Kate Middleton: Never-seen-before picture of the Duchess revealed

The Duchess of Cambridge will turn 40 this Sunday, which is a significant milestone in any woman's life. The Royal Photographer of The Sun shares the incredible inside account of how he witnessed the transformation of shy art student Kate Middleton into the future Queen through his lens.

Arthur Edwards claimed that he had no idea who Kate Middleton was the first time he took a snap of her. It was during the weekend where Prince William had invited many of his university friends to Sandringham and Arthur recently stumbled on Kate’s photo while browsing through the photos of that day.

Who would have known?

Back then, it may have seemed like she was just one of the friends who visited their royal friend’s house. One could have never guessed that the young lady who walked through those gates would one day become the future Queen. She has become the epitome of celebrities in the media. Just like Princess Diana, whenever she is out and about, it is in the press. She is likely to take Diana’s title of Princess of Wales and she most certainly deserves it as the woman has never put a wrong foot in nearly two decades now.

Diana was famously compared to a cross between Cindy Crawford and Mother Teresa, and even Kate fits that description. She has evolved through time, overcoming her inherent shyness and growing more assertive. She is clever, pays close attention to the tiniest details, and never makes any mistake. And because Kate is so elegant and stylish, every picture editor in London wants a full-length portrait of her.

Bounced back well!

The media has seen her romance with William slowly evolve till she became his girlfriend, as well as seeing her mature into a graceful beauty. Even when the couple split in 2007 and all eyes were on her and her reaction, she had grace. Kate's strong character and stiff upper lip were on display the next day of the breakup. And she still went to play tennis — no one could ever tell that she was upset. Soon after the two rekindled their romance, William invited a few people to have tea and introduced them to Kate. Arthur seized the opportunity to ask him the reason behind the spilt and he replied,

Well, Arthur, I had to be sure this was the right woman for me because I want this marriage to last forever.

The couple had to go through their share of ups and downs to reach where they are today. They are still in love after all these years and form a fantastic couple with outstanding elegance. The Royal Family is in terrific hands as William and Kate celebrate their historic 40th birthdays. Looks like William was correct in rethinking his decision and realising Kate was the perfect lady for him. He wanted their marriage to be forever, and it sure seems that they would stay together.