Kate Middleton Told Her Siblings She Was Engaged to Prince William While They Were at a Local Pub

Besides celebrating your decision to spend the rest of your life with your partner, breaking the news of your engagement to your family and friends may be one of the most exciting post-proposal activities. However, when your sister is planning to say “I do” to one of the most famous people in the world, that disclosure may come with some added secrecy. In his new book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, which is scheduled to be released on September 24, 2024, James Middleton shares how he learned of his sister Kate Middleton’s engagement to Prince William. 

In passages released by Hello!, Kate’s brother details the simple way he found out his sister was planning to marry Prince William. “Catherine, Pippa and I go out for a walk with Ella and Tilly to our local pub in a village near Bucklebury,” Middleton writes. “We sit in a corner, chatting quietly.” That’s when his eldest sister broke the news to them. He shares that while he and Pippa were excited about the news, they attempted to stay calm and collected to avoid drawing any suspicion to their conversation from fellow pub-goers. He adds that the conversation took place about a day before Kate and William shared their big news with the rest of the world. However, while he and Pippa learned of the engagement just before it was announced to the public, his parents learned of the couple’s plans to tie the knot a bit earlier. 

Even though William didn’t ask Kate’s father for permission before proposing, he made sure to contact him soon after the engagement happened. (In the couple’s 2010 post-engagement interview with Tom Bradby, he disclosed that he was nervous Michael Middleton may say no.) However, while William had spoken to her father, Kate said she was unsure as to whether or not her mother knew what had occurred. “I came back from Scotland, and my mother didn’t make it clear to me whether she knew or not,” she told Bradby. “So both of us were there sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward about it, but it was amazing to tell her, and obviously she was very happy for us.” 

The couple officially shared their plans to wed with the world on November, 16, 2010, with Kate wearing her new sapphire, which was formerly Princess Diana’s engagement ring. However, in recent months, Kate appears to have swapped the famous jewels for a promise ring her husband gave her while the pair were students at St. Andrews. “The piece of jewelry features two garnets to signify Kate’s birthstone and pearls to represent William’s birthstone, which are set on a rose gold Victorian-inspired band,” Brides previously reported. The ring is estimated to be worth $2,000. Her decision to make the switch may stem from a desire to keep the priceless family heirloom safe. “Kate has also previously removed her engagement ring when visiting hospitals for health and safety reasons,” Maxwell Stone of U.K.-based fine jewelry retailer Steven Stone previously told Brides. “Given that the princess has been undergoing treatment recently, this could explain why she switched to wearing a different ring.”