On Apr. 29, 2021, it will be 10 years since Kate Middleton walked into Westminster Abbey in a gorgeous Alexander McQueen wedding gown and married Britain’s Prince William. The two then emerged from the ceremony the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. To celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, Kensington Palace has released two new portraits via Instagram of the couple, looking so happy and deeply in love on the eve of the milestone occasion.
In the first portrait, William can be seen gazing adoringly at his wife, who smiles and looks off camera. She’s seen in a stunning light blue wrap around top with sheer blue sleeves and black floral patterns across it. She wore a white skirt with small floral petal prints that matched the blue of her blouse. As usual, Kate’s lustrous long hair looked sensational as she wore her brunette locks down and in light waves.
In the photo, William lovingly held onto Kate’s left hand, where her sparking sapphire engagement ring that used to belong to the Duke’s late mom Princess Diana glowed on the Duchess’ finger. He famously carefully carried it in his backpack during a three week trip to Africa that William and Kate took in 2010, before he finally popped the question at the rustic Rutundu log cabin in Kenya. The couple had dated since their days at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
In a second photo that was also taken earlier this week, the couple was seen in the same outfits. But this time they were standing in a courtyard at Kensington Palace and William smiled brightly directly into the camera. Kate beamed as she leaned her head against her husband’s chest, as he held her in his arms. She again showed off the gorgeous sapphire ring by placing her left hand along William’s right forearm. The photo closely resembled the couple’s engagement portrait, where Kate wore a white blouse and smiled while in her then-fiance’s arms.
The bauble almost didn’t end up with the future Queen Consort. After Princess Diana’s Aug. 1997 death, William and his brother Prince Harry were allowed to select a piece of jewelry from their late mother’s collection. Wills chose her Cartier tank watch, while Harry, 36, chose her sapphire engagement ring. But back when the brothers were still close, Harry gave the ring to William for his proposal to Kate, as Harry loved her dearly and she had become like a sister to him.
Since the Duke and Duchess’ grand nuptials in 2011, they’ve gone on to create a beautiful family together. The couple are parents to sons Prince George, 7, and Prince Louis, 3, and a daughter, Princess Charlotte, nearly 6. They’ve become a dynamic duo in their charitable efforts, and supportive of each other’s personal causes and patronages. And in the future, they will ascend to become the King and Queen Consort of the United Kingdom!