by tyler | Jan 22, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the eurozone. Twenty countries in the European Union use the euro as their currency, and comprise the eurozone.
The countries in the eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
January 1, 1999 – The euro is introduced.
The European Union’s Maastricht Treaty “convergence criteria,” or requirements for a member country to use the euro as currency:
– Annual budget deficits must not exceed 3% of gross domestic product.
– Public debt must be under 60% of gross domestic product.
– The country must have exchange rate stability.
– Inflation rates must be within 1.5% of the three EU countries with the lowest rate.
– Long-term interest rates must be within 2% of the three lowest interest rates in the EU.
Denmark doesn’t use the euro, and is not required to be a part of the eurozone.
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden belong to the EU, but do not currently meet the criteria for joining the eurozone. Each has committed to joining once they meet the criteria.
Eurozone financial indicators
February 1992 – The Maastricht Treaty (officially – The Treaty on European Union) is signed by the 12 member countries of the European Community. It includes provisions for an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
May 1998 – It is confirmed that Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain fulfill the necessary conditions to adopt the euro.
June 1998 – The European Central Bank is established in Frankfurt, Germany, to manage the new common currency.
January 1, 1999 – The euro is launched, in non-physical form. It can be traded electronically and used in travelers’ checks.
September 2000 – Denmark rejects the adoption of the euro in a referendum.
January 2001 – Greece joins the eurozone after initially being rejected.
January 1, 2002 – Currency notes and coins are introduced in eurozone countries.
February 2002 – The euro becomes the sole currency of eurozone member countries.
2007 – Slovenia becomes the first former Communist country to use the euro.
2008 – Malta and Greek-controlled Cyprus join the eurozone.
2009 – Slovakia joins the eurozone.
2011 – Estonia joins the eurozone.
August 12, 2011 – The European Securities and Markets Authority imposes a ban on short selling stocks in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium in response to extreme stock market volatility.
September 15, 2011 – The European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan and the Swiss National Bank announce a coordinated plan to pump dollars into Europe’s financial system in an effort to boost liquidity across the eurozone. The banks will hold three auctions for US dollars, with a three-month maturity, through the end of the year with the goal of providing US dollars to struggling European banks that need the currency to fund loans and repay debt.
November 30, 2011 – The US Federal Reserve along with central banks of the eurozone, England, Japan, Switzerland and Canada, announce a coordinated plan to lower prices on dollar liquidity swaps beginning on December 5, and extending these swap arrangements to February 1, 2013.
December 9, 2011 – A majority of European leaders agree on a new deal to try to resolve the continent’s debt crisis, but Britain refuses to back a broader treaty change. The agreement includes: handing over the running of the EU’s bailout funds to the European Central Bank and adding 200 billion euros to the resources of the International Monetary Fund.
June 29, 2012 – European leaders reach a deal to create a single supervisory body to oversee the eurozone’s banks which could use the single currency area’s rescue funds, the European Financial Stability Facility or European Stability Mechanism, to aid banks directly without adding to governments’ debt.
September 12, 2012 – The German Constitutional Court rules against a group of conservative politicians who requested an injunction that would bar Germany from ratifying the treaty governing the European Stability Mechanism.
November 15, 2012 – The eurozone officially slips into recession. It’s the second recession since 2009, making it a double dip.
December 13, 2012 – The EU reaches a banking supervision agreement with the European Central Bank.
January 1, 2014 – Latvia joins the eurozone as the 18th member country.
January 1, 2015 – Lithuania joins the eurozone as the 19th member country.
January 7, 2015 – Eurostat releases a report showing that for the first time since the crisis of 2009 the eurozone fell into deflation in December 2014.
January 22, 2015 – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi announces a new stimulus program involving the purchase of bonds known as “quantitative easing,” meant to boost economies in the eurozone.
December 8, 2016 – The European Central Bank says it will continue its asset-buying program, or quantitative easing, until the end of December 2017, “or beyond, if necessary.”
January 17, 2017 – Otmar Issing, the European Central Bank’s first chief economist, writes in an article for CNN that the euro “can muddle through for some time to come. But it cannot survive indefinitely” unless fundamental problems are addressed, citing unemployment, debt and slow growth.
November 23, 2017 – Bloomberg News reports that the Euro area is on track for its best economic performance since the financial crisis, with the fastest increase in hiring in 17 years.
