Kate Middleton, who will turn 40 on Sunday, would never have been in the limelight if the romance hadn’t changed the course of her life, friends said.
Middleton, who will be queen consort when her husband, Prince William, is crowned King of England, is planning a low-key celebration this weekend.
The quieter affair is more in line with Middleton’s preference, said friends who told the Daily Mail: “There is no way Catherine would do anything in public life if she hadn’t fallen in love with William. She is very open about it. Public life is full of extroverts, people who seek the limelight and enjoy it. And she’s not one of them. “
Middleton’s friends, apparently authorized to speak to the Daily Mail, described William as the love of Kate’s life and added that they are homemakers.
“Catherine and William are most in their element when they’re in their wellies on the sticks, muddy and scruffy with the kids,” the source said.
Prince William and Middleton met at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2001 as freshmen. They both graduated in 2005 and posed for what became a famous photo of them sporting matching white button-up shirts.
“They met at the beginning of college,” said another friend of Middleton’s. “They were still young and have grown up together. And they still get along very well, have similar interests, and enjoy doing the same things. “
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