When William of England told Queen Elizabeth he would marry Kate Middleton

Ten years ago, these days, the United Kingdom was anxiously awaiting the wedding that in the collective imagination is still “the royal wedding” by definition, the one between William of England and Kate Middleton, celebrated on April 29, 2001. At a distance of a long time some indiscretion still leaks, thanks to the next anniversary.

That the marriage proposal had come during a trip to Kenya has been known for some time, but what few people know is that William and Kate preferred to keep the news for a while, as Katie Nicholl tells in her book. Kate: The Future Queen.

Putting the ring that once belonged to Lady Diana in the safe, the future Duchess of Cambridge resumed her life as usual, until the news was communicated to the queen. According to the latest rumors coming from the UK, the sovereign and Prince Philip were having breakfast when they received a phone call from their nephew, who called them from Clarence House with Kate at his side: “The queen was thrilled to receive the news, even if a little surprised by the suddenness of the announcement.” According to a source close to Buckingham Palace: “The queen had no idea there would be an announcement that morning.”

In short, her nephew took her a bit off guard, also because William “was apparently worried that the news would leak out”, as the same source reproaches. A justified anxiety: the prince did not want his decision to reach first to the press and then to his grandmother as had happened on the occasion of his father’s engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles, announced earlier by the tabloids than by those directly involved.

The rest is known history. Today many things have changed, but William and Kate, ten years later, remain certainty for each other and increasingly also for the royal family. “It took some time” to use Harry’s words after hearing the news of the engagement, but it was definitely worth it.

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