‘I married Prince William and Kate Middleton – we talked before and they showed their true colours’

Prince William and Princess Kate married at Westminster Abbey 15 years ago as billions of people around the world watched on television and millions lined the streets

Prince William and Princess Kate celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary today(Image: Getty Images)

The man who married Prince William and Princess Kate says the couple showed their true colours as they spoke before the ceremony. The Prince and Princess of Wales tied the knot at Westminster Abbey on 29 April, 2011.

Around 1,900 guests are thought to have attended the wedding as millions of people lined the streets between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. It is estimated that around two billion people worldwide watched the ceremony.

Lord Williams of Oystermouth, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, conducted the ceremony. He recalls being “very impressed” by the couple, who were aged 28 and 29 at the time.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Lord Williams said: “They seemed natural and relaxed together, they had obviously thought this through. I felt quite clearly they were at home with one another.

“Obviously we talked a little bit about the pressures of the actual marriage ceremony, in front of billions of people worldwide, and the pressures of living it [the marriage] out in front of billions worldwide. I think they were very used to that.”

Lord Williams married William and Kate(Image: POOL WPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Lord Williams says he discussed the Christian significance of marriage “quite freely” with the couple. William has recently opened up about his “quiet faith” having faced scrutiny for not being a regular churchgoer.

That is a contrast to his father, King Charles, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II who were both regular attendees. It came as a source close to the prince stressed his “commitment to the Church of England”.

The 43-year-old said he was keen to form “a strong and meaningful bond with the Church and its leadership”. Lord Williams said inside the Sanctuary on the prince’s wedding day felt “very human and intimate”.

He believes the late Queen would have been “very, very happy” with the occasion. William and Kate met in 2001 while studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland.

The Prince and Princess of Wales with their children (Image: Samir Hussein./WireImage)

Their relationship is said to have turned romantic in 2003. They briefly split up in spring 2007, reconciling later that year.

William proposed to Kate during a trip to Kenya in October 2010. At the time, he said: “We had a little private time away together with some friends, and I just decided it was the right time really.

“We’d been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn’t a big surprise, but I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya.”

The couple later welcomed Prince George into the world in 2013, followed by Princess Charlotte in 2015, and Prince Louis in 2018. In recent years, having remained strong through Kate’s cancer diagnosis, royal expert Katie Nicholl says the couple’s relationship has “grown”.

She said: “They have a relationship rooted in a firm friendship, which has transitioned and changed over the years, but ultimately they have grown together as a couple.”

Nicholl went on to reveal that while the couple “prioritise” their family, they have been enjoying time together. She added: “Of course, their children always come first for William and Kate, but in recent years they have also prioritised together-time, and spent long weekends together without the children.”