No ordinary in-laws! Princess Kate joined the royal family in April 2011 after her wedding to King Charles III’s eldest son, Prince William.
The Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales first met as undergraduate students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After becoming close friends, the pair eventually started dating. Amid their courtship, William brought Kate home to meet his family.
“It was one thing to be asked to accompany Will on club-hopping excursions in London and Edinburgh. It was quite another to be invited to Balmoral, which William’s great-great-great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria called ‘this dear Paradise,’” royal expert Christopher Andersen wrote in his 2011 book, William and Kate: A Royal Love Story. “By all accounts, Kate was the first girl Wills ever brought to Balmoral – in large part because, said a royal insider, ‘he must have known how much she would love it.’”
According to Andersen’s tome, the Duchess of Cambridge was introduced to William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96, and his father, Charles. (His Majesty and late ex-wife Princess Diana were the parents of William and Prince Harry.)
“During her first visit to Balmoral, Kate jumped one significant hurdle. She met Charles,” Andersen wrote, noting that the duchess impressed her future father-in-law thanks to her “assuming grace.”
After dating on and off, William popped the question in fall 2010 during their vacation to Kenya. They wed one year later before welcoming their three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in 2013, 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Throughout the Duke of Cornwall and Kate’s romance, they continued to support Charles and the monarchy. The Duchess of Cornwall quickly became a staple at her husband and father-in-law’s public engagements.
After the queen’s passing, Charles — as her firstborn son and direct heir — immediately assumed the throne. With the Trinity College grad’s ascension, he bestowed his former titles of Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge onto William.
“Today, I am proud to create [William the] Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty,” the king said in his first speech as the reigning monarch in September 2022, noting that Kate will thereby be referred to as the Princess of Wales. “With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given.”
William and Kate have since continued to support Charles’ reign, including by participating in his official coronation in May 2023.
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Scroll below to revisit Kate’s relationship with her father-in-law, Charles:
