Why Prince William decided to wait for so long before marrying Kate Middleton

Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in 2011 after eight years together. The wedding was watched by millions worldwide as the couple said 'I do' at Westminster Abbey in London, and ten years later they now share three beautiful children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently opened up about William's proposal, as he revealed: 'When deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee,' and Kate called him a 'true romantic'.

The pair met at the University of St Andrews while studying and they dated privately until 2004 when they were photographed together skiing. William and Kate also made a marriage pact in 2007 following a brief split.

So why did the couple decide to wait before exchanging vows?

According to a report from the International Business Times, in 2005 William was quoted as saying: 'Look, I’m only 22 for God’s sake. I’m too young to marry at my age. I don’t want to get married until I am at least 28 or maybe 30.'

Royal biographer Katie Nicholl also writes in her book, The Making of a Royal Romance, that William didn't want to feel pressured into marriage like his father, Prince Charles.

She writes: 'He was aware his father had been pressured into marrying Diana because she was deemed the suitable bride. He was reluctant to bow to similar pressure and vowed not to be hurried to the altar.

'He made his feelings clear, telling a journalist in an off-guard moment that he had no plans of getting married any time soon.'

So essentially, he just didn't want to feel rushed into anything.

And it just so happened that William was 28 - as he predicted - when he married Kate!

The rest, as they say, is history.