- Even though they didn't officially tie the knot until 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton made a secret marriage pact in 2007.
- The couple made each other promises about their future together during a vacation after their breakup in 2007.
- Royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl described the incident in her book Kate: The Future Queen.
Prince William and Kate Middleton officially tied the knot in 2011, but they knew that they were eventually heading down the aisle long before that—way back in 2007.
In her book Kate: The Future Queen, royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl explains that Will and Kate made a secret pact about their future nuptials when they got back together after briefly breaking up in 2007. Kate wanted some security about their future, but Will wasn't ready to get married just yet.
When Will and Kate got back together after their split, they took a romantic vacation to the luxury island of Desroches in the Seychelles to figure out what their future together was going to be. There, according to Nicholl, they made a promise about their long-term future together:
"There on the paradise island, William promised Kate that he was in the relationship for the long term. For the very first time, they talked seriously about marriage, and with the ocean before them and beneath the night sky, they made a pact to marry."
According to someone close to the couple, they compromised and decided to wait until Will felt ready.
"They didn't agree to get married there and then; what they made was a pact," the source told Nicholl. "William told Kate she was the one but he was not ready to get married. He promised her his commitment and said he would not let her down, and she in turn agreed to wait for him."
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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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