The Princess of Wales reportedly told James and Pippa Middleton about her engagement in a very down-to-earth way.
Telling her family that she was engaged to Prince William, who was then second in the royal line of succession, was a life-changing moment for the Princess of Wales, but it seems that she very much took it in her stride. In their engagement interview in 2010, Prince William explained how he spoke to her father Michael Middleton after Kate had accepted his romantic proposal in Kenya. Kate also described her mum Carole being "over the moon" after hearing the news later, though until now not much has been known about how her siblings James and Pippa Middleton were told of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ engagement.
Now James has shared how Kate revealed the special news to them - and it couldn’t have been a more low-key way. According to The Mirror, in a segment of his soon-to-be released memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, that was published in the Daily Mail, James said that he and Pippa were told by Kate at a pub.
"Catherine, Pippa and I go out for a walk with Ella and Tilly [his late dog and the Middleton family dog] to our local pub in a village close to Bucklebury. We sit in a corner, chattering quietly," James reportedly recalled in the book. "Catherine whispers the news and says it will become public in the next day or so."
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s engagement was publicly announced on 16th November 2010. After being told by Kate, James and Pippa apparently had to "tamp down" their delight so as not to let the news slip early, though they were understandably over the moon.
He continued, "Pippa and I want to be visibly excited, but we have to tamp down our emotions so no one suspects a thing. We make a quiet acknowledgement that we’ll always be there for each other, look out for one another, support each other. No matter how crazy things get."
Whilst some might have expected Kate to tell her siblings in a more elaborate way, her method was more low-key. Doing it at a local pub with just the three of them and the dogs there is such a down-to-earth way of telling James and Pippa, and them having to keep it briefly a family secret likely made it all the more special.
It was very personal and we know from details at the Wales’ wedding - from the couple reportedly having their wedding tables named after places that mean a lot to them, to the Sweet Williams in the bride’s bouquet - that these personal touches are important to both of them. James went on to disclose in his book the moment he knew that this was true love.
The Princess’s brother had been walking in Battersea Park when the engagement news was made public. He supposedly explained, "I thought how lucky William was to be marrying my capable, down-to-earth big sister, and I felt absolutely reassured that they were in love."
The future King and Queen celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in April and a few months later, they attended Trooping the Colour. During their time on the Buckingham Palace balcony Prince William and Kate were pictured looking adoringly at each other and showed they are as much in love now as they were when they got engaged all those years ago.
