Pippa and Kate Middleton
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (right), with her sister Pippa Middleton at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 8, 2012. REUTERS

The surprise star of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s 2011 royal wedding, Pippa Middleton, had never sat down for a TV interview before Monday's appearance on "The Today Show."

In celebration of her six-day, 3,000-mile charity bike tour in the United States last week, Middleton, 30, talked to Matt Lauer about her passions, her sister’s nuptials and her famous form-fitting royal bridesmaid's dress.

Before part two of the TV interview with Lauer airs Tuesday, here is a roundup of the top five facts we learned about Pippa Middleton:

She gets stage fright

Middleton said stage fright has kept her out of the spotlight since her sister’s royal wedding three years ago. “I have this nervousness of being in front of the camera,” Middleton admitted, adding that her sudden rise to fame after her sister's ceremony was a monumental transition. “It has been difficult, I suppose, going from a very normal life to sort of managing everything that happened after the wedding," she said.

She considers the royal wedding a family affair

Kate Middleton’s marriage to Britain’s Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, was arguably one of the most highly publicized events of 2011, but according to Pippa, the affair was nothing out of the ordinary. “It sounds funny to say, but we saw it as just a family wedding,” Pippa told Lauer. “I didn’t realize perhaps the scale of it until afterwards. … We really saw it as sort of a family getting together and doing their bit … Even sort of walking through the [Westminster] Abbey, there were a lot of people, but I didn’t, maybe, I didn’t see any TV cameras, so to me, it was just performing in front of lot of people and not necessarily the whole world.”

While Pippa insists she was unprepared for the mass popularity the nuptials would receive, the huge event finally hit her after stepping out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Kate’s "I do’s." "It was when we sort of saw crowds rushing around to the balcony and I suddenly was like, 'Wow, this is pretty special,'” she said.

She still has the famous dress

Despite never wearing the white Alexander McQueen dress again that she wore at the wedding, Middleton says she has the designer piece tucked away in her wardrobe for nostalgia purposes. “I think it’s the sort of thing that I’m sure I’ll bring out if someone wanted to see it or if my children one day want to see it, then I’ll show them,” she said.

While Pippa may be sentimentally attached to her royal wedding gown, she wasn’t shy about calling the entire world's fascination with her figure in the getup an embarrassment. “It was completely unexpected. I think the plan was not really for it to be a significant dress, really just sort of blend in with the train,” said Pippa, adding she agreed with reports that the outfit meshed well with her figure, adding, “I suppose it’s flattering.”

She is close with Kate

While her big sister Kate, 32, may have royal obligations that keep her constantly in demand, Middleton claims she is still close to her oldest sibling. “I mean, obviously she has pressures that she's taken on and things. But we spend a lot of time together. We still do a lot together as a family,” said Pippa. “We have a very normal, sisterly relationship. We’re very close. And, you know, we support each other and get each other's opinions and things.”

… And Prince George!

Not only is Pippa close to Kate, she is also a devoted auntie to Prince George, who turns 1 on July 22. “He’s amazing. He’s a very dear boy,” she said. “He’s brought a lot of pleasure and fun for all of us, the whole family.”

Pippa is so enamored with her nephew, she even admitted to planning for a (not so royal) baby of her own down the road. “I love children and babies,” said Pippa. “I would happily have one.”