How Prince William's Team Were Able to Protect Princess Kate

Prince William wears a suit and looks stern while Kate Middleton wears a white dress and carries a large bouquet of white flowers — (Image credit: Peter Nicholls - WPA Pool / Getty Images)

Prince William and Princess Kate have been together for more than two decades and married since 2011. In a new royal biography, one author explains how Prince William's team at the palace managed to "protect" the Princess of Wales from the very beginning.

In his new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, royal expert Russell Myers shared, "A group of just four royal aides was sworn to secrecy and quietly began to prepare for the moment when they would need to announce to the world that Prince William, the second in line to the throne, was to be married."

Myers quoted one former senior courtier, who shared, "It was quite an exciting time considering there was a tiny group who knew it was coming. It was our duty to make sure nothing leaked, mainly to protect Kate, but also because it would have made our jobs a lot more complicated."

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'William and Catherine'

Kate Middleton and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge hold hands — "A group of just four royal aides was sworn to secrecy" about the forthcoming engagement.

As royal fans already know, Prince William decided to propose to Kate during "a romantic getaway to Kenya, returning to the 55,000-acre Lewa Wildlife Conservancy the couple had visited in 2005 after graduating," Myers noted.

Explaining just what a crucial point it was in William's life, Myers wrote, "Anyone who has prepared to ask a loved one to marry them will know the intense nervousness that comes with arranging the perfect moment to propose, but also the incredible responsibility of carrying the ring around with you until you finally find that moment. William was no different."

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with Rebecca Deacon, (private secretary to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) as Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the Tennis at Wimbledon as part of The London Olympics. — "It was quite an exciting time considering there was a tiny group who knew it was coming," a courtier shared.

Luckily, Princess Kate said "yes," and the pair married on April 29, 2011. But it's clear that palace courtiers had their work cut out for them when it came to keeping Princess Kate safe amidst the royal marriage furore.

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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.