For a couple whose relationship had been so very public, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton were able to keep their October 20, 2010, engagement private — for nearly a month. It helped that it happened on another continent.
While holidaying with friends for a few weeks at Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, he took his love up to a log cabin on Mount Kenya, where he got down on one knee and presented her with his late mother Princess Diana’s engagement ring.
“There’s a true romantic in there,” Kate later said.
Who Was Involved
Only the most recognizable couple in the world. William and Kate, each now 43, met in 2001 at Scotland’s University of St Andrews — “not the norm,” royal historian Marlene Koenig told Us Weekly exclusively, but it ended up being “a more natural way to get to know each other.”
As the story goes, their friendship turned into something more after he saw her in a sheer dress at a charity fashion show! (The piece wouldn’t even qualify as nearly nude today.)
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Relationship Timeline
Why We Remember It
We’d waited so long!
“His parents’ marriage failed, one reason being that [now-King] Charles and Diana never got to know each other,” Koenig explained. “He did not want to fail.”
When the engagement was officially announced on November 16, 2010, William explained further in an interview: “I wanted to give [Kate] a chance to see in and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much. I’m trying to learn from lessons done in the past.”
And for excited royal watchers, the engagement signaled the pomp and circumstance of a wedding — the first since Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999.
Key Details
William’s choice of Diana’s ring — a 2-carat Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds — tugged at heartstrings, especially since he’d carried it in his backpack for a few weeks, waiting for the right time.
“A lot of the focus was, naturally, on the ring,” Samir Hussein told Us of photographing the official engagement announcement. “It seemed to give Catherine something to anchor herself to, a tangible focus amidst what must have been an overwhelming amount of attention.”
The Aftermath
Reaction to the news was overwhelmingly positive.
“Front-page, breaking news around the world,” Koenig summarized for Us. “Joy because William and Kate were finally getting married. [And] no scandals with this relationship. William and Catherine’s wedding would be a grand occasion, but on their own terms.”
Remembering “a real buzz in the air,” Hussein noted, “This wasn’t just about a royal engagement — it felt like a new dawn for the royal family. Everyone there knew they were witnessing the start of something historic.”
Princess Kate Through the Years: From Commoner to Future Queen Consort
A New Perspective
After confessing, “I don’t know the ropes, really” after the engagement, Kate has settled comfortably — even admirably — into her role in the royal family and her place in history.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold told Us the now-Princess of Wales has brought a “breath of fresh air” to the House of Windsor. And as she gears up for her future role as queen consort to William, who will succeed his father, Charles, she is learning by example from Queen Camilla.
“Her interest in early education, the environment, the arts will have a greater profile,” Koenig said of Kate.
Where Are They Now?
William and Kate walked down the aisle on April 29, 2011 — yes, it was spectacular! — and soon gave Us the delightful Prince George, now 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
Kate also battled cancer last year and is now in remission, giving a happy ending to another chapter in this fairy tale.
