Kate (34 page)

Back in the Throne Room, Harry declared it was time “for some serious partying,” and the decks were turned up for one final tune. Merry from the Crack Baby cocktails, Harry suddenly launched himself into the crowd. “Harry literally stage dived—it was a great finale,” one reveler remembered. It was certainly a party none of the guests would ever forget.

Shortly before 11:00
A.M
. the next morning, William and Kate emerged from Buckingham Palace and strolled, hand-in-hand, across the lawn for their first photo session as husband and wife. The sun was bright overhead, and the couple, looking remarkably fresh-faced, announced they were heading off for “a private weekend.” The Queen, who was in residence at Sandringham, had made Windsor Castle available to them so that they could enjoy some time alone before heading home to Anglesey, where William was due to resume work. “I am glad the weather held off. We had a great day,” Kate said as she and William made their way across the courtyard to their waiting helicopter.

Going home to Anglesey at the end of what was surely the best weekend of their lives must have been something of an anticlimax, but as she pushed a cart around the parking lot of
the local supermarket just days after the magnificent ceremony, Kate was glowing. Dressed in leggings and a sweater, her hair flowing in the breeze, Mrs. Wales, as William had affectionately called her on their wedding day, looked like the happiest girl in the world.

Eleven days after their wedding, William and Kate left for their honeymoon, leaving the country as unobtrusively as they were able. William had planned the two-week-long vacation down to the finest detail, but he had kept the destination secret from Kate. “By going back to work before leaving for their honeymoon, they were able to escape,” said a friend of the couple. “It was a deliberate decoy.”

Kate had been told to pack for the sun, and it was only when they arrived at the airport that William told her they were flying to North Island in the Seychelles. It was a romantic gesture; the Seychelles was where they had made their secret pact to marry when they stayed in Desroches, and now, four years later, they were returning as husband and wife. They flew by private jet to Mahé, the largest island in the archipelago, and then took a helicopter to North Island, a four-mile-long private island shaded by coconut groves and surrounded by cliffs. The exclusive North Island Lodge had been booked immediately after their wedding, and William had waited for one of the luxury wooden bungalows to become available. The sensational rooms looked out onto the crystal clear Indian Ocean and had private gardens, an outside deck where they enjoyed morning yoga sessions, their own plunge pool, and a spectacular open-air bathroom with a sunken bath that was filled with frangipani flowers each night by their private butler. Back in England, William had gone to great lengths to
keep the honeymoon a secret, so he was upset when the island's owner told a Hamburg newspaper: “Yes, we rented the island to the British royal family. Prince William and his Kate are spending their honeymoon there.” The news traveled around the world, and William, who was keeping a close eye on events back at home, where his grandmother was carrying out an historic trip to Ireland, knew that they would most likely be photographed now that the secret was out.

Determined not to let the whereabouts of their honeymoon location spoil the holiday, William arranged champagne picnics on the beach and a sunset cruise so that they could tour the island. During the days, they relaxed on the beach, working on their tans while admiring the island's turtles. At their villa there was a butler on call for them day and night, and a private chef who cooked whatever they wanted. William had sent a list of their favorite foods ahead of their arrival, including Philadelphia cream cheese, quail eggs, Granny Smith apples, and rather surprisingly, brussels sprouts. The latter immediately prompted rumors that Kate was trying to get pregnant. Sprouts are rich in folic acid, which is recommended for women who are trying to conceive.

When the couple returned to England at the end of May, it was back to reality with a bump. The President of the United States and the First Lady were in London for a state visit, and the Queen asked William and Kate to come to Buckingham Palace to meet with them just days after they touched down on British soil. It was their first official duty as newlyweds, and the Obamas, who had not been invited to the royal wedding, were eager to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. William charmed the President, while Kate and Michelle
Obama “instantly hit it off” during the twenty-minute meeting. It was a canny public relations move on the Queen's part—William and Kate were set to visit the United States the following month, and the fact that the Obamas had been dazzled was an auspicious start.

