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10 royal events Kate Middleton attended before her marriage to Prince William

The Cambridges first met at university 20 years ago

kate pre royal
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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kate garter day© Photo: Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in April and recently took a trip down memory lane when they revisited the University of St Andrews where they first met as students in 2001.

While William and Kate dated for a number of years before getting engaged, the Prince's girlfriend actually accompanied him to some pretty major events before they became husband and wife in April 2011.

In 2008, Kate was invited to join the royals on Garter Day when William became the thousandth Royal Knight of the Garter. It was one of her rare appearances with the royal family before she married into the Firm, but it signified that her relationship with William was becoming very serious.

The future Duchess looked completely at ease as she giggled and chatted with brother-in-law Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cornwall at the ceremony, where William donned the famous velvet robes and ostrich feathered hats for the first time.

Take a look at Kate's other engagements before she became the Duchess of Cambridge…

READ: 7 times Prince Harry has made sister-in-law Kate Middleton giggle in public

WATCH: Best moments to mark Prince William and Kate's ten-year wedding anniversary

kate passing out parade 2006© Photo: Getty Images

Proud girlfriend Kate attended William's passing-out parade with her parents Carole and Michael Middleton, as William graduated from Sandhurst military academy in December 2006. 

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kate william raf wings© Photo: Getty Images

A shy Kate was pictured with William as he received his wings at RAF Cranwell in January 2008. 

MORE: 18 fabulous photos of Kate Middleton you may have forgotten about

kate lady rose wedding© Photo: Getty Images

In 2008, Kate actually attended two royal weddings without Prince William as he had prior engagements. She and Prince Harry's then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy slipped into the church through a side door on Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly's wedding day in May 2008. Two months later, Kate attended the nuptials of Lady Rose Windsor and George Gilman (pictured above), alongside Princess Anne and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

MORE: Kate Middleton’s best ever wedding guest looks over the years

kate middleton raf 2010© Photo: Getty Images

Kate watched as William graduated from his RAF training course to become a fully-fledged helicopter pilot in January 2010.

MORE: Royal teens! 13 best photos of princes and princesses in their younger years

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William and Kate made their first public appearance together in December 2010 at the Teenage Cancer Trust charity gala, after announcing their engagement the previous month.

MORE: 25 photos that show Kate Middleton's close bond with her royal in-laws

kate william st andrews 2008© Photo: Getty Images

In the lead-up to their April 2011 wedding, William and Kate completed a tour of the UK, starting with a romantic trip to the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where the pair's relationship first blossomed.

MORE: 10 best photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton from their dating years

kate william wales© Photo: Getty Images

The pair then travelled to Anglesey in Wales in February 2011, where Kate was given the honour of christening a new RNLI lifeboat with a bottle of champagne.

kate william belfast© Photo: Getty Images

The couple then flew over to Belfast in March 2011 where they charmed the crowds on a one-day visit.

kate william lancashire© Photo: Getty Images

Kate's final engagement before she became a member of the royal family was in Lancashire. The bride and groom-to-be formally opened Darwen Aldridge Community Academy together, where they watched a dance performance, and then paid a visit to Witton Country Park, where the sporty couple cheered on sprinters.

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