Quick Links
Americans have always been obsessed with the romantic lives of the British Royal family. Right now, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's love story is taking center stage. But before they became the "it" couple of the moment, Harry's older brother, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton were the royals whose relationship set the standard for fairy tale love.
William and Kate, known formally of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been together for over a decade, and married for eight, so there are plenty of mushy, romantic moments to choose from. Here are 10 of the sweetest times that William and Kate were relationship goals.
Kate Won William Over At A University Fashion Show
William and Kate might not have been (the UK equivalent of) high school sweethearts, but they were the next best thing: college sweethearts. The future spouses became friends while attending St. Andrews University in 2001, though they didn’t start dating until 2003.
The event that prompted William to finally take things to the next level was a fashion show that Kate was apart of. William loved Kate’s look so much that he eventually asked her out, thus kicking off their fairy tale romance (and maybe proving that love at first sight really exists).
Kate Took The High Road
The strength of a relationship isn’t just measured by the way a couple treats each other in times of peace, but also times of separation. Prince William and Kate Middleton are going eight years strong in their marriage, but long before they got engaged, they broke up in 2007.
Kate Middleton could have leveraged their breakup by badmouthing William in order to generate more press for herself, but she didn’t. Instead, she and William worked their issues out in private, which strengthened the trust between them.
Prince William Asked For Kate's Father's Permission
Prince William might have been born royalty, but he still asked for Kate's father's permission before he proposed to her. Even though he likely knew that Kate would agree to marry him, he still decided to meet with her father first.
Asking the father of your would-be-bride for her hand in marriage might be an antiquated tradition to some, but given William's status, it was more than sweet and proved how much he valued the opinion of her family, at the very least
William Proposed With His Mother's Ring
William's mom, Princess Diana passed away in 1997, but her legacy has lived on. When it came time for William to propose to Kate, he honored his mother by giving Kate her wedding ring.
The ring in question was a dark blue sapphire, which is worth half a million dollars! For William to have given Kate his late mother's ring, he must have believed that she could live up to the place he held for her in his heart. It seems he was right!
Kate Included William In Her Wedding Bouquet
Kate Middleton’s wedding bouquet looked quite simple compared to her beautiful wedding gown and multi-million dollar wedding venue. But once you look a little deeper and see the sweet significance of the flowers, you can’t help but swoon.
The bouquet was made up of Mrytle, Ivy and Hyacinth, and--get this--a flower called Sweet William, which is the informal name of Gallantry. If that’s not a sign that these two are meant to be, then we don’t know what is!
They Had A Fairy Tale Carriage Ride
William and Kate’s wedding was dubbed The Royal Wedding, so it was beyond reasonable to expect a fairy tale experience. But from beginning to end, William and Kate exceeded even those expectations.
One of the most swoon-worthy aspects of their wedding occurred after the ceremony, when William and Kate traveled by carriage ride from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. Dressed in their wedding garb, the newly married couple smiled cheerfully to onlookers as they started their official life together.
William Kissed Kate At Buckingham Palace
After getting wed in front of millions of people, William and Kate arrived at Buckingham Palace where their other wedding festivities took place. Before they retired for the private affairs for the evening, they stood on the balcony and waved to their onlookers and supporters.
Then, in full view of the cameras, William kissed Kate! Sure, kisses are expected at weddings, but royals are notorious for keeping PDA at a minimum, so the impromptu kiss took the world by surprise. But we guess that's just what happens when you're in love.
William Surprised Kate For Their Honeymoon
One perk of being a Royal is the extravagant trips that you get to go on. After William and Kate got married, then came time for them to honeymoon somewhere warm, tropical and envy-inducing.
But instead of putting the burden of planning on Kate, like some husbands do, William wanted their honeymoon location to be a surprise. The location he chose was the Seychelles Islands, a secluded tropical hideaway off the coast of Africa.
William Helped Kate Fix Her Shoe
Unlike in movies, William and Kate's love story didn't end with their wedding. In the eight years since they wed, they've added two kids to their family and continued to be one of everyone's favorite couples.
In 2013, while visiting England the couple gave their fans one more thing to swoon over. Kate Middleton's shoe got stuck in the grass, and while kneeling down to fix it, William helped keep her from toppling over. It might be a smaller moment, but it just shows that the royals really are like the rest of us.
They Started Their Dream Family
For William and Kate, first came love, then came marriage, then came three babies and three baby carriages! Eight years into their marriage, the couple now has three adorable little ones, who are now third, fourth, and fifth in line to the throne!
Per royal tradition, each time Kate delivered, William stood with her shortly after to present their newest little bundle to the world, and pose for photos. Their first child, Prince George is the oldest; next came Princess Charlotte. Third was the adorably Prince Louis. Who said that you can't have it all?