Prince William broke key rule when he asked Princess Kate to marry him

Prince William and Princess Kate married on April 29, 2011 (Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Prince William and Princess Kate are celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary today, having originally tied the knot on April 29, 2011. While William, 42, sought the late Queen’s permission in 2010 before getting down on one knee and asking Kate, 43, to marry him, it turns out he did break one key tradition.

In their engagement interview, William revealed that he did not ask Kate’s dad Michael Middleton whether he could ask for Kate’s hand in marriage before proposing. Instead, William popped the question on holiday in Kenya, where the couple stayed at a lodge at Lake Rutundu after spending part of the trip with friends, and asked for Michael’s permission after.

In their engagement interview in 2010, William admitted: "Well, I was torn between asking Kate's dad first and then the realisation that he might actually say 'no' dawned upon me.”

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The prince continued: “So I thought if I ask Kate first then he can't really say no. So I did it that way round.

“I managed to speak to Mike soon after it happened really and then it sort of happened from there."

The proposal took place in October 2010 and came nine years after the couple first met while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland.

While William did not ask Michael’s permission before asking Kate the big question in 2010, this did not seem to cause any problems for the prince and his father-in-law.

Prince William and Michael Middleton are believed to have a close bond (Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Soon after the engagement was announced, Princess Kate’s dad Michael and her mum Carole Middleton stepped out of their Berkshire home to give a statement about the proposal.

Mr Middleton said at the time on behalf of Kate’s family: “I would just like to say that Carole and I are absolutely delighted by today’s announcement and thrilled at the prospect of a wedding some time next year.

“As you know Catherine and Prince William have been going out together for quite a number of years which is great for us because we’ve got to know William really well. We all think he's wonderful and we are extremely fond of him.

“They make a lovely couple, they're great fun to be with and we’ve had a lot of laughs together. We wish them every happiness for the future.”