Royal Watch News

 Prince William and Kate Middleton to marry next year

Nov 16, 2010, 16:34 GMT

A file picture dated 11 April 2008 shows Britain\'s Prince William (L) and Kate Middleton (R) at a Royal Air Force graduation ceremony held at RAF Cranwell, England. It was announced on 16 November 2010 EPA/MICHAEL DUNLEA

London - Britain's Prince William and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton are to marry next year after becoming engaged during a holiday in Kenya in October, a royal statement said Tuesday.

'The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton,' said the announcement from Clarence House, the London residence of William's father, Prince Charles. 

William and Kate, who met at St Andrew's university in Scotland in 2001, are both 28. The wedding is scheduled to take place in London in the spring or summer of 2011.

The announcement, though expected, nonetheless caught the ever-watchful British media by surprise, as royal aides had clearly succeeded in keeping the plans top secret.

It came just two days after William made a surprise visit to British troops in Helmand province in Afghanistan on Remembrance Sunday.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, whose consent would have been required for the link-up, said she and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, were 'absolutely delighted for them both.'

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who informed the cabinet of the impending royal wedding, also said he was 'delighted' at the news. He congratulated the couple on their engagement, as did Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition Labour party.

Cameron said the announcement marked a 'great day for our country, a great day for the royal family and obviously a great day for Prince William and for Kate.'

Prince Charles, who turned 62 Sunday, said he was 'thrilled' at the engagement of his oldest son, even though it made him 'feel very old.'

The announcement ends months of intense speculation about when Prince William, who is a search and rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force, would propose to Middleton, who has been nicknamed the 'princess in waiting.'

William, second-in-line to the throne, completed his helicopter pilot training in September at an RAF base in North Wales. He and Middleton would live near the base after their wedding, it was announced.

Royal observers described the decision to tie the knot as 'inevitable' after the long relationship, in which both looked increasingly relaxed and happy together.

After the couple's return from a private holiday in Kenya, Middleton's parents, Carole and Michael, were seen at a shooting weekend at the royal castle of Balmoral in Scotland.

They too, were 'absolutely delighted,' the Middleton parents said Tuesday. Kate, whose full name is Catherine Elizabeth, is the eldest of three children.

'As you know Catherine and Prince William have been going out together for quite a number of years which has been great for us because we have got to know William very well,' they said in a statement. 

'We all think he is wonderful and we are extremely fond of him. They make a lovely couple, they are great fun to be with, and we've had a lot of laughs together. We wish them every happiness for the future.'

Kate, who like Prince William has a degree in History of Art, is seen as someone from a 'perfectly normal' middle-class background.

Her father was a flight dispatcher with British Airways, where her mother worked as a stewardess. The Middletons later set up a successful business for the supply of party accessories.

'Kate will supply the touch of normality William did not have as a child,' said one commentator.

The wedding is to be in London, although the venue has not been named.

Prince Charles, the current heir to the throne, married the late Princess Diana at St Paul's Cathedral in July, 1981. The funeral service for the princess, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, took place in Westminster Abbey.

For Prince William at least, both London venues would bear an obvious special poignancy. William, who was 15 when Princess Diana died, has often said that she remains an inspiration for him as a fun-loving mother and in the prominent public role she fulfilled.