It’s hard to believe it’s been fourteen years since Prince William married his university sweetheart, Kate Middleton. Having charted their romance from those heady days at the University of St Andrews to their wedding at Westminster Abbey, April 29th 2011, is a day I fondly remember. The roar of the crowds on the mall as the newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out onto the famous Buckingham Palace balcony for the very first time was palpable.
Both William and Kate were beaming, unable to conceal their joy. Kate in her magnificent Alexander McQueen wedding dress looked every inch the modern princess while William, resplendent in his red Colonel of the Irish Guards frock coat, looked like the proudest man on the planet. As they surveyed the sea of people which stretched from the gleaming Queen Victoria Memorial to St James’s Park, William whispered to his wife: “Shall we do one more?”
The world had waited patiently for that kiss, but when William leaned in for a second, the crowds cheered and stamped so loudly, I remember the floor of the studio where I was broadcasting, vibrating.
The couple was on such a high that when they went back to Clarence House ahead of the evening reception – they watched the entire wedding on playback. As I revealed in my book, The Making of A Royal Romance, Kate was still in her tiara. Perhaps on Tuesday, as they toast 14 years together, they will reflect on some of the highlights of that magical day. The couple is in Scotland on a two-day tour of the Inner Hebrides, their first joint trip away since Princess Kate announced she had been diagnosed with cancer last March.
Usually, William and Kate celebrate their wedding anniversary privately but when they were told the trip fell on their anniversary, they were more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity for a night away. Eschewing the luxury of a five-star hotel, the couple will be staying in a modest lodge in the remote countryside.
It is, according to those who know the couple best, their idea of a perfect night in. “They really love the simple things in life,” a family friend tells Vanity Fair. “A little cottage in the middle of nowhere is their idea of heaven.”
That they are in Scotland is also poignant and romantic. They met at the University of St Andrews and they spent much of their early courtship eloping to a remote cottage on the grounds of the Balmoral estate for long weekends as students. Recently, the couple has returned to the Scottish Highlands for a handful of romantic trips together, leaving their three children at home with Kate’s parents, and spending some much-needed time together after what has been a challenging time for the family.
Last year, Prince William opened up and revealed that 2024, when both his father and wife were diagnosed with cancer, had been “brutal” and one of the hardest years of his life. A year and two months after Kate’s cancer diagnosis, the future looks a lot brighter as she has been given the all-clear and has returned to work. Sources close to the family say that her prognosis is very positive and that she is “doing exceptionally well.” Princess Kate has said she is doing everything she can to stay cancer-free, and while she has returned to work, her priorities are her health and her family.
“Getting cancer changed her, it changed William, and it changed everything between them. They were both shocked to their core, but they knew they would get through it together,” reveals a family friend. “William stepped up. He made Catherine front and center of everything and will continue to do so. It’s made them both prioritize family and each other over everything else.”
Certainly, the couple’s recent decision to skip Easter Sunday with King Charles and Queen Camilla so that they could celebrate quietly as a family was a change noted by royal watchers. Last year, the family was in Norfolk for the Easter holidays and Kate was undergoing treatment, but their decision not to join Charles and senior royals a second year in a row was significant. “Usually they are there, and everyone loves seeing the little ones. This year they decided to have a quiet family Easter. The king was fully supportive, and I think it is an example of William and Catherine doing things the way they want to and doing what works for them as a family,” adds the royal insider.
Spending time together is said to be the couple’s number one priority. “They know with the children growing up and George about to start a new school, the family unit as it is will change a bit and they want to spend as much time together as they can,” the source adds. “They love being in Norfolk, it’s where they bond as a family and where they make very happy memories. It’s their happy place and they love being there.”
While they have been married for 14 years, the couple’s long-term courtship means they have actually been together for more than two decades. “Like all couples, the relationship has ups and downs, but I would say they are stronger than ever, they are a very tight partnership,” says a long-standing friend.
“It’s very clear that William is deeply in love with his wife, more than ever, and she is eternally grateful to him for the support he has given her this past year and how he has been with the children. He has shouldered a lot.”
Indeed, a lot has happened over the course of fourteen years: the couple has had three children, moved to Windsor for a quieter life out of the spotlight, and become the Prince and Princess of Wales following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The past year has been the most eventful and the toughest for them as a family, but watching them in Scotland on Tuesday, twinning in matching tweeds, while doing what they love is a reminder of their brilliant partnership that is vital to the future of the British monarchy and why they really should be celebrating such an important milestone.
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