Royal future: William and Kate celebrate a decade of marriage
30 April, 2021
Prince William and his wife Kate mark ten years of marriage Thursday, with the popular couple increasingly seen as the British monarchy's future as other senior royals age or recede from view.
Second-in-line to the throne William, 38, and Kate, 39, married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, after first meeting at university and dating for a lot more than seven years.
They will have three children -- seven-year-old Prince George, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, three -- and their family represents several generations destined to head the centuries-old institution for years to come.
After 10 years carrying out solo and joint royal duties as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, because they have already been formally known since tying the knot, the couple are being among the most popular monarchy members.
"We genuinely have as close to normal a family group in the Cambridges as we've ever observed in the royal family and that bodes well for the future," said royal writer Penny Junor prior to the anniversary.
The pair have already been more in the spotlight recently throughout a tumultuous period for the royal family that has included the death of Queen Elizabeth II's 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, William's grandfather.
The monarchy in addition has been rocked by Prince Harry and wife Meghan's shock decision to step back from the institution last year and move to america, amid rumors of a rift along with his sibling William.
Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, followed their departure by giving a bombshell television set interview in March where they accused the monarchy of racism, and failing woefully to support them.
Harry also said William and their father, Prince Charles, were "trapped" by royal convention while Meghan singled out Kate as having made her cry ahead of her 2018 wedding.
The accusations gave a rare glimpse into strained relationships within Britain's most well-known family and the four younger royals, who were once dubbed the "Fab Four".
The explosive charges, which engulfed it for weeks, prompted William to defend the institution he'll eventually lead, telling reporters: "We're quite definitely not a racist family".
Harry appeared to begin healing any enduring rift along with his brother after reportedly spending several hours with him after Philip's funeral earlier this month, their first public meeting because the furore.
The saga seems to have won Harry and Meghan few fans in Britain, with surveys showing their popularity remains low some royals have obtained a boost lately -- likely due to sympathy over Philip.
Kate specifically drew widespread praise on her behalf demeanor and style at his funeral, with a striking photograph of her arriving by car wearing a black veil and nose and mouth mask making waves around the world.
The image, where her eyes stare down the camera lens, drew comparisons with William's late mother, Princess Diana.
"She's got such poise and elegance and she's not in competition with William," Junor added on Kate. "Everything about her is measured. She's a grown-up."
The couple, who started out dating if they were both studying at St Andrew's University in Scotland, got engaged this year 2010 after William proposed with Diana's gemstone.
"When I first met Kate I knew there is something very special about her," he said within an engagement interview.
Throughout their early years as a couple Kate kept her distance from major monarchy events, but was gradually integrated in her future duties and is widely seen to have flourished as a working royal, and as the family's unofficial photographer.
With William, they have already been especially active in the past year of lockdowns, from baking goods for local vulnerable people to undertaking video calls, supporting key personnel and promoting mental health initiatives.
Polls show they enjoy significant popularity.
William is far more recommended than his 72-year-old father, with around a third of Britons wanting him to achieve success his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II instead.
Meanwhile, Kate is the third most popular relative behind the 95-year-old queen and William. Two-thirds of folks had a positive view of her, according to a YouGov poll published Tuesday.
Kate has no royal lineage, so officially her title will be Queen Consort when William eventually inherits the throne. But to most she'll simply be Britain's queen.
"I think she's been absolutely extraordinary and a style of just what a future queen should be," said Junor.
Source: japantoday.com
TAG(s):