Prince William took his time before finally proposing to Kate Middleton. He purposely did not rush into marriage because he wanted her to fully understand the implications of becoming a member of the Royal Family and the intense public scrutiny that comes with it. William made sure to give Kate a clear view of what life in the Royal Family entailed before she decided to marry him.
The heir to the British throne announced his engagement to Middleton in 2010, and the pair married in 2011. William spoke about delaying marriage during an interview with Tom Bradby for the BBC. He explained that he knew it was only the right time for an engagement after giving Kate a proper chance to see both the positive and negative aspects of public life.
Bradby, who is no stranger to the limelight, said to the Prince of Wales: “This is a life in the public domain to a degree that you can’t escape. You both know that—you obviously know it better than Kate does. You are, understandably, very protective of her.”
Given the most recent wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it’s clear that marrying into the British Royal Family is far from a typical fairy tale. William emphasized how “protective” he was of both his bride and her family, knowing the challenges they would face once the engagement became national news.
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He said to Bradby, “I want to make sure they have the best guidance and the chance to see what life has been like—or what life is like—in the family. That’s kind of almost why I have been waiting this long.”
William had carefully considered Kate’s feelings about marrying him, especially because she would have to face the tremendous pressure that comes with being a member of the Royal Family. He wanted her to experience it all beforehand so she could make an informed decision—either diving headfirst into it or stepping away.
“I wanted to give her a chance to see in and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much. I’m trying to learn from lessons from the past, and I just wanted to give her the best chance to settle in and to see what happens on the other side,” William added.
In 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton finally tied the knot, with millions of viewers from around the globe watching the grand wedding.
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