The Prince and Princess of Wales’s 15th wedding anniversary is coming up on April 29th. They probably won’t even go outside or have any events on their anniversary because King Charles and Camilla will be overseas on two state visits. So, with nothing on their schedules, it’s left to crisis-management gurus and friendly royal reporters to spin some keen magic about William and Kate’s (shambolic) marriage. In truth, I actually think they’ve mostly figured out what works for them in the past two years or so. It’s beyond clear that in 2024, everyone came to an agreement about Kate and how little she will actually do and say, and in exchange, William gets to do whatever he wants (which he was doing anyway). It’s not a fairytale, but it won’t end in divorce, which is as good as it’s going to get. Still, the Windsors know that people want some kind of love story, so these kinds of diligently crafted fictional accounts are dutifully reported. Some highlights from the Telegraph’s big “state of the Waleses’ marriage” article:
A new chapter: A source claims, “They’re at the start of a new chapter.” It has taken time to get here, and little has happened by chance…Theirs is the marriage that will, if all goes to plan, reset the monarchy for generations to come. “If continuity and stability is what the monarchy is supposed to give you,” says a source who knows the couple, “you only need to look at this marriage. Whatever has happened in his life, in her life, the continuity and stability of their relationship has seen them through it. They are exactly the same as they have always been. They’re unshakeable, the two of them.”
Side by side: Where Prince Philip, the consort of all consorts, was always a few paces behind Elizabeth II (and the Duchess of Sussex reliably ahead of Prince Harry in proof of their equality), William and Catherine move, unselfconsciously, in step. “They’re a true team,” says a Palace source. “They’re side by side.”
The Norfolk years: “The main thing from that period was that they were laying the foundations for long-term family life,” says Jason Knauf, their press secretary at the time and now chief executive of the Earthshot Prize. “The priority for everyone, set by them together, was ‘We need to be able to establish a rhythm so we can have as much normal family time with our children as possible.’ There was definitely a feeling from him of making sure the office was prioritising making it work for her, that she had enough focus and support around the issues she wanted to work on.”
Work-shy William: The Prince endured – indeed, still sometimes receives – significant criticism for his workload: fewer engagements than his father, uncle and aunt; less day-to-day travel around the country; virtually no ribbon-cutting. It is deliberate – he wants to focus on fewer causes but pursue them in greater depth, as his team has explained over the years – and he has stuck to his guns. “There’s an absolute desire to break the mould,” says one insider. “They plan stuff around the family. That’s not a chore for them; it’s the opposite – it’s the thing they love the most. It’s part of the strength of the marriage: it isn’t just about the two of them, it’s about everything that comes after them….They have built their world in a way they wanted to build their world, and that’s held despite lots of moments of real challenge, turbulence and change. That ship has stayed straight throughout the whole thing. They have stayed in complete tandem. Nothing has driven a wedge between those two, not ever.”
Noise from other parts of the world: The Sussexes had by then lobbed the grenade of their momentous interview with Oprah Winfrey. Their Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir (described by one Palace insider now only as “the other noise from other parts of the world”) would follow shortly, but so would much worse.
Home life: The Waleses’ home life is relatively simple. Weekends see them become a “taxi service” for their children, ferrying them between sports clubs, matches, play dates and parties. They watch television in the evenings: sports channels for him; MasterChef for her; The Traitors for both. William plays padel (“uber competitively”) but has paused his regular five-a-side game, while Catherine takes on projects in the garden (she received a chainsaw for Christmas in 2024).
Forever home(s): The family now lives in Forest Lodge, having moved out of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, where they lived throughout Catherine’s illness. “It’s their forever home,” confirms a Palace source. “It has provided a fresh start, a moment for them to put all the unhappy memories behind them and look forward.”
They’re not jealous!!! “They’re not competitive,” says a source. “Well, they are when it comes to sports, in a bantering sort of way. But they’re not jealous. On away days, they have a better time together than when they’re on their own – they’re hanging out in the car between engagements, having fun.”
Willy’s growing confidence: Those around him speak of a growing confidence on the world stage, and a willingness both to listen to and to challenge those in power. While his language skills do not yet match those of his father – whose aptitude and accent in German, Italian and pidgin has charmed nations – he does have a Duolingo account. Now, says a Palace source, the public can see the balance of down-to-earth people who are “extremely comfortable in their own skin” and the leaders they will one day be. “He’s still the guy you’d pick to go for a beer with,” the source continues, “but now he has that gravitas too. He’s comfortable on diplomatic duty hosting Donald Trump, and at a Wetherspoons in Birmingham.” Another adds that Catherine is the “school mum you’d call to scoop your children up when you’re running late”.
The spares: The Waleses’ hope to consign at least one royal problem – the infamous “spares” – to history. If all goes to plan with the Wales children, who are being brought up as equals who will support each other through their public lives, there will be meaningful roles for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis as well as their big brother, now second in line to the throne.
Kate may travel this year: The Princess will return to international travel soon, having taken time away from overseas trips for more than two years while recovering from cancer. She may also join Prince William in India for his Earthshot Prize in the autumn.
I’ll believe it when I see it when it comes to Kate traveling for work. Part of the 2024 agreement (which no one will acknowledge) was that Kate no longer has to travel for anything other than vacations. But maybe they’ve amended the agreement, especially after seeing you-know-who travel to Australia, Jordan, Nigeria, Colombia, etc. I believe that William and Kate are not jealous of each other at this point, but jealousy absolutely fuels both of them in different ways. Speaking of, I’m glad that this piece wasn’t mostly about how much they hate Harry and Meghan. For years after the Sussexit, William and Kate couldn’t do these kinds of palace-approved PR pieces without the bulk of the articles focusing on W&K’s hatred of and obsession with the Sussexes. Anyway… I find all of this “new chapter” talk very interesting, because it looks like the same old boring, lazy book to me.
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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
