When the British Prince William (41) and the entrepreneur's daughter Kate Middleton (42) exchanged vows in London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, two billion people worldwide watched the live broadcast. This Monday, the couple heir to the British throne is celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary and is publishing a new post on their official Instagram profile to celebrate the day.
You can see a previously unpublished wedding photo in which both of them are overjoyed and beaming into the camera. “13 years ago today,” it simply says underneath. The post collected over 300,000 likes in the first 30 minutes. The photographer of the picture, Millie Pilkington, also spoke up. "Happy Anniversary! I can't believe it's been 13 years. I still remember this moment well. Sending so much love on this special day too."
Fans had almost given up hope that the couple would speak out on their wedding day. Ultimately, their anniversary is overshadowed by serious illnesses and personal conflicts.
Princess Kate is battling unspecified cancer. On March 22nd she addressed the public with a personal video message. In it, she explained that she is currently undergoing "preventive chemotherapy" after tests following her abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer. "I'm doing well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that help me heal: my mind, my body and my soul."
The fact that William and Kate are now parents of three small children doesn't make the situation any easier. Prince Louis celebrated his sixth birthday on April 23rd, Princess Charlotte turns nine on May 2nd and Prince George turns eleven in July. Explaining everything to the three of them in an appropriate manner and reassuring them that their mother will get better is William and Kate's top priority at this time.
Kate's video outing was preceded by a real hunt after Kate published a photo of herself and her children on her Instagram account on British Mother's Day (March 10). The eagle eyes at the photo agencies quickly revealed it as “edited”. The wife of the heir to the British throne was forced to make a personal statement and admitted that she had manipulated the picture herself. "Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I would like to apologize for the confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday," she wrote on the X platform, adding: "I hope that everyone who celebrates this day had a happy Mother's Day."
The current situation is also challenging in many ways for her husband William. Not only his wife is fighting the insidious disease, but also his father. After King Charles III. (75) was released from a London clinic after prostate surgery, the palace announced on February 5th that appropriate tests had independently diagnosed cancer. The king immediately sought treatment and, on the advice of his doctors, he no longer performed any public duties. Tomorrow, Tuesday (April 30th), his first official appointment after the long regeneration break is scheduled for a visit to a cancer treatment center.
And as if all of this wasn't stressful enough, the media and fans continue to speculate as to whether there could be an imminent reconciliation between William and his emigrated brother Prince Harry (39). Harry is flying from his adopted home of California to his old home of London in May for a series of Invictus Games events. But after everything that Harry and his wife Meghan (42) have accused his family of and revealed about them, the Prince and Princess of Wales are probably not in the mood for reconciliation.
