![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_From-KP-Press-Office-kensingtonpalaceroyalukDate-Mon-9-Sept-2024-at-1531Subject-STRICTLY.jpg\")
Prince William and Princess Kate<\/p>\nWilliam and Kate have never been as tactile with each other as Harry and Meghan in public., but it’s a different story away from the spotlight says royal expert Katie NichollPrince William and Princess Kate<\/p>\n
William and Kate will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary next April, and it will no doubt be a momentous landmark after the stresses and strains of recent times.<\/a> \u201cThey tend to do things in a low-key way, but it wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see them do something special to recognise 15 years of marriage<\/a> next year,\u201d says royal commentator Katie Nicholl.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been through so much and, of course, each year Kate clocks up will be another year of being cancer-free,<\/a> which really will be worth marking.\u201d Although the turmoil she and William have experienced could push any couple to breaking point, it seems it is precisely the opposite for the pair. \u201cI\u2019ve been with them on many occasions, and when the cameras drop, you\u2019ll often see them walk away and Kate will put an arm around his waist, or he\u2019ll place his hand in the small of her back,\u201d says Katie, who wrote the biography Kate: The Future Queen .<\/p>\n READ MORE: Riding the storm: Kate Middleton no longer trying to broker peace between William and Harry says royal expert<\/a>READ MORE: A Bold New Path: Prince William reveals he has overcome ‘hardest year of my life’<\/a> \u201cThere\u2019s a lovely closeness between them, and whereas at the start of their marriage they seemed shy about being affectionate in public, they\u2019re so much more confident now.\u201d<\/p>\n According to royal author Christopher Andersen, who wrote 2022 book The King , a shared \u201cnaughty\u201d sense of humour was \u201cone of the most important things that drew them together\u201d. Although he suggests they have toned down the jokes for the sake of young ears around the house, Christopher adds, \u201cThey can still make each other double over laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n William himself revealed during their televised 2010 engagement interview, \u201cWe\u2019re down to earth. We take the mickey out of each other a lot, and she\u2019s got plenty of habits that make me laugh that I tease her about.\u201d As parents to three active youngsters, romantic opportunities may be less frequent these days, but the pair still strive to find private time for themselves.<\/p>\n In April, following an official visit to the Isle of Mull \u2013 which coincided with their 14th wedding anniversary \u2013 they took a public ferry to Iona for a minibreak. Rather than staying in a luxurious hotel, they opted for self-catering in a remote country lodge. They also shared a photo on Instagram<\/a> of themselves with their arms around each other and heads close together.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also said that while relaxing at Anmer Hall, their home in Norfolk, they often sneak out for low-key date nights at nearby pubs, where locals leave them well alone. However, married life is not always a bed of roses, and, like anyone else, they encounter the occasional thorny issue. \u201cThey\u2019ve been together for nearly a quarter of a century. Of course there are going to be hiccups,\u201d says Katie.<\/p>\n Memorably, they tied the knot at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011, with both looking radiantly happy as they said \u2018I do\u2019 before a TV audience of millions. Since then, they have welcomed three children and risen through the ranks, with the death of the late Queen in September 2022 seeing them inherit their Prince and Princess of Wales<\/a> titles.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019re stronger, closer and more in control than ever,\u201d royal author Duncan Larcombe says. \u201cThey\u2019ve had their ups and downs, but there\u2019s no doubt they are flying high. It\u2019s not easy being a member of the royal family<\/a>, but, as a couple, they seem to be about as together as it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n Although there appears to be no magic formula to their marital success, William and Kate\u2019s romance took time to evolve, spanning a decade from their first meeting in 2001 to their wedding.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they started dating at university in St Andrews, William benefitted from a complete media ban, which allowed him to live pretty normally,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cThat helped them develop solid foundations, which have often been missing in other royal marriages.\u201d<\/p>\n Physical attraction has been consistent in their relationship, too, and on the night William saw his future bride strut down the catwalk in a sheer dress at a student fashion show, he famously told friends, \u201cWow, Kate\u2019s hot!\u201d<\/p>\n In the years since, body language experts have frequently noted their chemistry \u2013 and Kate has often dispensed with royal protocol by publicly patting William on the bottom.<\/p>\n Royal writer Tom Quinn, who penned Gilded Youth: An Intimate History Of Growing Up In The Royal Family , has claimed the pair have had fiery arguments over the years, suggesting that they resolve tension in an unusual but effective way. \u201cWilliam and Kate throw cushions at each other. It\u2019s always kept under control. It doesn\u2019t escalate,\u201d he has said. One aspect they are rumoured to have clashed on recently is George\u2019s schooling.<\/p>\n Now in his final year at Lambrook School in Berkshire, it\u2019s said that Kate is reluctant for him to go to Eton, like William and Harry, with insiders saying she would prefer him to have a more relaxed experience at Marlborough College, where she did her A-levels. \u201cIf Kate <\/a>badly wants George to go to Marlborough, I think she\u2019ll probably have her way,\u201d says Duncan. \u201cThat seems to be the dynamic, not in an unkind way, but she seems like the chief parent.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_Royal-visit-to-the-Caribbean-Day-8.jpg\")
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to a Fish Fry in Abaco, a traditional Bahamian culinary gathering place which is found on every island in the Bahamas(Image: Chris Jackson\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_Royal-Wedding-Carriage-Procession-To-Buckingham-Palace-And-Departures.jpg\")
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after getting married on April 29, 2011 (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_The-Prince-And-Princess-of-Wales-Visit-Merseyside.jpg\")
The look of love: Kate and William at an engagement in 2023 (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_The-Middleton-Family-Release-Images-Of-Kate-Middleton.jpg\")
Kate Middleton and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrew’s University in St Andrew’s on June 23, 2005 in Scotland. (Image: Clarence House via GettyImages)<\/p>\n