Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Celebrity News

    Prince William has opened up about his romantic proposal to Kate Middleton

    Jadie Troy-Pryde's avatar
    By Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Published 10 June 2021 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    prince william kate middleton 106911103
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    It has been ten years since Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot at Westminster Abbey. The couple said 'I do' in front of millions of people worldwide in April 2011, and it has been reported that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge actually had a marriage pact when they were dating. According to royal biographer Kate Nicholls, the pair decided to make promise they'd exchange vows during a make or break trip to the Seychelles in 2007.

    'There on the paradise island, William promised Kate that he was in the relationship for the long term,' she wrote in her book, Kate: The Future Queen.

    'For the very first time, they talked seriously about marriage, and with the ocean before them and beneath the night sky, they made a pact to marry.'

    And it turns out that William's proposal was actually pretty 'romantic' according to Kate.

    During a reception at Buckingham Palace in 2019, William said: 'The African continent holds a very special place in my heart. It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died.

    You may like
    • Wedding planning I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    • Cece Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities
    • Arsenal player and Lioness Chloe Kelly Chloe Kelly: “I Never Take Playing for My Country for Granted—I Just Want to Give it My All”

    'And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.'

    Following their engagement announcement in November 2010, William said: 'We had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn't a massively big surprise.'

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Kate added: 'It was very romantic. There's a true romantic in there.'

    During an interview with CNN back in 2010, William explained that he wanted to pop the question somewhere that really meant something to him, telling reporters: 'I regularly daydream. Africa is definitely one of the places I go to. It does completely settle me down. [Kate] understands what it means to me being in Africa, and my love of conservation.

    'I didn’t really plan it that far in advance. I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it.'

    Aww.

    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Social Links Navigation
    News Editor

    Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.

    Read more
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    Cece Jewellery
    Watches and Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities
     
     
    Arsenal player and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Chloe Kelly: “I Never Take Playing for My Country for Granted—I Just Want to Give it My All”
    Football and Domestic Abuse: Women’s Aid: “He’s Coming Home”
    Life After England's World Cup Defeat, I Couldn't Stop Thinking About This Domestic Abuse Statistic
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity News
    Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage in a babydoll dress that sparked online debate, later prompting the singer to speak out about the sexualisation of girlhood and double standards facing young women.
    Celebrity News “We Really Normalise Pedophilia in Our Culture”: What Olivia Rodrigo's Babydoll Dress Backlash Reveals About Girlhood
    Meghan Markle in 'With Love, Meghan'
    Celebrity News Meghan Markle’s Sweet Glimpse Into Sussex Family Life Is Going Viral
     
     
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
     
     
    Latest in News
    The Beauty Digest: New Products to Know
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: A Foundation With Infinite Shades, Diptyque Does Bodycare, and the Exhibition Every Beauty Lover Should See
    Eva Omaghomi
    Fashion After 17 years in the Royal Household, Eva Omaghomi Talks Bringing African Design Talent to Harrods
     
     
    New Beauty Products: The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Dyson Does Teeth, Fenty Rips Up the Rulebook (Again) and a Surprisingly Fragrant Week for Dogs
    Jodie Comer
    Shopping Jodie Comer Just Announced the Start of Knee-High Boots Season
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.