Catherine, Princess of Wales: Fast Facts and Early Life
Before St Andrews and Westminster Abbey, there was a childhood in Jordan, a gap year in Florence, and a job buying accessories for Jigsaw. Here is the lesser-known story.
Catherine’s rise from a Berkshire childhood to the heart of the monarchy is well documented, but several of the smaller, more specific facts about her early life rarely make it into the main story. Here they are, gathered together.
Two years spent in Jordan
In 1984, when Catherine was two years old, her family moved to Amman, Jordan, where her father Michael Middleton had taken a job with British Airways. The Middletons lived there for roughly two years before returning to England, a detail that occasionally surprises people more familiar with her Berkshire upbringing than this brief but genuine childhood spell in the Middle East.
Both parents once worked for British Airways
Before starting the party-supplies business that would later make the family financially independent, Michael Middleton worked as a flight dispatcher and Carole Middleton, then Carole Goldsmith, as a flight attendant, both employed by British Airways when they married in 1980. The airline connection is part of what took the family briefly to Jordan a few years later.
Two siblings: Pippa and James
Catherine is the eldest of three children. Her sister, Philippa, universally known as Pippa Middleton, was born in September 1983, and her brother James Middleton followed a few years later. Pippa gained her own significant public profile as Catherine’s maid of honour at the 2011 royal wedding, while James has built a career as an entrepreneur.
A gap year that included Florence and Chile
Before starting university, Catherine took a gap year that included time studying art in Florence, Italy, and a trip to Chile, before beginning her History of Art degree at the University of St Andrews in 2001, the same year and the same university where she would meet Prince William.
Her first job: buying for Jigsaw
After graduating from St Andrews in 2005, Catherine worked in London as an accessory buyer for Jigsaw, the British fashion retailer, a role she held during the years her relationship with William was developing away from full public view, before royal duties eventually became her full-time occupation.
A Capricorn, born 9 January 1982
Catherine was born on 9 January 1982, making her a Capricorn, and she celebrates her birthday each January, generally with a private family occasion rather than any public celebration.
A CBeebies bedtime story during the pandemic
In December 2020, Catherine appeared on the children’s television channel CBeebies to read a bedtime story as part of the channel’s Christmas broadcast, a gesture that combined her early-years advocacy with a genuinely popular, low-key piece of public engagement during a difficult period for families across the country.
A rose that carries her name
A rose cultivar has been named “Catherine” in her honour, joining a long-standing royal tradition of horticultural tributes to prominent members of the family, a small but charming detail that sits comfortably alongside her well-known personal interest in gardens and the outdoors.
Small facts, a fuller picture
None of these details changes the broader arc of Catherine’s story, from a comfortable but unglamorous English childhood to the threshold of the throne, but they round it out considerably: a toddler in Amman, a gap-year student in Florence, a young buyer at a High Street fashion chain, each a small, human step on the way to Westminster Abbey and beyond.
Readers who want the fuller story in more depth may enjoy Robert Jobson’s biography of Catherine, which covers her life and rise in considerably more detail than any single article can.
Browse more of our Royal Figures stories for the fuller story of how Catherine became Princess of Wales.
Frequently asked questions
Did Catherine, Princess of Wales, live abroad as a child?
Yes. She spent roughly two years as a young child in Amman, Jordan, from 1984, after her father took a job there with British Airways.
What was Catherine’s first job?
An accessory buyer for the British fashion retailer Jigsaw, a role she held in London after graduating from St Andrews in 2005.
Who are Catherine’s siblings?
Pippa Middleton, born in 1983, who served as her maid of honour at the 2011 royal wedding, and James Middleton, an entrepreneur.
What is Catherine’s star sign?
Capricorn. She was born on 9 January 1982.
Did Catherine take a gap year before university?
Yes, spending part of it studying art in Florence, Italy, and travelling to Chile, before starting her History of Art degree at St Andrews in 2001.
Has Catherine appeared on children’s television?
Yes. In December 2020, she read a bedtime story on CBeebies as part of the channel’s Christmas broadcast.
Biographical details are drawn from standard royal-biography sources and contemporaneous reporting on the Middleton family; correct as of 2026.
