William’s new job would involve 18 months of training in Shropshire followed by two years at a remote location somewhere in the UK. Katie writes: “Was Kate prepared to join him? She supported his desires and ambitions, but privately she was crushed. William was asking her to be an army wife – without the nuptials. Her frustration was understandable.” In the weeks that followed Kate and William spent some quality time together in Scotland, where they stayed for New Year, and Kate went on holiday with her family, but by the time her birthday came around it was time for the next stage in the prince’s life to begin.
Katie claims that William was confident their relationship would survive the long distance, with the Shropshire base around three hours away from London. Katie claims that Kate found it even harder as all their friends were settling down and she was being left behind. She writes: “For Kate, it was a step backwards. It seemed that everyone was getting married except for her. As she neared her 27th birthday, Kate’s plan to be married with children by the time she was thirty was looking increasingly unlikely.”
And according to Katie, it wasn’t just Kate who was worried and her mum, Carole Middleton, was also getting “jittery”. However, the pair did manage to make it work and William would regularly make the 130 mile drive back to Bucklebury to see Kate. And at the end of 2010 William finally made things official, getting down on one knee and popping the question. However they decided not to share the news until the following month, making the announcement on November 20. The couple tied the knot at a stunning royal wedding at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.
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