Wills gives Middletons a very royal anniversary
When Prince William announced his engagement to Kate Middleton, he talked about how close he had become to her parents, Michael and Carole.
And at the weekend, their remarkable importance in the future king’s life was on display. For the Middletons spent their 34th wedding anniversary with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Queen’s rural retreat in norfolk.
‘William invited them to Sandringham,’ says a royal source. ‘he wanted to show them around Anmer hall.’
Renovations to the late- Georgian property — which the Queen gave to Kate and William — have not yet been completed, so the Middletons are understood to have stayed with them at Wood Farm, a 17th-century country house nearby on the royal estate.
‘They had a barbecue on Saturday afternoon,’ says the source. ‘Mike helped William, while the ladies entertained Prince George.’
William turned 32 on Saturday — while Mike was 65 yesterday — and the Duke’s decision to celebrate with his in-laws speaks volumes about the strength of their relationship.
his father, Prince Charles, and stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, are not believed to have been present.
William was committed to playing in a charity match at the Beaufort Polo Club on Sunday, so he left Sandringham that morning. Kate, meanwhile, returned to Anmer to speak to workmen while her parents spent time with Prince George, whose first birthday is next month.
The royal couple’s main home is a 22-plus room apartment at Kensington Palace and, on Saturday, this newspaper disclosed that the cost to taxpayers of refurbishing the building had quadrupled to £4million.
‘Kate’s got a very, very close family,’ William said in his engagement interview in 2010. ‘I get on really well with them and I’m very lucky that they’ve been so supportive.
‘Mike and Carole have been really sort of loving and caring and really fun and have been really welcoming towards me, so I’ve felt really a part of the family and I hope that Kate’s felt the same with my family.’