bitchy | Prince William ‘flies off the handle at any sign of Catherine being patronised’

For Prince William and Kate’s 14th wedding anniversary, there were a lot of “remember when” articles churned out, most of which were boring to all of us long-time royal watchers. But anniversaries are also a time for royal reporters to get briefed on the state of a royal couple’s marriage. In recent years, there have been many indications that all is not well in the Wales marriage, but both William and Kate seem committed to the idea of remaining married. On Kate’s side, the commitment is more for her ultimate prize, being queen consort. For William, I think the commitment is for maintenance of his image, the happily-married family man who can disappear for weeks and months at a time because he “prioritizes his family.” Well, Becky English at the Mail had an anniversary exclusive about their marriage, how they thought nothing of scheduling a trip to Scotland on their anniversary, and more. Some highlights:

Will & Kate celebrating their anniversary publicly: The fact that they are doing so in a very public setting – with all eyes on their interactions and body language – is unusual for this intensely private couple. And it shows how far they have come together since those testing times in Malaysia and their continued strength as a family unit. It’s important to stress that they hadn’t intended for their anniversary to become a public event. But when the dates came up for this two-day visit to the remote Isles of Mull and Iona and staff realised there would be a clash, William and Kate apparently thought ‘why not?’

Will & Kate love Scotland: Sources tell me it’s impossible to exaggerate their love for Scotland: it has played a unique role in their relationship, given that they met and fell in love at the University of St Andrews, and return to the Highlands each year for family holidays at Balmoral. ‘It’s definitely one of their ‘happy places’,’ one insider says. So it’s a particular delight, sources say, for them to use the occasion to shine a spotlight on resilient island communities, local industries and the need for tourism in the region.

A brutal period: Of course it has been a particularly brutal period for them as a couple given Kate’s cancer diagnosis last year. But the experience has, friends say, also given them a greater appreciation of what they have together, including an increased willingness to share more of their private family moments with people (as we have seen in the regular video updates on Kate’s health journey of late). ‘They are as happy as anyone has ever seen them,’ a well-placed source tells me.

A balanced relationship: Their relationship is far more balanced than many will realise, although the princess notably prefers to focus more on family matters and has taken her time in striking out on projects of her own, such as her Early Years initiative. That’s in part because she has always seen her role as a supportive one, much like the late Duke of Edinburgh was for the Queen. A while back I revealed that the princess had been in frequent contact by letter with Philip for many years before he died in 2021, with the pair enjoying a ‘warm and loving’ relationship.

Will & Kate are the very model of collaboration: That should not be to underestimate the princess’s strength of character and strong personal will. Above all, William is her equal partner in everything – not an ‘i’ is dotted or ‘t’ crossed without their joint sign-off and collaboration. ‘He flies off the handle at any sign of Catherine being patronised and stamps that out very quickly,’ a friend once told me. ‘It’s one of his triggers. Over the years, many people have come up with great ideas for her, but if they are put across in a dismissive way, they’ve got pretty short shrift from him.’

A deep intimacy: There is, they say, a ‘deep intimacy’ between the couple, forged through their shared experiences in the public spotlight and William’s admiration for Kate’s abilities as a mother. He particularly appreciates the way she has created a happiness and stability for their family that he didn’t always experience growing up.

This is fascinating: “It’s one of his triggers. Over the years, many people have come up with great ideas for her, but if they are put across in a dismissive way, they’ve got pretty short shrift from him.” First of all, it suggests that William regularly flies off the handle at staffers who suggest projects or patronages for Kate. Second of all, given the “projects” we’ve seen from Kate over the years… those are what William approves of?? Like, he thinks Kate’s Early Years keenery is smart, and he thinks the staffers suggesting the glorified busywork are approaching Kate the right way, as if she’s an idiot child who can only wander around, listening and learning? It also suggests that KP staffers have been frequently “dismissive” of Kate and her work, which… I can actually believe, given the pie charts and business task forces which go nowhere.

As for all of the royal sources swearing up and down that William and Kate have never been happier… I still say that whatever deal was made last year, it involved a more structured system for Kate’s vacations, holidays and minimal work schedule. As in, the agreement was that Kate barely has to do anything at this point.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace, Cover Images.