Prince William and Princess Kate are celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary on April 29. The couple’s relationship began while they were studying at St. Andrew’s University in 2001, and they officially started dating after taking a skiing vacation in 2004. After a brief separation in 2007, William proposed to Kate during a vacation in Kenya in 2010, and their engagement was announced later that same year.
Their wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, and was watched by an estimated global audience of over 160 million people. The ceremony was attended by members of royal families from around the world, as well as personal friends and extended family members. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harold V of Norway, and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands were among the crowned heads present at the wedding.
Princess Kate arrived at Westminster Abbey in an ivory gown designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. She walked down the aisle with her father and bridesmaids to Hubert Parry’s coronation anthem, “I Was Glad.” William and Kate exchanged vows before Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and after signing the marriage register, they were officially pronounced man and wife. The newlyweds then stood before Queen Elizabeth II, where William offered a bow and Kate performed her first curtsy as a member of the royal family.
Following the ceremony, William and Kate made a carriage procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, where they greeted crowds of well-wishers. The couple then appeared on the balcony of the palace, where they shared two kisses in front of the cheering crowd. After the balcony appearance and wedding breakfast, William and Kate drove to Clarence House for the evening celebrations in an open-top sports car loaned by King Charles, which had been decorated with balloons and a customized number plate.
The evening reception took place at Buckingham Palace, where William and Kate reappeared with King Charles and Queen Camilla. Kate wore a second wedding dress, also designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The evening ensemble was a simpler white silk fit-and-flare gown with a diamante-embellished belt. Overall, Prince William and Princess Kate’s wedding day was a grand event that captured the attention of millions around the world.
