with people and people respond to her very well. >> oh, my god. it was overwhelming. everybody went crazy. >> breathtaking. >> it was just so awesome. >> she's perfect and beautiful and i love her. >> the thing that i think is wonderful about the duchess is that she has very much her own sense of self and her own sense of style. this is a big role that she has. and she always seems to get it right. >> i think if people are happy in their own lives, they will do well in the public eye as well it's very important. as far as i can see, she's doing it beautifully. >> i'm only sorry that william can't be here today. he would love it here. >> 12 months have now passed since kate middleton married the future king of england here at westminster abbey in london. i'm max foster. as cnn's royal correspondent, i've had a chance to watch kate close up. a senior royal source has told me that she's completed her induction and has graduated as a fully flejed member of the royal family. it's been quite a year. >> reporter: william and katherine has announced their engagement less than six months earlier. >> it's quite a daunting prospect. i'll take it in stride. >> when's the happy day? >> no idea. >> reporter: leaving little time to waste to prepare the palace, the abbey and all points in between for a fairytale wedding. >> we're like little ducks. calm in the water but feet going in the watt zbler she wanted to be like any other bride in charge of how her day would go. she was very keen as far as prince william that that would not be taken care of. she was incredibly hands on because she wanted it to be her day and it was her day. >> reporter: three mini buses lined up outside the hotel. lots of people going into the hotel. this is where i was on royal wedding day. the goring hotel is where the bride's family was staying. although i wasn't allowed this close on the day. there was a huge sense of excitement outside. the crowds. the media. everyone waiting to catch that very first glimpse. inside, kate middleton as she still was that morning, was getting ready for her date with destiny. as those around her recall. >> we were there 6:30 or so. we had -- up in her suite there was a real sense of calm, actually. she didn't expect to be treated any differently. that made me feel very relaxed and i was able to sort of get on with my job. she didn't want anything too over the top. she wanted to feel herself and hopefully that was reflected in the dress and in the hair. [ cheers and applause ] >> for a young bride, if you're not careful, the way you dress the hair, specially with a tee yarra, it can be quite ageing. that's something that we put a lot of thought into. all these little intrakasys that we did on katherine's hair, the twisting of the sides and sort of the fringe actually just gently coming other the forehead, that -- they are all elements that add to softening that kind of look. what i loved about that tiara is for me it actually had a quite modern feel to it. and kate chose it. and i just think that she couldn't have chosen anything better than that. >> i was lucky enough to be positioned right outside the front of westminster abbey. probably about 30 meters from the front door. i was seriously nervous, and i was just -- had to get this picture, the exposure, spot on. as they come out the front door, the crowd roared. you literally only had a matter of minutes, if that. they paused momentarily on the top of the steps and walked down to the carriage. >> the only word i could find to describe kate on her wedding day was forthless. i saw her in the abbey floating down the isle. she was just focused, totally focused as if she was saying i'm going to get this right. i'm definitely going to get this right. and she did. >> reporter: if there was one moment when perhaps it donned on kate just what she had become, it was the moment she walked on to the balcony at buckingham palace. wow, indeed. but overall, well, certainly not that anyone, even those close up, could see. >> within the minute i saw her in the morning right through to the end of the day, she was as composed as you could possibly imagine. i don't know where she gets her strength from. >> how did you do that with that amount of pressure? >> i don't know. she's very, very clever. and very special. >> reporter: still to come, learning from the past. >> this marriage must work. they can't go back to the '90s when they had three of the queen's children split up and got divorced. >> reporter: when "kate: duchess of cambridge" returns in a moment. we're here at walmart with the burtons, who love movies. let me show you something new. come on. walmart can now convert your favorite dvds from disc to digital. so you can watch them on your laptop, tablet, phone... anytime, anywhere. cool, huh? yea! yea! what'd you guys think that it would cost? i thought it'd be around $10. it's only $2 per disc. that's a great price. bring in your favorite dvds. see for yourself. boooom! [ host ] that's the walmart entertainment disc to digital service. visit the photo center at your local walmart to get started. that's my favorite part. to get started. see life in the best light. [music] transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. without freshly-made pasta. you could also cut corners by making it without 100% real cheddar cheese. but then...it wouldn't be stouffer's mac & cheese. just one of over 70 satisfying recipes for one from stouffer's. 