December 6, 2017 – The European Commission releases a package of proposals aimed at deepening Europe’s economic and monetary union as a protection against future financial crises. “The overall aim is to enhance the unity, efficiency and democratic accountability of Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union by 2025,” the Commission said in a statement.
June 14, 2018 – The European Central Bank announces it will halt its bond purchase program at the end of December. At that point, it will have created almost 2.7 trillion euros ($3.1 trillion) in new money for the program over three years. The end of money printing means the central bank thinks the economy no longer needs emergency support.
October 2022 – Eurozone inflation hits a record high of 10.7%, up from 9.9% in September, as energy and food prices in the region continue to skyrocket.
January 1, 2023 – Croatia joins the eurozone as the 20th member country.
by tyler | Jan 18, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France.
Birth date: January 28, 1955
Birth place: Paris, France
Birth name: Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy de Nagy-Bocsa
Father: Pal Sarkozy de Nagy Bocsa
Mother: Andrée (Mallah) Sarkozy de Nagy Bocsa
Marriages: Carla Bruni (2008-present); Cécilia Ciganer-Albeniz (1996-2007, divorced); Marie-Dominique Culioli (1982-1996, divorced)
Children: with Carla Bruni: Giulia; with Cécilia Ciganer-Albeniz: Louis; with Marie-Dominique Culioli: Jean and Pierre
Education: Attended the Paris Institute of Political Studies, 1979-1981; University of Paris, Law, 1978
Religion: Roman Catholic
Son of a French mother and Hungarian immigrant father.
Grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine or Neuilly, a suburb of Paris.
Member of the Republican party, formerly known as Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party.
1977 – Elected city councilman of Neuilly.
1983-2002 – Mayor of Neuilly.
1993-1995 – Serves as budget minister of France.
2002-2004 – Interior minister.
March 2004-November 2004 – Finance minister.
2005-2007 – Serves as interior minister again, resigns to run for president.
May 6, 2007 – Defeats Segolene Royal 53% to 47% in the presidential runoff.
May 16, 2007 – Sworn in as president of France.
August 2008 – Helps broker a cease-fire agreement between Georgia and Russia.
April 22, 2012 – Finishes second, to Francois Hollande, in the first round of France’s presidential elections.
May 6, 2012 – Is defeated by Hollande in the presidential election runoff.
July 3, 2012 – Police raid Sarkozy’s home and office amid an investigation into claims of illegal campaign financing. The investigation is centered around whether L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt illegally helped Sarkozy during his 2007 presidential campaign.
March 21, 2013 – Is placed under formal investigation for breach of trust. He is accused of taking advantage of Bettencourt to help fund his 2007 campaign.
October 7, 2013 – Charges against Sarkozy for alleged illegal campaign financing are dropped.
July 2, 2014 – Is placed under formal investigation in connection with suspected corruption and influence peddling. The case is later suspended.
November 29, 2014 – Is elected head of the UMP party.
May 2015 – The UMP party changes its name to the Republicans.
August 22, 2016 – Sarkozy announces he will run again for president.
November 20, 2016 – Sarkozy comes in third in France’s first Republican presidential primary.
February 7, 2017 – A French judge orders Sarkozy to face trial for campaign financing fraud. Sarkozy is accused of exceeding election expenses during his 2012 re-election campaign.
March 20, 2018 – Sarkozy is questioned by police over allegations he accepted money from Libya to finance his 2007 election campaign. According to an official, who did not want to be named, Sarkozy is being investigated by anti-corruption authorities.
January 8, 2020 – A Paris court announces that Sarkozy will stand trial on corruption charges. He is accused of trying to get classified information from a judge.
November 24, 2020 – Sarkozy’s corruption trial begins. If he is convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.
March 1, 2021 – Sarkozy is found guilty of trying to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate and sentenced to three years in prison with two years suspended.
September 30, 2021 – Sarkozy is sentenced to one year in prison for illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid, making him the first French head of state in modern times to receive two jail terms. The judge will allow him to serve his sentence at home, by wearing an electronic bracelet. All 13 co-defendants are also found guilty.
December 5, 2022 – Sarkozy asks a Paris appeals court to overturn his March 2021 corruption conviction. In May 2023, he loses the appeal.
