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The wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William captivated audiences worldwide. The couple exchanged vows in 2011 and have since welcomed three children: George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5.
Kate and Prince William started dating when both were students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2001. As per Town and Country magazine, in their sophomore year, William and Kate moved in together with a couple of their friends. In the engagement interview, as per Vogue, William shared:
"We moved in together as friends because we were living together, we lived with a couple of others as well, and it just sort of blossomed from there really."
According to Cosmopolitan, Kate and William initially became friends and eventually started dating. Despite a brief split in 2007, they reconciled after a few months.
As per the Westminster Abbey website, Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton during a holiday trip to Kenya in October 2010. In November, Clarence House made the official announcement that Prince William was to marry Catherine Middleton. In the same month, the wedding details which included the date and location were confirmed. The wedding was to be held at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.
Kate Middleton and Prince William got married at Westminster Abbey
The day, April 29, 2011, was declared a public holiday in the United Kingdom. Westminster Abbey has been the venue for 40 coronations and sixteen weddings. As per the Westminster website, the first wedding happened in the year 1100, between Henry I and Princess Matilda of Scotland.
The wedding's day proceedings started in the early morning of April 29th, 2011. As per Westminster Abbey's website, the doors of the abbey were opened at 8 am. Around 2000 guests were invited to the occasion, which also included members of foreign royal families and representatives of the Commonwealth. Celebrities like David Beckham and Sir Elton John also graced the royal event.
At around 10:15 am, Prince William along with his best man Prince Harry, arrived at the Abbey. By 11 am, Kate Middleton's family members and other royal members had arrived. Soon, Kate Middleton made her appearance in a beautiful lace and ivory wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton from the fashion house Alexander McQueen. Kate Middleton was accompanied by her father, Michael Middleton.
Kate Middleton took a long walk to the High Altar, where Prince William and Prince Harry had been awaiting her. Soon, the vows were solemnized by Archbishop Rowan Williams. As per Westminster Abbey's website, after taking Kate's right hand, Prince William said after the Archbishop:
"I, William Arthur Philip Louis, take thee, Catherine Elizabeth, to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth."
Then Kate Middleton took Prince William by the right and repeated after the Archbishop:
"I, Catherine Elizabeth, take thee, William Arthur Philip Louis, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth."
The rest of the vows were held and the Archbishop declared them man and woman. After that William and Kate were seated. The congregation then sang Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. Catherine's brother, James Middleton, also read The Lesson, Romans 12: 1, 2, 9-18.
Later, the marriage was registered by Kate Middleton and Prince William at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor. The married couple then departed from Westminster Abbey and traveled to Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn carriage. They soon appeared on the balcony with the rest of the Royal Family and waved at the crowd. The couple also shared a kiss.
After the wedding, Queen Elizabeth II held a reception for the newlyweds and guests. Furthermore, King Charles, then Prince of Wales, reportedly also held a private dinner in the evening.
Final thoughts
The royal couple has been happily married for 13 years. The wedding was a significant moment in British royal history, as Prince William is currently next in line to the Crown. The wedding was telecasted live, and as per the Daily Express, Kate Middleton and Prince William's wedding was seen by 162 million viewers worldwide.
