Though Kate Middleton has been an official member of the royal family for only the last decade, her journey with the family began nearly a decade before that.
In the fairy-tale story of William and Kate, many neglect to look at the early days, which were quite frankly rocky. Kate weathered a number of public storms, from rumors of William's infidelity to a brief breakup. There was also the media's stabbing at her for being a girlfriend for so long without a marriage proposal, dubbing her "Waity Katie."
A lot has changed over time. Kate is one of the most beloved royals today, and many look to her as an inspiration as a future queen. As one photographer's recently released photos remind us, however, Kate was just an ordinary girl once upon a time.
Imagine coming into adulthood in the spotlight. That's the reality in the royal family, for sure. Of course, we all watched Prince William and Prince Harry transform from Charles and Diana's boys to men in their own right. There's another royal whose life we've seen a lot of, however.
Kate Middleton isn't just any royal spouse. She's the future queen consort, and it's a big deal. It's even bigger when you consider Kate was just in her early 20s when she came into The Firm's stratosphere.
Recently, The Sun photographer Arthur Edwards shared the very first photo he ever took of Kate Middleton. It was from 2005, when Kate was just 23 and visiting Sandringham among a group of Prince William's friends staying for the weekend.
"The first time I took a photograph of Kate Middleton, I didn't know who on Earth she was," Arthur recalled.
"Prince William had invited a group of his friends from university to Sandringham for the weekend. It was only when I was looking through some old photographs recently that I spotted Kate among William's pals. And you would not recognise her.
"Back then you would never have credited that the young woman who walked through those gates would turn out to be our future queen."
Kate's relationship with the media has improved significantly during her time in the royal stratosphere. Whereas once her fashion was picked apart and she was dubbed "Waity Katie" for not securing a quick proposal from the future king of the United Kingdom, today she is widely revered.
Royal reporters get pretty chummy with the family, as we've learned in recent years. Arthur recalled talking marriage with William and what the situation said about Kate.
"William had told me he was going to get married at 30. I didn't know of anybody else in his life, so I assumed it would be Kate," Arthur recalled.
"But then suddenly, in 2007, they broke up and I thought I must have made a terrible mistake in thinking this was the girl for him. Almost immediately after the news was revealed I got a call from a contact in Prince Charles' office to say the split was very amicable.
"I saw Kate's strong character and stiff upper lip show itself after that because the next day she went to play a game of tennis — and you would never know she was heartbroken."
"Just before their engagement, William invited a few people to have tea, where he introduced Catherine to me. It was here I asked the Prince: 'Why did you split up?'" Arthur recalled.
"I imagine it was because he came from a broken home that he replied: 'Well, Arthur, I had to be sure this was the right woman for me because I want this marriage to last for ever.'
"I thought: 'My god, he risked all that just to make sure he really loved this woman!' Of course, I have seen in the years since that he was right."
With over a decade as a royal under her belt, Kate has learned a lot. Sources say she will continue to undergo a lot of learning in the next year as she and William experience more growth in their roles.
"She has really come into her own," a royal insider told People.
"She is a focused and professional woman."