August 19, 2023 – Sarkozy’s memoir “Le Temps Des Combats” is published.
by tyler | Jan 18, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave.
Birth date: January 30, 1937
Birth place: London, England
Birth name: Vanessa Redgrave
Father: Sir Michael Redgrave, actor
Mother: Rachel Kempson, actor
Marriage: Tony Richardson (April 29, 1962-April 28, 1967, divorced)
Children: with Franco Nero: Carlo Gabriel (September 16, 1969); with Tony Richardson: Joely (January 9, 1965), Natasha (May 11, 1963-March 18, 2009)
Education: Attended Central School of Speech and Drama in London, 1955-1957
Many members of the Redgrave family are/were actors, including her grandparents, parents, brother Corin, niece Jemma, sister Lynn, and daughters Natasha and Joely.
Her London stage debut and her first film role were both opposite her father, Sir Michael Redgrave.
She has worked professionally with all three of her children, her parents, siblings and niece.
Redgrave and her “Camelot” co-star Franco Nero had an affair and a son, in the late 1960s. They reunited in 2006 and held a private commitment ceremony with family and friends. The couple starred in “Letters to Juliet,” which has a plot similar to their real-life story.
Has been nominated for six Oscars and won once.
Has been nominated for three Tony Awards and won once.
Has been nominated for six Emmy Awards and won twice.
1957 – Stage debut in “The Reluctant Debutante” at the Frinton Summer Theatre in Frinton-on-the-Sea.
1958 – London stage debut in “A Touch of the Sun” and film debut in “Behind the Mask.”
April 10, 1967 – Redgrave and her sister Lynn, lose the Best Actress Oscar to Elizabeth Taylor for “Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?” Vanessa’s nomination is for “Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment” and Lynn’s is for “Georgy Girl.”
June 9, 1967 – Is made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
1974 – Unsuccessfully runs for a seat in parliament on the Workers Revolutionary Party ticket.
1977 – “The Palestinian,” a television documentary on the Middle East conflict, produced and narrated by Redgrave is made. Its opening in Beverly Hills in early 1978 is marked with protests and the firebombing of one theater.
1977 – Stars in the movie “Julia.”
April 3, 1978 – Wins Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for “Julia.” Her acceptance speech is booed as she airs her political agenda and makes reference to “Zionist hoodlums” and her stance against antisemitism and fascism.
1979 – Again runs for a seat in parliament on the Workers Revolutionary Party ticket and loses.
September 13, 1981 – Wins Emmy for Best Actress Limited Series or a Special for “Playing for Time.”
1995 – Becomes a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
September 10, 2000 – Wins Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for “If These Walls Could Talk 2.”
June 8, 2003 – Wins a Tony for Best Actress for “Long Day’s Journey into Night.”
June 22, 2004 – The first 10 episodes of the television program “Nip/Tuck” airs with Vanessa and her daughter Joely Richardson playing mother and daughter.
November 2004 – Redgrave and her brother, Corin, launch a new political group, the Peace and Progress Party, to protest the war in Iraq
February 21, 2010 – Is presented with the Academy Fellowship at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards by Prince William.
November 2012 – Directs the play “A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman.”
May 2, 2013 – Appears on British television in “The Call Out,” an episode of “Playhouse Presents” written and directed by son Carlo Nero.
April 2015 – Suffers a severe heart attack and undergoes surgery.
May 18, 2017 – “Sea Sorrow,” a documentary about the refugee crisis that marks Redgrave’s directorial debut, premieres in a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
August 30, 2018 – “The Aspern Papers” debuts at the Venice Film Festival starring Redgrave and her daughter, Joely Richardson.
February 7-9, 2019 – The play, “Vienna 1934-Munich 1938,” opens as a work in progress at London’s Rose Theatre Kingston, starring Redgrave and her granddaughter, Daisy Bevan.
June 30, 2019 – Stars in the movie “Mrs. Lowry & Son.”
December 31, 2021 – Redgrave receives a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and becomes a dame in the Queen’s New Year’s honors list.
December 9, 2023 – Redgrave receives the European Lifetime Achievement Award at the 36th European Film Awards in Berlin.
by tyler | Jan 18, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s some background information about the Winter Olympics, which are held every four years.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held February 6-22, 2026, in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
The 2022 Winter Olympics were held February 4-20, 2022, in Beijing, China.
