The Prince and Princess of Wales are celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary today by visiting the Isle of Mull in Scotland where they are set to carry out a string of engagements
The Prince and Princess of Wales are celebrating their wedding anniversary today by kicking off a two-day visit to the Isle of Mull. The couple arrived on the island this afternoon and waved to the huge crowds that had gathered to catch a glimpse of them. Tonight, the pair will be spending the big day by staying in self-catering cottage on the Scottish island.
It is likely they will enjoy a romantic meal for two during their night on Mull after a day of official engagements. But it remains to be seen who will be doing the cooking at their undisclosed cottage. The Isle of Mull is part of lands once ruled by the Lord of the Isles, one of a number of Scottish titles William inherited from his father when Charles became King and William the heir to the throne.
When in Scotland William and Kate are officially known by their Scottish titles, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, and they are beginning their visit today in the town of Tobermory, where the popular BBC children’s TV series Balamory was filmed.
The couple will visit a local hall that serves as a community hub and tour the Tobermory Producers Market, co-ordinated by the hall at Tobermory Harbour, sampling produce and meeting the makers and creators. They will also visit a croft and restaurant on the West Coast, meeting the Hebridean sheep farmed on the 50-acre site and helping select garden produce for the menu.
Tomorrow, William and Kate will meet countryside rangers from the Mull and Iona Ranger Service at the Ardura Community Forest, join a school group as they take part in outdoor learning, and meet Ardura Acorns, an early years outdoor learning playgroup that includes nature trails, den-building and animal tracking. The visit aims to highlight the importance of protecting and championing the natural environment.
William and Kate met at the University of St Andrews in Fife and became friends first before embarking on a romance. Two years after their wedding the couple had their first child, Prince George, then Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince Louis in 2018, and it appears their relationship remains strong after Kate’s cancer treatment.
The couple’s anniversary comes after what William described as a ‘brutal’ year last year following Kate’s cancer diagnosis and subsquent chemotherapy treatment. In January, the princess revealed she is now in remission. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond delved inside their marriage to work out exactly what it is that makes their union a special one. And she revealeds exactly what has allowed them to navigate stormy waters – and now appear to be even stronger than ever.
She explains: “Their first anniversary after Catherine’s official remission has to be that extra bit special. Every milestone takes them that little bit further away from the dreadful day when she was diagnosed with cancer. After his mother died, William said he knew it would make or break him and he refused to let it break him.
“I think they have both taken a similar attitude to dealing with the brutal year they have just endured. Their marriage is, I think, even stronger than before, and it was already a roaring success. I think they like each other. A lot. And that’s a whole different thing to loving one another -which, incidentally, they also do. A lot.
“What makes it work? I think theirs is a pretty equal partnership. William is a much more hands-on dad than his father or grandfather. And I don’t think Catherine would let him get away with anything less.
“They operate as a partnership and they have such a deep understanding of one another that they can communicate when they are out and about with just a look or a gesture. They seem sometimes to have private jokes that make them smile or nudge one another.
“I do think that Catherine’s parents and the King must be delighted that the marriage has worked out so well. It’s important for the monarchy that it works, but, on a human level, it is so comforting for the Middletons and for the King to know that William and Catherine are such a strong unit and seem able to deal with pretty much anything that life throws at them.”
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