EXCLUSIVE: Kate Middleton and Prince William’s ‘make or break’ moment ahead of major milestone

Fifteen years on from their spectacular wedding and after going to ‘hell and back’, a royal expert explains how the Prince and Princess of Wales survived

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The couple will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary this year

It’s hard to believe, but April 2026 marks 15 years since William and Kate walked down the aisle at London’s Westminster Abbey. As the young newlyweds emerged onto the famous steps and the world waited with bated breath to see if they would kiss for the crowds, few could have predicted the highs and lows that lay ahead for the pair. Yet, despite weathering more than their fair share of storms, the royals seem even happier than ever.

“William and Kate look more united today than ever,” royal expert Katie Nicholl tells OK!. “They are a proper partnership, and theirs is a marriage based on friendship, love and mutual respect. They’ve been to hell and back in the past year or two, but they look very, very strong together and they are clearly very in love.”

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Kate and William have been to ‘hell and back’, royal experts say(Image: @KensingtonRoyal/X)

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While the couple have traditionally opted for relaxed anniversary celebrations over grand gestures, it’s thought they do exchange gifts. For their 12th anniversary, it was reported that William gave his wife a diamond ring that had belonged to his mother, Diana, along with a replica of Kate’s wedding bouquet.

And Katie says she wouldn’t be surprised if they do “something special” to mark one-and-a-half decades of marriage. In 2025, the pair spent their 14th anniversary on Scotland ’s Isle of Mull, where they posted a romantic image of them both standing arm in arm, looking out onto a peaceful island view.

However, they have enjoyed more lavish breaks in the past, famously jetting off to the Seychelles for their 2011 honeymoon. Keen to avoid the glare of the paparazzi, they reportedly spent 10 days relaxing on secluded North Island, a private paradise only accessible by helicopter or boat.

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The archipelago is popular with A-listers including Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney, thanks to its white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and privacy. And it certainly holds special memories for the couple – it was during an earlier Seychelles holiday, in 2007, that William is said to have assured Kate she was “The One”.

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They have come a long way since their days at students at the University of St Andrews(Image: Clarence House via GettyImages)

How the couple choose to mark April’s milestone remains to be seen, but there is no doubt their relationship has evolved over the years. Since they first met at the University of St Andrews in 2001, we have watched them transform from college sweethearts to the ultimate royal power couple. Not only have they brought three gorgeous children into the royal fold and significantly stepped up their duties, they have also dealt with the fallout with Prince Harry, and Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

“It’s been challenging,” says Katie Nicholl. “They have stuck together through awful times, and have become even more tightknit. Going through cancer can make or break a couple, but we’ve heard William speak so movingly and openly about his love for his wife, and his admiration for everything she’s been through and navigated. He’s spoken very candidly about 2024 being the toughest year of his life. He didn’t know if he was going to lose his wife and the mother of his children, and that is an awful place to be.”

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Kate has described William as a great source of comfort during her illness(Image: Will Warr)

Throughout Kate’s cancer battle, William reduced his royal workload and unfailingly prioritised family over duty, an ethos that was apparent on 27 February 2024. He was due to read a lesson at a high-profile memorial for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, but pulled out, citing a “family matter”.

“We later discovered from Kensington Palace that Catherine got her cancer diagnosis that day,” royal biographer Hugo Vickers tells us. “Earlier generations of the royal family might well have fulfilled their duty and said, ‘Look, I’m really sorry, he was my godfather and I’ve got to go and read the lesson. It’ll take an hour and a half, and then I’ll be back.’ But William didn’t do that, he stayed, and full marks go to him. He was right, and I think their marriage is stronger than ever.”

For her part, Kate has also been candid about how much William’s love and support has meant during such a difficult period. “Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,” she announced, when she was in the midst of her treatment for cancer.

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They are united in public and private, royal experts agree(Image: PA)

Of course, all good relationships work both ways, and Kate has also been a staunch support to William. In his wedding speech back in 2011, he lovingly referred to his new wife as his “rock,” and there’s no doubt she has helped him navigate his own challenges over the last few years.

Not only has William had to cope with the very public rift from Harry and devastating loss of his beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, but his father’s cancer diagnosis has been a seismic blow. “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” he has revealed. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”

Since emerging from Kate’s illness, the couple’s togetherness has been more tangible than ever. Perhaps the most poignant example is the emotionally-charged video they released to announce the end of her cancer treatment, in September 2024. In a radical departure from traditional royal press releases, we saw them lying arm in arm on the beach in Norfolk, and sitting together on a blanket in a forest with their hands intertwined.

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The nation has been invested in their marriage since their grand wedding in 2011(Image: FilmMagic)

“The beautiful video that Catherine released to celebrate the end of her chemotherapy gave us a real insight into them as a couple,” Katie Nicholl tells OK!. “For a couple that have always been so private, it was unusual. You could see the love between them, and you could see how romantic they are together from the way William put his hands through her hair. They were just clearly so comfortable and happy in each other’s company – there was a real sense of love and friendship. It gave us a very special insight into a very special relationship.”

Today, the couple’s close connection is more visible than ever when they are out and about on royal appointments. While William and Kate appeared more formal in the early days of their marriage and rarely indulged in public displays of affection, insiders say that behind closed doors they have always been a fun couple, who enjoy teasing one another.

William once admitted they bonded thanks to Kate’s “naughty sense of humour,” and they now seem more relaxed about giving us an insight into this light-hearted side to their relationship. Whether they are holding hands, gently ribbing one another or reaching out with a reassuring touch, we regularly see them showcase their affection to the world.

“William and Kate are quite shy and reserved by nature and in the past, they haven’t made many public displays of affection,” continues Katie Nicholl. “But I think there’s been a willingness to show the world what they’ve been through, in a way that they’re comfortable with. They’ve been together for so many years, and you can really see that in the way they are with one another. You can really see William’s love and respect, and his devotion to his wife. I think they’ve emerged a lot stronger and even more together.”