Winter Olympics Facts and History
January 25, 1924-February 5, 1924 – The first Winter Olympics are held in Chamonix, France.
The Chamonix games were originally called International Sports Week 1924 and were retroactively named the First Olympic Winter Games.
The first Winter Olympic champion was Charles Jewtraw (USA); Jewtraw won a gold medal in the 500m speed skating event.
Sixteen nations and 258 athletes (11 women, 247 men) competed in 16 events at the first Winter Olympics.
Biathlon includes cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
1924 – Biathlon is an exhibition event at the Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1960 – Biathlon is added to the Olympics in Squaw Valley.
1992 – Women’s Biathlon is added to the Olympics in Albertville.
2014 – Biathlon mixed relay is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
1924 – Fours bobsled is a part of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1932 – Pairs bobsled is added to the Olympics.
1952 – A weight limit is imposed on bobsled teams to make the competition fair.
2002 – Women’s pairs bobsled is added to the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
2022 – Women’s monobob is added to the Olympics in Beijing.
1924 – Curling is a part of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1932 – The last time curling is held for 50 years.
1988 – Curling is an exhibition event at the Olympics in Calgary.
1998 – Curling is added to the Olympics in Nagano.
2018 – Mixed doubles curling is added to the Olympics in PyeongChang.
1924 – Ice hockey is a part of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1998 – Participation rules are changed so professional hockey players may participate in the Olympics.
1964 – Luge is added to the Olympic games in Innsbruck.
2014 – Luge team relay is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
Nordic Combined involves cross-country skiing and ski jumping.
1924 – Nordic Combined is a part of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1952 – The order of events is changed to make the competition more exciting. Ski jumping is now held before cross-country skiing.
The four figure skating events are men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dancing.
1908 – Figure skating is added to the Summer Olympics in London as it can be held indoors.
1924 – Figure skating and men’s speed skating is a part of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1960 – Women’s speed skating is added to the Olympics in Squaw Valley.
1976 – Ice dancing is added as part of the figure skating competition at the Olympics in Innsbruck.
1988 – Short track speed skating is an exhibition event at the Olympics in Calgary.
1992 – Short track speed skating is added to the Olympics in Albertville.
2014 – Figure skating team event is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
2018 – Mass start speed skating is added to the Olympics in PyeongChang.
2022 – Short track mixed relay is added to the Olympics in Beijing.
1928 – Skeleton is added to the Olympics in St. Moritz.
1948 – The last skeleton is included in Olympic competition until 2002.
2002 – Men’s and women’s skeleton events are added to the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
2026 – Skeleton mixed team event is added to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Alpine skiing events are downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and combined.
1924 – Ski jumping and cross-country skiing are a part of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
1936 – Alpine skiing is added to the Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
1952 – Giant slalom is added as an alpine skiing event at the Olympics in Helsinki.
1988 – Freestyle skiing is an exhibition event at the Olympics in Calgary.
1992 – Mogul freestyle skiing is added to the Olympics in Albertville.
1994 – Aerial freestyle skiing is added to the Olympics in Lillehammer.
2010 – Ski cross is added to the Olympics in Vancouver.
2014 – Women’s ski jumping is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
2014 – Ski half-pipe is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
2014 – Freestyle Ski Slopestyle is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
2018 – Alpine team skiing is added to the Olympics in PyeongChang.
2022 – Aerial freestyle mixed team is added to the Olympics in Beijing.
2022 – Ski jumping mixed team is added to the Olympics in Beijing.
2022 – Men’s and Women’s Big Air added to the Olympics in Beijing.
2026 – Ski mountaineering is added to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
1998 – Snowboarding is added to the Olympics in Nagano.
2006 – Snowboard cross is added to the Olympics in Torino.
2014 – Snowboard Slopestyle is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
2014 – Snowboard Parallel Slalom is added to the Olympics in Sochi.
2018 – Snowboard Big Air is added to the Olympics in PyeongChang.
2022 – Snowboard cross mixed team is added to the Olympics in Beijing.
by tyler | Jan 18, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.
