Striking, private and almost royal: Kate's story

Middleton kept her thoughts about joining The Firm to trusted friends

Kate Middleton has kept her thoughts to herself and a circle of trusted friends during her long romance with Prince William.

Until she spoke out about her love for the 28-year-old prince and her admiration for his mother, the late Princess Diana, on the day their engagement was announced, Middleton had kept totally mum about her relationship and her thoughts about joining “The Firm,” as the royal family is popularly known.

So who is the future queen, and what matters to her?

Only her closest friends know if she has hoped for years to marry William, as some schoolmates say — pointing out that she went out of her way to catch his eye their freshmen year at college. Or if she was content in her role as the on-again, off-again girlfriend of one of the most eligible men in the world.

In the absence of words there have been images. Kate glamourous in evening wear, Kate lounging on a yacht in a white bikini and — most surprisingly — Kate in black bra and panties topped by a sheer dress at a charity fashion show in early 2002, when she and the prince were just friends. That event prompted William, according to biographer Katie Nicholl, to tell a friend that “Kate’s hot.”

Shortly afterward, Nicholl said, the prince made his move. After romance blossomed, Middleton made an effort to keep out of the public eye so she and William could enjoy each other’s company in private, Nicholl said.

Abbey may be the venue

Westminster Abbey looks like the most likely venue for Britain’s royal wedding, after Kate Middleton was photographed emerging from the central London landmark, AP reports. The Daily Mail ran a front-page photo of Middleton leaving the abbey after an evening visit.

Some have speculated the couple may choose St Paul’s Cathedral, where Prince Charles and Diana married.