Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Early Black Friday
    • Satin Bags
    • Hopeful Books
    • 'The Body'
    • Deer Print
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Royal Expert Says Prince William "Inherited" King Charles's "Fear of Commitment," So Kate Middleton "Agreed to Wait for Him"

    Kate allegedly "made a pact" after learning about William's "inherent fear of tomorrow."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 29 June 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Prince William is wearing a dark suit with a red tie, while Kate Middleton wears a red coat dress and matching hat, and King Charles walks ahead of them in a striped blue suit
    (Image credit: PHIL HARRIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Kate Middleton and Prince William tied the knot on April 29, 2011, in a fairytale wedding at Westminster Abbey. However, the path to marriage wasn't totally smooth for the Prince and Princess of Wales, who weathered a high-profile split in 2007. And according to one royal expert, William inherited some serious trepidation about committing to marriage from his father, King Charles.

    In her book, The Making of a Royal Romance: William, Kate, and Harry—A Look Behind the Palace Walls, royal expert Katie Nicholl shared that the Prince and Princess of Wales took a trip to the island of Desroches in the Seychelles in August 2007, soon after getting back together. "With a population of just 50 and 3 miles long, the paradise island was the perfect escape," Nicholl wrote (via the Daily Mail). "[B]oth of them knew that at some point they had to discuss the future."

    Nicholl continued, "For a young man who has an inherent fear of tomorrow, this was not easy for William, but the tranquil backdrop of the island was as good place as any to discuss it."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    King Charles wears a brown overcoat and laughs alongside Kate Middleton, who wears a red coat with a tartan scarf, and Prince William

    "William...had inherited something of his father's fear of commitment."

    (Image credit:  Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

    The Making of a Royal Romance: William, Kate, and Harry—a Look Behind the Palace Walls

    Katie Nicholl
    'The Making of a Royal Romance: William, Kate, and Harry—A Look Behind the Palace Walls'
    $3
    SHOP NOW

    According to Nicholl, Prince William "assured Kate she was the one," as he wanted to make sure she realized just how serious he was about their renewed relationship. "William, who had inherited something of his father's fear of commitment, knew he would lose Kate if he could not give her some form of guarantee," Nicholl revealed.

    polo - kate and william

    William "knew he would lose Kate if he could not give her some form of guarantee."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Although Prince William didn't propose to Princess Kate until 2010, the pair reportedly made a "pact" during their 2007 vacation. "They didn't agree to get married there and then; what they made was a pact," a close friend told the royal expert. "William told Kate...he was not ready to get married," the source explained to Nicholl. "He promised her his commitment and said he would not let her down, and in turn she agreed to wait for him."

    You may like
    • Princess Kate wears a navy blue satin dress as she announces her engagement to Prince William, who wears a suit Princess Kate "Had a Very Handsome Boyfriend" Before William
    • Prince William Princess Kate dating Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    • Princess Kate and Prince William Might Have Been "Forced to Cancel" Their Annual Vacation to One Luxury Destination, Says Royal Source Princess Kate and Prince William "Forced to Cancel" Vacation

    After marrying in 2011, Kate and William welcomed 3 children together—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—and quickly proved they're a strong asset within the Royal Family.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Princess Catherine Prince William King Charles relationships Romance Weddings
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    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.

    Read more
    Princess Kate and Prince William Might Have Been "Forced to Cancel" Their Annual Vacation to One Luxury Destination, Says Royal Source
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William "Forced to Cancel" Vacation
    By Amy Mackelden
    Queen Elizabeth wearing a pink coat and hat walking next to Princess Kate
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Admired One Important Aspect of Kate Middleton's Life
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    King Charles and Queen Camilla wearing tweed jackets and kilts sitting next to each other
    Royals King Charles Treats Queen Camilla Differently Than Diana in One Major Way
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince William and Princess Kate stand behind King Charles while all three look serious and wear black
    Royals How Kate and William Are Ditching "Institutional Secrecy"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince George smiling in a white shirt
    Royals Prince George Takes After Prince Philip and King Charles With Incredible Skill
    Princess Kate wearing a gray suit and maroon turtleneck
    Royals Princess Kate Admits She Was Told Her Cancer Recovery "Would Not Be Linear"
     
     
    Princess Kate wearing a maroon sweater and tweed jacket leaning against a tree
    Royals Princess Kate Wears the Ultimate Countryside Chic Outfit in New Portrait
    Prince William wearing a camouflage jacket
    Royals Prince William Has Been on a Secret Fact-Finding Mission to Support Women
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince George smiling in a white shirt
    Royals Prince George Takes After Prince Philip and King Charles With Incredible Skill
    Princess Kate wearing a gray suit and maroon turtleneck
    Royals Princess Kate Admits She Was Told Her Cancer Recovery "Would Not Be Linear"
     
     
    Jennifer Lawrence's Banana Republic x La Ligne collaboration pants are on sale for Black Friday
    Celebrity Style Jennifer Lawrence's Cool-Girl Pants From Banana Republic's New Collab Are On Sale
    Princess Kate wearing a maroon sweater and tweed jacket leaning against a tree
    Royals Princess Kate Wears the Ultimate Countryside Chic Outfit in New Portrait
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.