Prince William and Princess Kate are set to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on April 29, and from all accounts, their marriage is better than ever. However, Russell Myers, author of the new biography William and Catherine, The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, tells Marie Claire that while he was researching his new book, he discovered one fact about the couple that surprised him.
“I went into the project with a completely open mind but what struck me, as it was explained to me time and time again by those closest to them, was just how reliant William is on Catherine,” Myers says. “They are a real partnership, but William really leans on his wife for guidance, both personally, professionally and emotionally, and I don't think many people would recognize that.”
Myers, who serves as royal editor of the Mirror, adds that his sources stressed the importance of Princess Kate’s role in their family, especially when it came to holding things together during her 2024 cancer battle.
“Certainly those close to them told me how Catherine was arguably the stronger of the two during her cancer diagnosis and treatment,” he shares. “While William told friends the whole experience was ‘like being hit by a bus’ and ‘completely disorientating,’ Catherine was the one who was able to take a back step and work out how they would deal with it all, both personally and publicly.”
The couple met in 2001 while attending the University of St Andrews, and although they’ve been through their ups and downs, including a temporary breakup in 2007, Myers says that William and Kate have only come out stronger.
“There is a real strength to their partnership that I explore in the book which a lot of people will not be familiar with, which I believe provides a completely new insight into who they are as people,” he tells Marie Claire.
The Prince of Wales previously told reporters he wanted to operate with a “smaller r in the royal.” When it comes to their future roles as King and Queen, Myers says that one of William and Kate’s goals is for “the monarchy to be more relatable and personable.”
The author adds that the couple “will continue to operate in a different way to generations of royals before them,” meaning “less engagements, but more focus on the major issues of our time, and how they can best effect generational change.”
Raising the next generation of royals is “equally important” to the couple, Myers adds, explaining, “so while we may see more of the children becoming involved with royal life, they will be given the chance to enter the fold at their own pace.”
