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    How Prince William "Rescued" Princess Kate in a "Moment of Panic" During Their "Dreaded" Engagement Interview in 2010

    "I'm not very good at that!"

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 17 November 2025 In News

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    Kate Middleton and Prince William announce their engagement in the State Rooms of St James's Palace on November 16, 2010
    (Image credit: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
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    Prince William and Princess Kate announced their engagement on November 16, 2010. The same day, they posed for photos at St. James's Palace in London, and conducted a televised interview with journalist Tom Bradby. At the time, Kate Middleton wasn't entirely comfortable, and according to royal experts, Prince William needed to swoop in and "rescue" his fiancée in a "moment of panic."

    According to Katie Nicholl's book, Kate: The Future Queen, the Princess of Wales had been "dreading" the engagement interview, via the Daily Mail. The royal author explained, "Afterward Mr. Brady remembered her leaning back and sighing with relief, exclaiming, 'I'm no good at this!'"

    As noted by the Daily Mail, rare footage later revealed an exceedingly sweet moment between the Prince and Princess of Wales, with William attempting to calm Kate's nerves. "William encouraged his anxious fiancée to 'breathe' before Kate quipped: 'I'm not very good at that!'" the outlet reported.

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    Kate Middleton wearing a blue dress walking next to Prince William at their engagement announcement press conference

    "William encouraged his anxious fiancée to 'breathe.'"

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    As it turned out, Princess Kate had nothing to worry about as the interview was well-received by the general public. Nicholl shared that Princess Kate intentionally made a "point of placing her hands on her lap so that she didn't fidget with her hair and spoke beautifully in a cut-glass accent."

    During their engagement interview, Prince William also revealed the way he made sure his late mother, Princess Diana, was included in his proposal to Kate. "It's my mother's engagement ring, and it's very special to me, as Kate is very special to me now as well," the Prince of Wales explained. "It was only right the two were put together."

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    Kate Middleton and Prince William smiling with their arms linked during their engagement interview

    The Princess of Wales had been "dreading" the engagement interview.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    He continued, "It was my way of making sure mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together."

    Now valued somewhere between $461,000 to $592,000, Princess Kate's engagement ring is truly a precious heirloom.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

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    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.

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