He wore a blue blazer, she sported a short matching skirt, and with that, the world met the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the first time since their wedding. The newlyweds delighted locals by announcing they'd be putting off their honeymoon in favor of work, but eventually jetted off on a semi-secret trip to the Seychelles.
The May meeting with the U.S. president and first lady, which lasted roughly 20 minutes, took place after Queen Elizabeth II formally welcomed the first duo to her home.
In July, the couple made Southern California a bit more posh, taking in a little polo in Santa Barbara and attending Hollywood parties with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez and David Beckham.
In November, the duke and duchess chose Kensington Palace as their London home: Twenty rooms, four stories, historic gardens and more than $1 million worth of renovations footed by U.K. taxpayers? Sounds like a fairy tale come true!
Sandringham House—as the queen's Norfolk pad is known—sits on 20,000 acres and features a ballroom and, we're told, jolly good hunting grounds.
All the Palace would say about Kate's 30th is that the couple kept the milestone birthday "private." But rumors of an '80s-themed karaoke party—thrown by event planner sis Pippa Middleton—ran rampant anyway.
In January the couple announced they had became parents...of a dog. The black male spaniel puppy's name? Lupo. The dog's new royal title? Unknown at this hour.
The flick: War Horse. The dress: A lace Alice Temperley number. The month: January. The weather: Rainy. But the wattage was brilliant as the duke and duchess enjoyed one the perks of being royal: Walking a red carpet, at the film's premiere!
Duty replaced romance on a day usually reserved for love, as Kate made her first royal engagement as part of a solo regional visit. (Yes, that's an actual milestone.)
Until last year, British royal succession laws favored boys over girls. Under the previous law, the immediate heir—meaning the child who would one day succeed Will as king—was the firstborn son of the monarch. But not anymore. Regardless of whether the duke and duchess have a boy or a girl first, their eldest will be first in line for the throne.
Madame Tussauds did the honors, choosing Kate's lilac McQueen gown to go with her meltable likeness. It was all in honor of the couple's upcoming first wedding anniversary!
MORE PHOTOS: Fashion Spotlight: Kate Middleton