Catherine, Princess of Wales
This is what she regrets about her engagement to Prince William
Prince William and Duchess Catherine
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For Catherine, Princess of Wales, joy and sorrow were close together in November 2010. She actually wanted to tell her family about her engagement to Prince William, but then she received sad news.
Catherine, Princess of Wales: Marriage proposal on vacation in Kenya
It was just before 12 noon on November 16, 2010 when William and Kate’s engagement was officially announced. Both the British royal family and the Middleton family were delighted by this wonderful news. However, the proposal had already taken place a few weeks earlier, privately and romantically, on William and Kate’s vacation in Kenya. The eldest son of Prince Charles, 74, had previously even asked Kate’s father Michael Middleton, 74, for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Sad news after engagement
But while Kate’s parents knew, many other family members and friends were left in the dark for some time. The reason was that the couple feared the news would leak to the public. And so William and Kate didn’t plan to announce their engagement to most of their relatives until November 3rd. A fatal decision, because Kate’s grandfather Peter died the day before, and with him her last living grandparent. “Kate was deeply saddened not to have had the opportunity to tell her grandfather that she was engaged to William. She knew he would have been happy for her,” writes Katie Nicholl in her book “Kate: The Future Queen.” .
The big announcement on November 3rd was canceled, William accompanied Kate to her grandfather’s funeral and her loved ones were only informed on November 16th – just a few hours before the world learned about the engagement.
Sources used: marieclaire.com, mirror.co.uk, Katie Nicholl – “Kate: The Future Queen”