Prince William and Princess Kate may have looked picture perfect when they announced their engagement, but behind the scenes there was a quietly awkward family moment that almost stole the spotlight.
The Prince and Princess of Wales confirmed their happy news in November 2010 before tying the knot in April 2011. Yet as it turns out, not everyone was entirely in the loop at first.
William and Kate’s ‘awkward situation’ with Carole
William popped the question in October 2010 while the couple were on holiday in Kenya, managing to keep the proposal tightly under wraps.
There was, however, one person he decided to confide in beforehand: Kate’s father, Michael Middleton.
That decision led to an unexpected dilemma. Kate was certain William had spoken to her dad, but she had no idea whether her mum, Carole Middleton, had been told.
Opening up during their engagement interview with ITV News’ Tom Bradby in November 2010, Kate admitted the situation felt more than a little uncomfortable.
‘I didn’t know if my mother knew’
Speaking at the time, Kate said: “I think as any mother would be, she was absolutely over the moon.”
But before that joy came a slightly tense moment.
“We had quite an awkward situation because I knew and I knew that William had asked my father but I didn’t know if my mother knew,” she explained.
When she arrived home, Carole did not give anything away, leaving mother and daughter standing there, as Kate put it, “sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward about it”.
We had quite an awkward situation because I knew and I knew that William had asked my father but I didn’t know if my mother knew.
In the end, it appeared Michael had kept the secret, allowing Kate the special privilege of sharing the news with her mum herself.
“But it was amazing to tell and obviously she was very happy for us,” she added.
As for William, he revealed he did not follow tradition in the usual order.
William went against tradition
The prince admitted he felt “torn” about asking Michael for permission before proposing. Then came the thought that Michael might actually refuse.
“So I thought if I ask Kate first then he can’t really say no. So I did it that way round. I managed to speak to Mike soon after it happened really,” William said.
While asking Michael was a matter of courtesy and tradition, seeking approval from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was required by law.
William had to ask for the queen’s permission to propose, and just eight days before the wedding she formally signed a notice of approval for the marriage to go ahead.
That requirement stemmed from the Royal Marriages Act 1772, which states that descendants of King George II must obtain the Sovereign’s consent before marrying.
The queen was said to be “absolutely delighted” by the engagement news, bringing the story full circle from that awkward pause in the Middleton family home to a wedding watched around the world.
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