Kate Middleton turns 40: Her life in pictures

THE Duchess of Cambridge has turned 40 this weekend.

The milestone birthday is likely to be a private family affair marked at the Cambridges’ home in Norfolk.

Here, we take a look at the future Queen consort’s journey in front of the lens more than a decade on from marrying into the royal family.

All photos courtesy of the Press Association.

William and Kate met at the University of St Andrews.

They were secretly engaged in 2010, with William having popped the question with his late mother’s engagement ring as they holidayed at Lake Rutundu.

The pair officially announced their engagement in November 2010, with William saying in his engagement interview: “When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her.”

The couple were married at Westminster Abbey on April 29 2011 in a ceremony watched around the world.

William was made the Duke of Cambridge by his grandmother the Queen on the morning of his wedding, with Kate taking the title of Duchess of Cambridge.

The couple welcomed their first child George in 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018.

Kate has toured the world with William and in 2016 made her first official solo overseas trip to the Netherlands.

Two years later, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima were guests at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace where Kate wore a tiara associated with Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Lover’s Knot tiara was Kate’s star accessory during the white-tie event.

Kate – now an HRH and a future Queen consort – is patron of numerous charities and organisations, and has focused her charity work on helping children have the best possible start in life, particularly surrounding their mental health.

To mark her birthday, the duchess released three new photos, including a black and white image where she is wearing an Alexander McQueen dress.