Birth date: November 14, 1948
Birthplace: Buckingham Palace, London, England
Birth name: Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor
Father: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
Mother: Queen Elizabeth II
Marriages: Camilla Parker Bowles (April 9, 2005-present), Lady Diana Spencer (July 29, 1981-August 28, 1996, divorced)
Children: with Princess Diana: William (June 21, 1982), Henry “Harry” (September 15, 1984)
Education: Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, B.A., 1970, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, UK, 1971
Military: Royal Navy 1971-1976. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth appointed him honorary five-star ranks in the three military branches of army, navy and air force: He is Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
Britain’s longest serving monarch-in-waiting.
First royal heir to earn a university degree.
President or patron of more than 400 charitable organizations.
Enjoys playing polo, skiing, fishing and hunting. His hobbies include gardening, painting and writing.
As a child, he acted in school productions, sang in the school choir, played the trumpet, the cello and the electric guitar.
His other interests include architecture and its effects on the environment, farming, alternative medicine and different religions.
February 6, 1952 – Three-year-old Prince Charles becomes the heir apparent, when his grandfather dies and his mother ascends the throne.
July 26, 1958 – Is named Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, by his mother before Parliament. He is the 21st Prince of Wales and the first since 1936.
July 1, 1969 – He is invested as the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester during a televised ceremony at Caernavon Castle.
February 11, 1970 – Takes his seat in the House of Lords.
September 1971 – Earns his wings for jet aircraft flying at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joins the Royal Navy.
1974 – Qualifies as a helicopter pilot and joins the 845 Naval Air Squadron on the HMS Hermes. Two years later he completes his military service, taking command of a coastal minehunter, the HMS Bronington.
1976 – Founds The Prince’s Trust, a philanthropic venture to help disadvantaged youth.
July 29, 1981 – Weds Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
December 9, 1992 – Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Charles and Diana.
1993 – Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes public when the transcript of a 1989 intimate phone conversation between the two is made public.
June 29, 1994 – A televised documentary, “Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role,” airs; in it he admits to adultery.
September 1997 – Charles accompanies the body of Princess Diana from Paris to London and during the funeral procession walks behind her coffin with his father, sons and Diana’s brother, the Earl of Spencer.
January 28, 1999 – First public appearance as a couple with Parker-Bowles, when they are seen leaving the Ritz Hotel in London after a party.
June 2000 – Formally introduces Parker-Bowles to Queen Elizabeth II at a party held at Highgrove, his country estate.
2003 – Clarence House becomes the official London residence of Charles and his sons. The estate is the former home of the Queen Mother, Charles’ grandmother.
April 9, 2005 – In a civil ceremony at Guildhall in Windsor with a blessing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Charles and Camilla wed.
November 1-8, 2005 – Makes his first official visit to the United States since 1994.
October 2006 – Announces plans for second multi-faith coronation ceremony, if/when he is made king, to include all non-Christian faiths, and for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen at the same time.
January 27, 2007 – Receives the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment, presented by former US Vice President Al Gore.
November 16, 2010 – Announces the engagement of eldest son, Prince William, to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton.
December 9, 2010 – Student demonstrators breach security on the streets of London’s West End and attack the 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI carrying Charles and Camilla to a performance at the London Palladium. The couple escapes any physical harm. The students are protesting the hike in tuition fees.
May 8, 2013 – Attends the opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years. This is first time he and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the opening together.
March 2015 – Visits the United States with Camilla. The trip includes a tour of Mount Vernon, a meeting with President Barack Obama and a festival in Louisville, Kentucky.
May 19, 2015 – Meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Fein.
November 27, 2017 – Announces the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.
April 20, 2018 – Leaders of the Commonwealth agree that Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of Commonwealth.
May 19, 2018 – Walks his daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle in her wedding ceremony to Prince Harry.
November 8, 2018 – A televised documentary, “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” airs; in it he promises not to meddle in controversial affairs once he takes on the role of the monarch.
March 25, 2020 – Announces that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland.
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.
September 10, 2022 – Is officially proclaimed the King of the United Kingdom.
October 11, 2022 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles’ coronation is scheduled to take place May 6, 2023.
May 6, 2023 – Charles’ coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey.