CHAPTER 12

A Tour of Duty

T
HE CELEBRITY CROWD
gathered on the sundeck and watched the Jaguar pull up. There was a collective gasp as Kate stepped onto the red carpet, stunning in a floor-length rose-pink sequined organza gown. As William escorted his wife past the banks of photographers, the flashes popped against the dusky night sky. They led the way into the cocktail reception, pausing before moving inside to admire the high divers displaying their acrobatic prowess at a deepwater pool.

The evening, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of one of their foundation's chosen charities, Absolute Return for Kids, was the couple's first engagement since their wedding. Every one of the wealthy guests wanted an audience with the newlyweds and had paid $7,600 for the privilege. Inside, cameras were banned, but it didn't stop the well-heeled throng from taking pictures on their mobile phones. “Where is your husband?” one guest asked when he was introduced to Kate. “We always get split up at these kind of things,” she
explained, but she didn't seem to mind and was just as starstruck by the celebrities she was introduced to as they were by her. She was particularly pleased to be seated at the same table as British actor Colin Firth, whose performance in
The King's Speech
she had so admired. After supper, William addressed the guests and announced that he and Kate were committed to helping “young people who really need it.” There was much applause and several wolf whistles, and William joked that he couldn't wait to tell his grandmother about the amazing night and the divers in tight Speedos.

In truth, it was most likely not the topic of conversation when the couple joined the Queen that weekend for the Trooping the Colour. The parade—an annual procession by the Queen's troops on Horse Guards Parade next to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the sovereign's birthday—marked the Queen's eighty-fifth birthday and was a rather nerve-racking occasion for both William and Kate. William was to ride on horseback in the event for the very first time, alongside Prince Charles, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Anne, to give the royal salute to his grandmother while Kate was to accompany the Duchess of Cornwall in the carriage procession. It was the first public outing for the couple since their wedding, and a record number of people were packed into the Mall to see them. William and Kate joined the family for the traditional balcony appearance, and Kate, who had chosen a cream dress and jacket by Alexander McQueen for the occasion, seemed comfortable and relaxed as she chatted with Camilla and Sophie Wessex, Prince Edward's wife.

Kate had spent the past few weeks in meetings with Sir David Manning, the Palace adviser who had helped the couple prepare before of the wedding, and Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton,
both of whom would be accompanying them on their forthcoming tour of Canada and California. She had never been to the United States or Canada, and William had forewarned her that the tour would be immense fun but also hard work. For all the pomp and ceremony, palatial stays, lavish receptions, and unveiling of plaques, they would be working twelve-hour days and there would be little downtime. Sir David had spent weeks educating Kate on Canada's constitution, while she brushed up on her basic school-level French for their visit to Quebec and read up on Canada's history. In keeping with their no-frills lifestyle, the couple had agreed to travel light, and their entourage consisted of only seven staff. This was considered very modest by Palace standards; the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall usually traveled with an entourage of at least a dozen, including a doctor, an equerry, valets, and even an artist. “We've kept it as tight as we possibly can,” explained Mr. Lowther-Pinkerton, who had planned the eleven-day trip in conjunction with the Queen's private office, the Foreign Office, and the Canadian government, which was picking up the bill. In her only nod to vanity, Kate had asked her hairdresser, James Pryce, to join her. She had elected not to have ladies-in-waiting after their wedding; like William, she did not like to be fussed over, but it did mean that there was no one to travel with her, assist with her wardrobe, and collect bouquets while they were on touring.

At the Palace, there was some debate over whether Kate would need a personal dresser. Camilla insisted she would need someone to help her press and arrange her dresses in advance, but Kate was adamant that she could cope. She had asked her mother to help her shop for clothes that were elegant and practical, and Carole had sought the services of a
local boutique in Berkshire. The royal wardrobe was no small matter; Kate would require at least forty outfits. There would be days when she would require as many as three changes. She usually shopped at High Street stores like Reiss and L.K. Bennett, but for this it was important that she have a working wardrobe of designer clothing. Sarah Burton had already created a number of outfits for the tour, as had two other British designers, Alice Temperley and Jenny Packham. Their timeless red-carpet dresses were exactly the sort of look Kate loved, and the Prince of Wales had generously paid for them.

