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William and Kate have released an unseen picture to mark their wedding anniversary as they celebrate “very differently” while the Princess of Wales continues her cancer treatment.
The couple shared a black and white photo of themselves smiling on their wedding day in an X/Twitter post captioned: “13 years ago today!”
Kate married future king William in 2011 after eight years of dating.
Speaking on their 13th wedding anniversary, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: “This year will be very different from previous years as Catherine is undergoing preventative chemotherapy after recovering from abdominal surgery.”
An estimated 163 million people watched the “commoner” walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey to marry the Prince she met at university.
The anniversary comes one day before King Charles is set to return to work for the first time since announcing his own cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
His public engagement will come just days before his son Prince Harry returns to the UK for the first time since February to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games next week.
Pinned post: William and Kate release unseen wedding photo for anniversary
The couple shared a black and white photo of themselves smiling on their wedding day in an X/Twitter post captioned: “13 years ago today!”
The picture of the happy couple shows them looking relaxed in Buckingham Palace after exchanging their wedding vows in Westminster Abbey.
Kate is wearing her now-iconic lace Alexander McQueen dress and gown while William is dressed in the red tunic of a colonel of the Irish Guards.
The picture was taken by Millie Pilkington, who also took the picture of Charles and Camilla released on Friday to celebrate the “progress” the King is making with his cancer treatment.
The couple, who met as students at the University of St Andrew’s, tied the knot after dating for eight years.
William, whose hand can be seen on Kate’s waist in the previously unseen photograph, was recently praised by the Princess when she announced her cancer diagnosis in March.
“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,” she said.
While the palace released a new picture of the couple to mark their 12th wedding anniversary, this was not possible this year as Kate remains out of public life focusing on her health.
Watch: King Charles’s last public appearance as palace give health update on cancer diagnosis
Watch King Charles’s last public appearance as palace give health update on cancer
King Charles III’s last public appearance was on Easter Sunday as he smiled and waved at crowds during a walkabout. Buckingham Palace said His Majesty will return to public royal duties after the positive effect of cancer treatment. He has been receiving care as an outpatient since early February and the announcement will be a boost for the monarchy as it comes to terms with King and the Princess of Wales as cancer patients. In this clip, Charles greeted a long line of well-wishers after the service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday 31 March. Kate is away from official duties while undergoing chemotherapy.
ICYMI: King Charles shares ‘positive’ cancer news as Palace releases heartwarming photo with Camilla
King Charles is to return to public royal duties next week after responding well to his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace has announced. His Majesty is said to be “greatly encouraged” by the move.
He has been receiving outpatient care since early February, and news of his progress will be a boost for the monarchy while both he and the Princess of Wales are dealing with the illness.
Full report:
ICYMI: Harry to return to UK for first time since Kate revealed cancer diagnosis
Full report:
Prince Harry will likely not be joined by senior royals next week
He is reported to be giving a thanksgiving speech at a ceremony in London, and he will likely not be joined by any senior members of his family.
There are currently no reports that he will be joined by his brother Prince William or King Charles at the event in St Paul’s Cathedral, or any other senior royals.
The Princess of Wales has already announced her extended leave of absence from her work as she focuses on her health.
This will likely not come as a surprise to Royal watchers or Harry himself, who are all too aware of the family’s current health problems.
Prince William took an extended period away from work, returning only this month, after Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis and Prince Charles will only return to duty tomorrow (30 April) as a result of his own battle with the disease.
There are also no indications that Harry will be joined by his wife Meghan Markle, or their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Cancer specialist weighs in on King Charles’s return to work
Professor Karol Sikora explained that the King, 75, is giving himself the best chance of long term recovery, in body and mind, by getting back to “normality” as soon as possible.
“Physically, King Charles is clearly doing okay but psychologically there is going to be uncertainty about whether the cancer will come back – even after treatment,” Sikora said.
“That is a problem with any cancer diagnosis. There is also a chance that the treatment itself might cause problems. This uncertainty can cause profound problems for some people.
“One of the best ways to handle this is to get back to normal as soon as possible.”
Kate Middleton’s ‘something blue’
Her Alexander McQueen dress was her ‘something new’ and it incorporated her ‘something blue’ – a ribbon, which was discreetly sewn into the dress.
This is a tradition believed to bring good luck and it dates back to the Victorian era.
Her ‘something borrowed’ – and indeed something old – was her tiara, a Cartier piece from 1936 that Queen Elizabeth II lent her for the occasion.
Prince William’s cheeky joke to Kate Middleton at the altar
Referring to the sheer scale of their wedding, which was watched by an estimated 163 million people worldwide, the Prince turned to his bride and reportedly said: “Just a quiet family wedding, then.”
This included several celebrities like Sir Elton John and footballing legend David Beckham.
A ‘different’ anniversary celebration
However, in previous years, they have shared new pictures of themselves as a couple.
Westminster Abbey celebrates Kate and Will
Westminster Abbey has celebrated the anniversary of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding on their official Twitter/X account.
The historic church played host to the 2011 wedding, which was the 16th royal marriage to take place within its walls since 1100.
Kate and Will’s nuptials were the first royal wedding at the abbey since Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
The post read: “Wishing The Prince and Princess of Wales a very happy wedding anniversary today!
“Their Royal Highnesses were married here in the Abbey #onthisday in 2011.”
Source: independent.co.uk
