{"id":519551,"date":"2025-10-22T12:08:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T12:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/519551\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T12:08:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T12:08:10","slug":"kate-middleton-had-given-up-hope-that-prince-william-was-going-to-propose-while-on-holiday-in-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/519551\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Middleton \u201cHad Given Up Hope\u201d That Prince William Was Going to Propose While on Holiday in Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Right around this time 15 years ago, Prince William proposed to his girlfriend of nearly a decade, Kate Middleton.<\/li>\n<li>The two were on holiday together in Kenya when the future king went down on one knee and presented her with Princess Diana\u2019s iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring.<\/li>\n<li>The two were on the last day of their trip\u2014or so Kate thought\u2014and the Princess of Wales \u201chad given up hope\u201d that she\u2019d return to the U.K. engaged, according to a royal biographer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> When <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/prince-william-wont-be-pushed-around-11759097\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prince William<\/a> proposed to <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/kate-middleton-monochrome-blue-suit-8410895\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kate Middleton<\/a> 15 years ago in October 2010, the couple had been together for nearly a decade\u2014yet when the future king got down on one knee in Kenya, Kate was rendered \u201cspeechless\u201d and in \u201ctotal shock,\u201d according to a royal biographer.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_4-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> In her book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kate-Future-Queen-Katie-Nicholl\/dp\/1602862265\/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0\" data-component=\"amazon\" data-source=\"affiliate\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kate: The Future Queen<\/a>, Katie Nicholl wrote that the now-Princess of Wales had \u201cdared to hope that she might return from Africa with a ring on her finger.\u201d Once the couple got to Kenya, though, the vacation went on, and by the last day of their holiday, \u201cKate had given up hope\u201d that she would return home to the U.K. an engaged woman, Nicholl wrote.\n<\/p>\n<p> Kate Middleton and Prince William announcing their engagement on November 16, 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Nicholl added that \u201cKate\u2019s heart was heavy\u201d when there was still \u201cno sign of a proposal\u201d as the trip wound down and they headed out for another safari alongside two friends from South Africa. What Kate didn\u2019t know? That actually wasn\u2019t the end of their vacation, as William had secretly extended their trip, booking them for a day and a night at the Il Ngwesi Lodge, which Nicholl wrote was a \u201cremote log cabin in the heart of the countryside near the great Lake Rutundu.\u201d William had visited before and \u201cknew it would be the perfect place to return with someone special.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> When William actually did propose, Kate was stunned, not only because she wasn\u2019t expecting a proposal on this trip but also because of the \u201cimmediately recognizable\u201d ring she was given\u2014the iconic 12-carat sapphire ring surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds that once belonged to <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/princess-diana-wanted-to-wear-daring-looks-final-years-11749812\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Princess Diana<\/a>. William, it turns out, had been carrying the ring around in his rucksack for about three weeks, he later said in his engagement interview alongside Kate after the couple formally announced their engagement on November 16, 2010.\n<\/p>\n<p> Prince William and Kate Middleton in one of their engagement portraits taken on November 25, 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Mario Testino \/ Clarence House Press Office via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_12-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> \u201cI\u2019d been planning it for a while, but as any guy out there will know, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going,\u201d William told ITV\u2019s Tom Bradby. \u201cI was planning it and then it just felt really right out in Africa.\u201d Of the ring, he added, \u201cI literally would not let it go. Everywhere I went, I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared\u2014I would be in a lot of trouble.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_14-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> \u201cYou hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong,\u201d he added. \u201cIt went really, really well, and I was really pleased she said yes.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_16-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Kate, it turned out, was stunned. In that same interview, she said, \u201cIt was a total shock when it came. There\u2019s a true romantic in there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p> Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_19-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> \u201cIt\u2019s my mother\u2019s engagement ring, and it\u2019s very special to me, as Kate is very special to me now as well,\u201d William said. \u201cIt was only right the two were put together. It was my way of making sure my mother didn\u2019t miss out on today and the excitement and the fact that we\u2019re going to spend the rest of our lives together.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_21-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> William hadn\u2019t told anyone that he was going to propose in Kenya, though his brother <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/king-charles-checking-on-prince-harry-princess-eugenie-8735587\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prince Harry<\/a> knew an engagement was on the horizon because \u201cWilliam had spoken with Harry to make sure his younger brother was happy for him to have their mother\u2019s ring, as and when the time came,\u201d Nicholl wrote. The first person William and Kate told after returning to the U.K. from Kenya was Kate\u2019s father <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/prince-william-consults-unexpected-family-member-advice-11788622\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Middleton<\/a>, it turns out. William and Kate invited Michael and Kate\u2019s mother <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/carole-middleton-kate-middleton-stripes-wimbledon-2025-11767575\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carole Middleton<\/a> up to Birkhall and \u201cJust before supper on the first night, William took Michael into the dressing room, poured them both a large whiskey, and asked for permission to marry Kate,\u201d Nicholl wrote. \u201cWithout a moment\u2019s hesitation, Michael gave William his blessing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p> Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton on November 16, 2010, the day Prince William and Kate Middleton&#8217;s engagement was announced.<\/p>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_24-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marieclaire.com\/celebrity\/royals\/why-kate-middleton-total-shock-by-prince-william-proposal\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marie Claire<\/a>, even before William and Kate told Carole, they had to let someone else in on the secret\u2014William\u2019s grandmother, <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/kate-middleton-chemotherapy-video-queen-elizabeth-land-rover-8709879\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Queen Elizabeth<\/a>, who needed to give her blessing for their engagement to become official.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_26-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> Thirteen years after the proposal, in 2023 <a class=\"recommendation-inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instyle.com\/king-charles-rugby-team-hug-8711449\" link-destination-recommendation=\"true\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">King Charles<\/a> spoke at a state banquet in Kenya and shared details about William and Kate\u2019s romantic proposal, saying (per <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/king-charles-talks-prince-william-proposal-kate-middleton-kenya-my-beloved-daughter-in-law-8385163\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">People<\/a>), \u201cIt was here, in sight of Mount Kenya, that my son the Prince of Wales proposed to his wife, now my beloved daughter-in-law.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p> Prince Charles, Kate Middleton, and Prince William in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p> Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2008.<\/p>\n<p>POOL\/ Tim Graham Picture Library\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_32-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> William, too, has commented on the proposal over the years, saying in 2020, \u201cThe African continent holds a very special place in my heart. It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died. And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Right around this time 15 years ago, Prince William proposed to his girlfriend of nearly a decade, Kate&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[7709,7714,7713,533,2832,532,2831,7710,519,7711,7712],"class_list":{"0":"post-519551","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-british-royal-family","9":"tag-catherine","10":"tag-catherine-middleton","11":"tag-kate-middleton","12":"tag-prince-of-wales","13":"tag-prince-william","14":"tag-princess-of-wales","15":"tag-royal-families","16":"tag-royal-family","17":"tag-uk-royal-family","18":"tag-william"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115417743605464641","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}