreed to do a photo shoot for Vogue in June 2016 and has a 10-page spread for the magazine’s 100-year anniversary.