Queen Elizabeth had private meeting with William just before wedding | Royal | News
The Prince of Wales had a very personal and private conversation with his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, ahead of his wedding to Princess Catherine in 2011, a new book has claimed. The Welshmen married in April 2011 in a lavish ceremony watched by millions around the world.
Prince William and Catherine’s new biography offers rare insight into their lives and some of their biggest moments. One of these moments was a private, one-on-one meeting between William and the late monarch.
William and Catherine: In The Intimate Inside Story, Daily MirrorRoyal Editor Russell Myers describes how William expressed to his grandmother his desire to live freely in Wales after marriage, which would also give his future wife “the opportunity to take her first tentative steps into a world that was almost entirely foreign to her.”
Mr Myers writes: “In response, the Queen shared with Prince Philip her own deeply personal experiences as a newlywed. The Duke of Edinburgh’s service in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet between 1949 and 1951 had presented the couple with the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“The Queen felt there were deep parallels between her precious time in Malta and William’s determination to live longer in Wales.
“The Queen certainly sympathized with him. [William’s] situation. One former courtier said his instructions were largely to ‘go and live your life’, but also to keep one eye on the future because you never know when things will change.
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“William took much comfort in his grandmother’s words and felt encouraged to make the most of the opportunity that lay before him and Catherine, while they could.”
It was claimed that the late Queen also had a private meeting with Catherine.
In December 2010, Catherine met Elizabeth alone for the first time and she was “understandably nervous”.
“During the light buffet of tea and finger sandwiches, the Queen avoided questions about the finer details of the production and instead sought to reassure the young woman who she hoped would successfully shape the institution for the next generation,” Mr. Myers writes.
A former courtier told the author that Elizabeth offered Catherine “words of encouragement” about her future role, as well as guidance on “how to deal with ‘stubborn’ husbands.”
