Princess Kate Middleton is choosing happiness with husband Prince William and their three children on the couple’s wedding anniversary.
“She remains a ray of light in what can often be a suffocatingly stuffy environment behind palace walls,” royal author Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, April 29, which marks 13 years of marriage for the couple.
Andersen — who penned Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan — noted that William, 41, and Kate’s last year of marriage “has been tumultuous” following Kate’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
The couple’s anniversary has also been “bittersweet” for the Prince and Princess of Wales, 42, according to Andersen, who pointed out that the special day comes one week after the family toasted Prince Louis’ sixth birthday. Louis is the youngest child of William and Kate, who also share Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 8.
“When they celebrated their 12th anniversary by releasing a photo of themselves smiling broadly on bicycles, no one could have imagined that a year later both Kate and the king would be battling cancer,” Andersen told Us, referring to King Charles III’s own cancer fight, which he shared publicly in February.
Despite all the royal family’s recent highs and lows, William and Kate appear to be navigating their new normal as best as possible. That means keeping up with their “tradition to stick close to home” on their anniversary.
According to Andersen, the pair usually exchange “gifts laden with sentiment.” In 2023, William gifted his wife “a diamond ring that had belonged to his [late] mother, Princess Diana, and a replica of Kate’s wedding bouquet,” the royal expert revealed.
Kate, meanwhile, gave her spouse “a framed sketch she had done of the couple from their student days at St. Andrews,” per Andersen.
While the duo have not publicly discussed what they gave each other this year, Andersen told Us he thinks they’ll be “equally personal.”
When it comes to the actual celebration, the author predicted that William and Kate will mark the occasion with a “small family dinner at Anmer Hall, where Kate remains in seclusion with her children while she undergoes chemotherapy.”
Although many couples don’t include their kids in their anniversary plans, Andersen noted that Kate’s health scare has made nearly every function for the Cambridges a family affair.
“More than ever, William and Kate have reason to include the children in everything and keep the prevailing mood as upbeat as possible,” he told Us, adding, “Despite her challenges, Kate is incapable of being anything but resolutely cheerful around George, Charlotte, and Louis.”
In honor of their special day, William and Kate shared a new portrait with fans from their 2011 nuptials.
“13 years ago today!” the caption read via their official Instagram page. The image was a black-and-white still from their wedding where Kate held onto her bouquet and William embraced her from the back.
One month prior, Kate praised her husband for his support during her cancer battle, which began after she successfully underwent an abdominal procedure in January. Doctors later found cancer on Kate’s scans, which caused her to start preventative chemotherapy and stay out of the public eye longer than planned.
“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you,” the Duchess of Cambridge said in the March video. “It means so much to us both. We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment.”
Royal author Robert Jobson told Hello! earlier this month, “There is no question that William has been Catherine’s rock.” Even with William’s busy schedule, “he is the constant in her life, and she is at the heart of his,” Jobson added.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
