In the years before the engagement, Middleton adroitly avoided being photographed in any way that could detract from her dignity. When her colleagues on a rowing team posed topless covered in body paint for a charity calendar, Middleton refused her friends' pleas and stayed away.

While others in her crowd, including William and Prince Harry, were occasionally snapped leaving nightclubs looking somewhat inebriated, Middleton made sure she looked composed before walking out the door, figuring - usually correctly - that the paparazzi would be waiting.

"She has done this superbly, which shows she has her head screwed on right," says Roberts.

The only pratfall came at another charity event when Middleton took a tumble on inline skates while wearing bright yellow hotpants with a sparkly green top and pink leg warmers. She landed in an undignified position as the paparazzi snapped away, but she was able to laugh the whole thing off.

Indeed, it is her good humor that seems to win people over. She is not typically glum, and her zest seems to rub off on William.

Since graduating in 2005, Middleton has worked part-time for clothing company Jigsaw and has devoted much of her time to helping her parents and her brother and sister run the lucrative family business, a party supply company called Party Pieces.

She has shied away from pursuing an independent career, and has not stated publicly how she views her future role in the royal family once she becomes a princess.

There are indications she plans to be involved in charity work, although her specific interests are not yet known, and it is also possible she and William will try to start a family fairly soon.