The Best Throwback Photos of Young Kate Middleton

From family time in Jordan to a royal proposal, here's a look back at photos of the Princess of Wales throughout her life

Alexandra Schonfeld

Published on January 9, 2024 11:00AM EST

Kate Middleton Royal Wedding — Kate Middleton on her wedding day with sister, Pippa, holding her train . Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Kate Middleton has rocked some iconic looks over the years.

While the Princess of Wales is now known for her timeless and tailored style, before she and Prince William tied the knot in April of 2011, Kate often donned more casual looks.

From the sheer number she famously wore at university to her snow-ready ensemble as the couple hit the slopes in 2008, here are some of the best throwback photos of the young future queen.

01 of 10

Family Time

Kate Middleton with sister Pippa and Father Michael in Jerash, Jordan.
The Middleton Family/Clarence House/Getty

Years before Kate Middleton was the Princess of Wales, she was a young girl who grew up in a village near Berkshire, England. Here, she's pictured with her sister, Pippa, and father Michael in Jordan — where the family lived for a period of time.

02 of 10

On the Runway

Kate Middleton on the catwalk wearing a sheer black lace dress over a bandeau bra and black bikini bottoms — Kate Middleton at St Andrews.
Malcolm Clarke/Daily Mail/Shutterstock

Fast forward to 2002, when the future princess was a student at St. Andrews University and classmates with Prince William. As the story goes, Kate and William's relationship turned romantic after she participated in the school's charity fashion show and hit the runway in this sheer number designed by student Charlotte Todd.

The ensemble, which cost less than $50 to make, eventually sold at auction in 2011 for $125,000.

03 of 10

Summer Smiles

Kate Middleton at Game Fair, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, Britain - Aug 2004 — Kate Middleton at St Andrews.
Stephen Lock/Shutterstock

A few years later, Kate opted for a preppy look at the annual Game Fair at Blenheim Palace in the countryside of England in 2004. This was not long after the future heirs to the throne had gone public with their relationship.

04 of 10

Graduation Day!

Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of Britain's Prince William walks during her graduation ceremony at St Andrews, Scotland, 23 June 2005. — Kate Middleton graduates from St Andrews.
MICHAEL DUNLEA/POOL/AFP via Getty

Kate hit a major milestone in 2005 when she graduated from St Andrews University alongside Prince William.

05 of 10

Hats Off

Kate Middleton attends the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park — Kate Middleton in the U.K.
Indigo/Getty Images

Later that summer, Kate attended the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park wearing a pair of brown knee-high boots which she paired with a matching hat.

06 of 10

Snow Day

Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton use a T-bar drag lift whilst on a skiing holiday on March 19, 2008 in Klosters, Switzerland. — Prince William and Kate Middleton in Switzerland.
Indigo/Getty

The young lovebirds took their romance to the slopes of Klosters, Switzerland, in 2008 — the same destination where William grew up skiing, as well as the spot where the two first were first spotted cozying up.

07 of 10

Showing Support

Prince William walks with his girlfriend Kate Middleton after his graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell on April 11, 2008 in Cranwell, England — Prince William and Kate Middleton at RAF Cranwell. Pool/Anwar Hussein Collection/WireImage

Kate was right by William's side following his graduation from RAF Cranwell in April 2008.

08 of 10

Good to Glow

Kate Middleton in London.
Danny Martindale/Getty

With glowsticks in hand, Kate headed to London's Day-Glo Midnight Roller Disco in September 2008 wearing a sparkly top, yellow gym shorts and a hot pink bag.

09 of 10

Proposed & Poised

Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England. After much speculation, Clarence House today announced the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The couple will get married in either the Spring or Summer of next year and continue to live in North Wales while Prince William works as an air sea rescue pilot for the RAF. The couple became engaged during a recent holiday in Kenya having been together for eight years. — Prince William and Kate Middleton. Chris Jackson/Getty

Kate was a vision in blue — a perfect match to her brand new ring! — on the day her engagement to William was announced to the public. The two wed in April 2011 in an occasion that PEOPLE then called the "greatest and grandest royal affair" since Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1981 wedding.

10 of 10