Kate scored an immediate hit with the Canadian public as she descended the steps of their private plane in Ottawa in a navy lace dress designed by Montreal-born Erdem Moralioglu. Arriving for the Canada Day celebrations, William and Kate were taken to Parliament Hill by horse-drawn carriage. They were accompanied by the Governor General and an escort of red-coated Mounties and bearskin-clad Canadian Grenadier Guardsmen. Greeting them was an estimated crowd of 300,000 wellwishers, waving their red-and-white flags and cheering loudly. It was hot, and the strength of the sun caused Kate's makeup to melt, but as she took her place on the stage, she didn't let her smile slip. “We love you, Kate,” the crowd chanted. Some of the young women in the crowds were wearing fascinators, a tribute, they said, to their new style icon, whose own bright-red headpiece incorporated a maple leaf, the country's national emblem.

William had been concerned about how Kate would cope with the punishing agenda and the huge media interest—more than 1,400 journalists were covering the tour—but she proved herself to be resilient and professional. She didn't seem to tire of meeting new people and happily shook hundreds of
hands every day. Unlike the Queen, she chose not to wear gloves, and when it came to planting a tree at the Governor General's office in Ottawa, she shoveled away with gusto in four-inch stilettos. The image of Kate, spade in hand, brought back memories of Diana, who had planted an oak tree in the very same spot twenty-eight years before, on William's first birthday. Diana and Charles had brought their son on the tour with them, and as William admired the now-towering oak they had planted, he appeared overcome with emotion. Like the oak, he had grown over the years, but his mother, who had nurtured him from the day he was born, was no longer around to watch him thrive. It meant everything to him that he was here with the woman he loved the day after what would have been his mother's fiftieth birthday. Kate had paid her own tribute to the mother-in-law she would never know by wearing a dress designed by Diana's favorite designer, Catherine Walker.

There were several planned meetings with dignitaries and statesmen, but in order for the tour to be as relaxed as possible, the couple asked not to have too many official lineups, and to be addressed by their first names. William had made sure the tour incorporated some of Kate's interests, and when they attended a cooking class in Montreal, she couldn't wait to change into her chef's whites to prepare an Îles de la Madeleine lobster. When they traveled overnight from Montreal to Quebec City down the St. Lawrence River aboard HMCS
Montreal
, she joked that sleeping in a bunk had not been very comfortable but she didn't once complain. And she was delighted to be visiting Prince Edward Island, the picturesque setting of one of her favorite books,
Anne of Green Gables
. There, the royal couple took part in a dragon boat race across
Dalvay Lake, and while Kate took the helm with her crew, William rowed in his, beating Kate's team by a whisker. They were so competitive, William revealed, that they had never actually finished a game of tennis or Scrabble, but as he helped her out of the boat, he hugged her warmly.

When the Prince gave a demonstration of how to land a Canadian military Sea King on the water—a skill known as “water birding”—Kate clapped and cheered, taking pictures on her camera so they could have their own album from the trip. They looked very much a team; William had a habit of guiding his wife by the small of her back. He was on hand to assist when there were wardrobe malfunctions, helpfully zipping up her fleece on one chilly occasion and standing behind her when a frilly yellow dress she was wearing fluttered up in the wind, threatening to reveal her underwear. There were lingering gazes and jokes for the crowds.

When they headed to the Northwest Territories halfway through the tour, William arranged for them to have a night off on remote Eagle Island, also known as Honeymoon Island, to which they paddled in a canoe. They were the only visitors, and for once even their bodyguards didn't join them. A meal of local delicacies, including caribou and cranberries, had been prepared ahead of their arrival, and they watched the midnight sunset together. They had, royal observers noted, achieved the impossible and made an official visit look like a second honeymoon.