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knows its role. the queen oversees its british soft power in action, helping make sure britain still has clout on the world stage. but an 86-year-old monarch can't do it all on her own. and, besides, when there's a bona fide star in your midst, it's just a good idea to send them in your place. ♪ >> canada was a huge test for her. it was their first joint overseas tour. her first real public engagement on behalf of the royal family. >> welcome to the 2011 calgary stampede! >> she did not put a foot wrong. >> reporter: media interest was enormous. as were the numbers who turned out to see them. >> it was a very exhausting, very grueling tour. you know, hopping from one place to another. >> happy birthday, canada. ♪ >> in ottawa on canada day, it was the largest ever crowd they'd ever had, and it was a boiling hot day, and there she was in sort of -- all dressed up in long sleeves and a hat and just must have been awful to keep smiling like that. ♪ >> reporter: crowds screaming, will and kate, will and kate. >> reporter: from my vantage point, too, i was struck by her poise. but to get a real up-close sense of the duchess, nothing beats being one of the crowd. as this simple but revealing footage shot by a well wisher in new briunswick seems to capture so well. >> hello, very nice to meet you. oh, my gosh, hi. hello, hello, nice to meet you. hi, girls. >> welcome to new brunswick. >> reporter: at one point, kate even agrees to pose for a photo. handing the camera to her senior aide. provoking some disapproving looks from one of the security officers. throughout the trip, as throughout the year, her mentor, her main coach, was william. >> you really saw in canada a lot of the time in engagements he was guiding her, often physically guiding her through engagements, always checking to see how she was coping, always checking to see if she was handling walk abouts okay on her side of the crowd. >> william is totally in control of everything. he's seen what happened to his mother, and he doesn't want that to happen to his wife. >> reporter: the legacy of diana, princess of wales, continues to cast a shadow over britain's royals. given little say or support by the palace in how things were done, her marriage to prince charles was not a happy one. >> in the early days with diana, you'd see other members of the royal family quite peeved that diana was getting all the attention, all the photographers were clustered around her and ignore them. they didn't like it. and eventually her husband didn't like it either. but with kate, it's a little like let's hope -- this marriage must work. it's -- you know, they can't go back to tooe 90s when they had three of the queen's children split up and got divorced. >> reporter: kate does not shy away from the parallels with diana. she wears diana's engagement ring, for instance. i'm told she takes the comparisons as a compliment. but she's doing things her way. >> the fact that they have said we don't want a lot of flunkies around, we can do it all ourselves, we'll go to the supermarket, as a result they're bringing the monarchy much close tore the people. >> if the royals have never experienced rush hour traffic, we're geniuses at it here in los angeles, california. >> reporter: perhaps the challenge for kate and william going forward will be staying close to the people. when the people see them as superstars. as i saw firsthand when their north american tour wound up in california. the screams for the movie stars were substantial. but they were nothing compared to those that greeted the arrival of william and kate. here in los angeles, as nowhere else, a fairytale sells big. >> they've had so much scandal in their family, and now will and kate are taking over and she's beautiful and perfect. >> when i heard they were coming out here, i wasn't going to miss it for the world. they seem like such a down to earth, nice, young couple. i think they're going to bring respect back to the monarchy. i think they're going to save the monarchy, to be honest with you. >> reporter: never mind saving the monarchy. >> it's -- they're not getting from it in truth. they're giving. they are acting as magnets to try and get all of these executives here tonight. >> have you met the duke and duchess before? >> never. >> no? >> no. absolutely. they're people you don't meet. >> reporter: still to come -- >> she really has the potential of becoming the modern day jackie o. >> reporter: the style defines. when "kate: duchess of cambridge" concludes in a moment. no matter where you go. no matter what you do. when you're living with moderate to severe crohn's disease, there are times it feels like your life... revolves around your symptoms. if you're tired of going around in circles, it may be time to ask your gastroenterologist about humira. because with humira, remission is possible. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications... but still experience the symptoms of 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through the rapids. okay... i'll take it. sync your card with facebook, foursquare and twitter for savings. that's the membership effect of american express. ♪ in a world where ♪ there is so much to see ♪ there's still no other place ♪ that i would rather, rather ♪ rather, rather be ♪ [ male announcer ] dip into sabra hummus and discover a little taste of the world. enjoy sabra dips. adventure awaits. ♪ >> i would describe her style as neat, youthful and occasionally appropriate. i really think she has the potential of becoming the modern day jackie o. >> reporter: every time the duchess of cambridge steps out in public, the fashion world is on tenderhooks. >> i particularly remember her going to the opening of the marsdan wearing one of our felted wool dresses. just because she looked amazing in it. and she looked modern and really beautiful. >> best selling item would be the sluch. the duchess of cambridge has worn this shoe a few times on her trip to north america. we have a tough time keeping this shoe in stock. >> reporter: it's called the duchess. whether it's cotour like this diane vonn fernsenburg dress, no one moves the market quite like kate. l.k. bennett's rapid expansion into the united states. five store openings in its first year with up to ten more planned for next year, has coincided with the emergence of the duchess of cambridge. >> when