Royal biographer Christopher Wilson gives us an intimate peek inside their marriage.
On her way to her post-wedding party, after four hours alone with her new husband Prince William inside Clarence House, the newly named Duchess of Cambridge flexed her royal muscle for the very first time. Approaching a photographer who was snapping away at her, Kate asked to see the pictures, leaving her frustrated new father-in-law, Prince Charles, waiting with an open door and an uneasy look on his face.
It is only now that the beautiful brunette can publicly show she’s firmly in charge, but that’s the way it’s always been when it comes to her relationship with William. Although he may have kept her waiting for nine years, and it was his job that delayed their honeymoon, Kate sent out a big message when she chose to omit the word “obey” from her wedding vows. She was telling her new husband, “I’m the boss!” – and as a close friend of the couple tells Woman’s Day, “That’s the way William likes it.”
As far back as 2002, Kate told the prince where they were headed. While they were students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, William was floundering in his art history course and ready to quit. Despite the fact their romance had only just begun, Kate sat him down and gave him a stiff lecture. “Flunking out is not a thing future kings do,” she told him. “Change to a different course and stick with it – I’m here to help you.”
At that moment, William realised he’d found the woman of his dreams, someone strong who was determined to see him succeed.“He’s lucky to have got me,” said Kate in one of her rare interviews. And it’s not only friends who believe it – her new husband does too.
William, 28, brings more than 1000 years of royal history to the marriage, but Kate, 29, brings backbone. Her mother, Carole, 56, is the dominant partner in her 31-year marriage to Kate’s father, Michael, 61. The Middleton family’s multimillion-dollar business, online party paraphernalia company Party Pieces, was built up largely due to Carole’s ruthless streak and business acumen.
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