The Incredible "Secret" Princess Kate and Prince William "Hid" While Attending Their Friend's Wedding

"They were both so relaxed, and she looked incredibly demure."

Kate Middleton wears a royal blue dress and a black jacket and hat while attending a wedding with Prince William in October 2010
(Image credit: Indigo/Getty Images)

Princess Kate and Prince William have been married since April 29, 2011, and have since welcomed three children together—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. But prior to announcing their engagement on November 16, 2010, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended a friend's wedding, where they "hid" a huge "secret."

As People reported at the time, Kate and William "looked so happy" when they arrived at the wedding of Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford at St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Northleach, Gloucestershire. Royal author Judy Wade told the outlet, "They were both so relaxed, and she looked incredibly demure by his side."

Wade continued, "She was very much his fair lady in her big picture hat. You get the impression it's the sort of wedding they would wish they could have—in Gloucestershire with friends, rather than a big formal wedding in central London."

In October 2010, People cheekily suggested, "Might a royal wedding be next? For now, the British heir and his love are happy to keep everyone guessing."

Kate Middleton wears a royal blue dress and a black jacket and hat while attending a wedding with Prince William in October 2010

"She was very much his fair lady in her big picture hat."

(Image credit: Indigo/Getty Images)

As it turned out, Kate and William were hiding a huge and important secret at the wedding. Prince William had recently proposed to Princess Kate while they vacationed in Kenya. The couple would officially share the news on November 16, 2010, revealing in a TV interview that William had proposed with his late mother Princess Diana's ring.

"Kate had reason to be beaming; the couple was hiding a secret," People reported. "After much speculation, William had already asked his girlfriend of around 8 years to marry him. But they postponed telling everyone until several weeks later."

Kate Middleton wears a royal blue dress and a black jacket and hat while attending a wedding with Prince William in October 2010

"But they postponed telling everyone until several weeks later."

(Image credit: Indigo/Getty Images)

In their engagement interview with ITV News, Prince William revealed, "We had a little private time away together with some friends, and I just decided that it was the right time, really. We had been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn't a massively big surprise. I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya, and I proposed."

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Elaborating on the romantic occasion, William explained, "I'd been planning it for a while, but as any guy out there will know, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. I was planning it, and then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful at the time. I had done a little bit of planning to show my romantic side."

At their friend's wedding in October 2010, the future Prince and Princess of Wales looked positively elated, and for good reason. They were already engaged, but for a few weeks, it would remain a secret.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.