January 17, 2024 – Buckingham Palace announces Charles will go into hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Current line of succession:
1. The Prince of Wales, Prince William, son of King Charles (1982)
2. Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William (2013)
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William (2015)
4. Prince Louis of of Wales, son of Prince William (2018)
5. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, son of King Charles (1984)
6. Prince Archie of Sussex, son of Prince Harry (2019)
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry (2021)
8. The Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II (1960)
9. Princess Beatrice of York, daughter of Prince Andrew (1988)
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice (2021)
by tyler | Jan 18, 2024 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of the Princess of Wales, the former Catherine (Kate) Middleton.
Birth date: January 9, 1982
Birth place: Reading, Berkshire, England
Birth name: Catherine Elizabeth Middleton
Father: Michael Middleton, former airline pilot, now mail-order business owner
Mother: Carole (Goldsmith) Middleton, former flight attendant
Marriage: Prince William, The Prince of Wales (April 29, 2011-present)
Children: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles
Education: University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2005, MA, Art History
Is the eldest of three children of self-made millionaires.
Her engagement ring belonged to Princess Diana.
2001 – Meets Prince William at University of St. Andrews.
2002-2005 – Shares living quarters with William and several other college students.
2003 – Begins dating Prince William around Christmas.
April 1, 2004 – First public sighting of the couple, a ski trip in Switzerland, is reported.
2006-2007 – Works as an accessories buyer for British ladies’ fashion chain store Jigsaw.
March 2007 – Ends relationship with Prince William, but within months they are on again.
October 2010 – Becomes engaged to Prince William during a trip to Kenya.
November 16, 2010 – Prince Charles officially announces the engagement to the world.
April 19, 2011 – The Middleton family coat of arms is unveiled.
April 29, 2011 – Marries Prince William at Westminster Abbey and becomes Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.
June 2011 – The Duke and Duchess make an apartment on the grounds of Kensington Palace their London home.
June 30-July 8, 2011 – The couple’s first official trip to a foreign country, Canada.
July 8-10, 2011 – Visits Los Angeles, where she and William visit a job fair for veterans and an arts center in a low-income neighborhood. It is her first trip to the United States.
July 22, 2011 – Her wedding dress is put on display at Buckingham Palace.
January 5, 2012 – Announces the four charities she will support as a patron: the Art Room, which helps disadvantaged children express themselves through art; the National Portrait Gallery, which houses a famous collection of royal paintings and photographs; East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, which helps children with life-threatening conditions; and Action on Addiction, which assists those with addiction issues.
March 19, 2012 – Gives her first official public address at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice facility in Ipswich, England.
September 2012 – The French magazine Closer runs photographs of the Duchess privately sunbathing topless. The pictures also run in the Irish Daily Star newspaper.
September 17, 2012 – The Duchess and William file a complaint in France against the photographer who took the topless sunbathing pictures. They are seeking damages and would like to prevent further publication of the photos. The French magazine Closer, the Irish Daily Star and the Italian magazine Chi have each published some of the topless photos.
December 3, 2012 – The royal household announces that the Duchess is pregnant. According to the announcement, she is admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness.
July 22, 2013 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s first child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 6 oz. The baby is named Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
May 2, 2015 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz. The baby is named Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge.
February 17, 2016 – Guest edits Huffington Post UK as part of her Young Minds Matter initiative.
April 30, 2016 – As part of a partnership with the British National Portrait Gallery, the Duchess will appear on the cover of the centenary issue of fashion magazine British Vogue, and have two of her portraits hung in the gallery.
September 4, 2017 – Kensington Palace issues a statement that the Duchess is pregnant. The baby will be her and Prince William’s third child.
September 5, 2017 – A French court rules that the topless sunbathing pictures of the Duchess were an invasion of privacy, awarding her and William 100,000 euros (about $119,000) in damages.
April 23, 2018 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s third child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 7 oz. The baby is named Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge.
November 27, 2020 – The Duchess and the Royal Foundation release the findings of a study on how Covid-19 has impacted parents and caregivers of those raising children under the age of five. The study relied in part on a survey of more than half a million people about the early childhood years in the UK.
June 18, 2021 – The Duchess launches The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. In a video announcing the center’s creation, the duchess says the goal is to “raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes.”
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.
September 10, 2022 – King Charles III announces William will be given the title Prince of Wales, making Catherine Princess of Wales.
January 17, 2024 – Kensington Palace says the Princess of Wales will spend up to two weeks recovering in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery. It is unclear what the surgery was for, but a royal source told CNN that the 42-year-old’s condition was non-cancerous.
