Kate Middleton once given chance to ‘back out’ of royal life thanks to Prince William’s selfless choice
Prince William revealed in their engagement interview that he’d wanted Kate to be able to ‘back out’ if she wanted, before it got ‘too much’
Composite of a picture of Kate Middleton, wearing a dress and blue blazer, at the Fitzwilliam Museum in 2022 and Prince William in a suit at Mosaic Clubhouse in Lambeth on June 26, 2023
(Image credit: Image 1: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images // Image 2:Photo by Neil P. Mockford/Getty Images)
Kate was once given a chance to “back out” of royal life before it “got too much”, thanks to Prince William’s selfless choice.
The Princess of Wales has taken to royal life like a duck to water and she and Prince William have found the perfect balance between enjoying family time with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis at Adelaide Cottage and undertaking the responsibilities of their official roles. This isn’t easy, and Prince William once made a selfless sacrifice for Kate so that she could “back out” of becoming a senior royal before it was too late. It was in their engagement interview in 2010 that the Prince of Wales made this startling revelation. He explained to ITV News’s Tom Bradby that he waited so long to propose partially out of a desire to give his now-wife the time to decide if life as a future Queen was right for her.
Being part of the Royal Family comes with a high level of scrutiny and Tom described Prince William as clearly being very “protective” of his wife-to-be. In response, the Prince of Wales acknowledged that he was “massively so” and how he wanted Kate and her family to know what her being royal would mean for them.
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales smile at each other in St Davids, Wales in 2023
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
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“Her and her family, I really want to make sure that they have the best, sort of, guidance and chance to see what life has been like – or what life is like – in the family,” Prince William disclosed. “That’s kind of almost why I’ve been waiting this long is that I wanted to give her a chance to see and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much.”
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The senior royal, who is now first in the royal line of succession, also explained that he was “trying to learn from the lessons done in the past”. Turning to look at Kate, he added, “I just wanted to give her the best chance to settle in and see what happens the other side.”
Prince William’s revelation was incredibly heartfelt and showcased how deeply he’d thought about the proposal and how much he’d wanted Kate to know what her future might look like as a royal before committing to it.
Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace on November 16, 2010 after announcing their engagement
(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Although Kate was given a chance to “back out”, thankfully for fans of the Prince and Princess of Wales, she didn’t take it. That doesn’t mean that she didn’t appreciate having this time to reflect, though, as the Princess of Wales said she was “so glad” to have it.
“I’m of course so glad that I’ve had the time to grow and understand myself more as well. So hopefully, hopefully, I’ll do a good job,” she declared.
It seems that having more time before Prince William proposed was valued by Kate and she has gone on to excel as a senior royal. This time was likely also important for the Middleton family to have too, as Prince William reflected.
Kate, wearing her wedding dress, and Prince William, wearing his red tunic uniform of the Irish Guards, wave from a carriage on their wedding day in 2011
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Their lives also changed when Kate married Prince William and the BBC’s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond claimed to OK! earlier this year that he once “promised” Carole and Michael he’d look after their daughter.
“[H[e promised Kate’s parents that he would protect and look after her so he’ll feel guilty for any hardships she goes through because all she’s done is fall in love with someone who happened to be a future king. There’s obviously a lot of baggage that comes with this – it’s a unique and different life which you’ve got to have a very thick skin for,” she said.