she wears it, the phone in our stores keeps ringing because customers seem to follow her, and then they want to wear the product that she's wearing. >> reporter: after kate wore this dress from british retailer reese when she and william met the obamas, it sold out within minutes. >> she champions british design, not just the designers, but all the way through. >> we're all writing every day about what she's wearing because there's no other story. if it keeps up like this with kate turning up and people just writing about what she wears, then she'll get a very shallow, trivial image. but that will change inevident pli, i think. because she'll be doing more interesting, more challenging jobs. >> reporter: those jobs really began earlier this year when kate embarked on her first solo engagements. as a new member of the royal family, there was never any doubt she would give her patron ij to a number of charities. the palace encouraged her to take her time choosing which ones. among the causes she settled on we are art therapy, addiction and children's hospices. >> early november, out of the blue, a telephone call, would we mind if she visited one of our hospices. >> you wouldn't mind at all, i'm sure. >> we thought about it and said, no, by all means. so she came along. she spent about four hours with us. it was clear when she arrived that she had done a lot of homework. >> we've read in more papers that she's going around looking at territories and her interests were art and art therapy. so we thought we should -- we wrote a letter and we explained what she did. she'd actually done her research. she'd already found the art room on the website. >> how much of an actual difference has it made having her on board? >> i had a fantastic conversation with somebody who was obviously, you know, they must have seen the charges we were ringing up. when we mentioned the duchess had given us her patronage, i want granted an interview. >> reporter: the people around her are clearly very impressed by how she's got on. when i talk to them, they describe her as strong-willed and professional. nothing much phafazes her, they tell me. the final test in this first year as a royal was the performance of her first public speech. and it epitomized kate, if it was done a bit slowly, perhaps even labored in places. that's because she was determined not to fluff it. >> when i first visited the hospice in malten, i had a preconceived idea as to what to expect. far from being a clinical, depressing place for sick children, it was a home. most importantly, it was a family home. a happy place of stability, support and care. it was a place of fun. >> reporter: but it's not really about oratory anyway. kate seems to connect with people in a more fundamental way, making a particular impression, i've seen, on young people. >> i mean, she's made me more interested in royalty, i think. more interested in the royal family. >> newcomers, definitely a big fan. >> i think because she came from an ordinary background, it makes us really interested. >> yeah. >> that she used to be like us. >> even though she's royal, she understands us as a person and we understand her. >> reporter: so the duchess of cambridge, the savior of the british monarchy. well, it's too early to say that. but as she and prince william settle in here at kensington palace where he lived as a boy, it's clear she has support from the top down. >> people forget the queen may be monarch. she's also a mother and a grandmother and a very human person. of course, she wants her grandson and her grandson's wife to be successful. and, of course, she offers help. and they'd be foolish not to take it. now, plainly, one can even looking from the outside, one can see what a good relationship actually exists there. >> they seem genuinely happy and comfortable in each other's company, whether it's watching a fashion show or visiting university or on a girl's day out. i think the queen is delighted that her grandson has married someone who he seems so well suited to. who has been able to adapt to conditions in the royal family and that new role. >> reporter: as for kate's father-in-law, prince charles, well, he and kate are very close, i'm told. they make secret visits to the opera and art galleries together. sharing a passion for the arts that neither william nor harry truly share. for joint engagements they've developed something of a double act. he, the old duffer. she, the competent young woman. everyone, it seems, is desperate to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. because no matter how appealing the fairytale, alternative storylines do exist. >> it's a hard, horrible life. i mean, everybody thinks it's wonderful. oh, you have a luxurious life. no, you don't. it's a golden prison that you live in for the rest of your days. but kate's opted for it and she must know what she's in for. because she knew william for nine years. i figure she feels that it's worth it if you love the man enough, you'll put up with it. >> i think she does enjoy it. she seems -- she seems very happy when she's out and about. you never get a sense of her being uncomfortable. she looks very easy in her own skin. i think she must be enjoying it. >> reporter: i hear you. can you hear me? >> reporter: kate middleton embarked on a remarkable journey a year ago. >> whatever you do is subject to publicity. whatever you wear is the subject of comment. it's not easy at all. >> reporter: as duchess of cambridge, she's now a global superstar. though she wears her power lightly. >> there is a respect that they have for who they are and where they are. even with all that you still got the sensitivity of the way they're holding hands and the smiles. >> reporter: history and the weight of expectations might seem daunting. but the young couple will take their time, determined to write this story themselves. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented