They've travelled to Canada and North America, attended movie premieres and charity events, chatted and shaken hands with thousands of subjects and even spent time apart after William headed to the Falklands for military training - all proving that the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have packed more into their first year of marriage than most newlyweds. And as the pair get set to embark on their busiest summer ever, thanks to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympics, and find themselves under increasing pressure to starta family, looks back over the royal couple's first year and reveals how Kate wowed the Windsors and how the couple has injected some much-needed glamour into the once-stuffy royal family.
Kate proves a natural princess
Having enjoyed a relatively breezy first year of marriage, Kate Middleton has proved tobe a natural when it comes to embarking on the charity work she will be involved with for the rest of her life. Having selected the charities she will patronise, which include ones which work with people dealing with addiction, along with art and children's charities, Kate has also embarked on her first solo appearances.
"Her first solo outing back in February at the National Portrait Gallery proved that Kate can handle the spotlight by herself," said one royal-watcher. "Knowing all eyes were on her would have been unnerving, but from her affordable outfit choice to her ability to meet and converse with people she'd only just met, she proved that she's a natural."
The queen is 'very fond' of Kate
Having attended various events with both the Queen and Camilla - who is said to have taken Kate under her wing - the 30-year-old Duchess has proved a hit with the older royals, especially Prince Philip, who is known to offer Kate regular advice. "It helps that William is so close to his grandmother," said one insider, with William once revealing, "My grandmother inspires me... I look up to whatshe does."
And insiders say it was the Queen who wanted to give Kate time to develop in her new role, with one spilling, "The Queen supports the idea she should be allowed to take things at her own pace." Adding, "She is humble and keen to learn and the Queen likes that. [The Queen] has grown very fond of her and recognises the impact she is having on the public."
And having kept a close eye on the charities Kate has become involved in and the way she has handled her many royal duties to date, the Queen, who is said to "not offer unsolicited advice" to Kate and William, is also said by sources to be "impressed by Kate's clear sense of direction about what kind of causes she is interested in."
Inside Kate's and Will's Welsh hideaway
Opting to live in Anglesey, Wales, where William works as a searchand rescue pilot for the RAF, the pair live in a farmhouse and are often spotted at the local pub and restaurants, and supermarket, stocking up on groceries.
"She is a good shopper, she knows what she is doing," the local butcher told the Daily Mail of Kate's frequent appearances. "She was in here after the wedding and she bought some meat and 82p (Dh5) of lamb's liver to make the pie gravy. I said, ‘Are you sure you can afford that?' And she said, "I can now."
And whilst William spends 24 hours at a time on the RAF base, Kate fills her time walking their dog, Lupo, along the beach, working out on the treadmill in their in-house gym, and shopping in the local Waitrose, with one store worker revealing, "She's in here all the time. She's been shopping here for over a year. She walks up and down the aisles and queues up to pay and nobody bothers her."
And enjoying regular visits from Kate's brother and sister, James and Pippa, as well as Prince Harry when the London nightlife proves too much, the pair aresaid to host regular informal dinner parties for pals.
"People here really like them," insisted one local. "They adore them. They are sucha nice, normal couple, everyone will tell you that."
Resisting the baby pressure
With every other week bringing news that Kate is supposedly pregnant, insiders have revealed that there is no pressure from inside the royal family for the couple to starta family - with baby news largely the product of an over-excited tabloid media.
"With the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics in the same year, Kate and William were never going to try for a baby when they have such a busy few months," insisted one seasoned royal-watcher. "And they believe that one year of marriage isn't enough time to get used to living life together in the spotlight. They want to feel completely comfortable in the marriage first before even thinking about starting a family."
And the pair will be especially busy in the run-up to the London Olympics which start in July.
"Catherine, Harry and I are honoured to be ambassadors for Team GB and Paralympics GB," said William of this summer's event. "We are hugely looking forward to this incredible sporting competition."
Injecting glamour into the Royal life
There's no denying that William and Kate have provided a glamorous shot in the arm for the once-stuffy royal family, with royal-watchers agreed that, along with Prince Harry, this trio has made the royals appear more open and less formal.
"Not long ago they seemed to be the most dysfunctional family on the planet. Now they're cool," says former royal correspondent, Jennie Bond. Whilst Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine, says, "The advisers used to be these ghastly rah-rahs who were all frightfully frightful. But they've gone, and the structure of how they work has changed. The monarchy has to evolve and become as touchy feely as the rest of the population. That's easy for William and Harry."
And Kate has managed to maintain a glam-yet-relatable image, thanks to her reliance on the high street for most of her wardrobe, stepping out not only in pieces from Reiss, Zara and LK Bennett, but also in her mum's hand-me-downs.
"The ‘Kate Effect' is a high-street phenomenon, and whatever the Duchess wears sells out within hours," says one London fashion insider. "Her elegant style, glossy, blow dried hair and ladylike demeanour are all things women across the world are aspiring to."
