It’s been 10 years since Prince William and Kate Middleton said ‘I do’ as more than 30 million people from around the world tuned in to watch their fairytale wedding on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey. To celebrate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released a series of romantic portraits, all perfectly summed up with two emojis.
“10 years ?♀️,” the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge captioned a series of pictures, which were taken at Kensington Palace by photographer Chris Floyd to mark their milestone anniversary.
In the decade since the couple has welcomed three adorable children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and have continued to champion mental health through their charity, Head’s Together.
For their 2011 wedding, many will remember Kate’s stunning Alexander McQueen gown and the couple waving to adoring fans as they exited in the car that read “Just Wed”, but many might not know that the royal couple actually broke protocol multiple times.
Pippa Middleton and Prince Harry were elected Maid of Honour and Best Man, two roles that are not supposed to exist in royal weddings, not to mention the double kiss that the newlyweds performed for the crowds from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
According to The Express, royal couples also traditionally leave for their honeymoon immediately after the reception, taking off on the day of the wedding, but after a long day of festivities, Kate and Wills decided to have a quiet first night as man and wife.
Instead of taking off for their honeymoon, the couple spent their wedding night at Buckingham Palace, breaking tradition of the royals before them.
In fact, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge didn’t actually jet off on their honeymoon to a private island in the Seychelles for ten days after the ceremony. It’s unlikely that Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank will be following suit with a Buckingham Palace sleepover – especially given that they are getting married in Windsor, but anything’s possible.