On April 29, 2011, Kate Middleton and Prince William exchanged their vows in an opulent Westminster Abbey ceremony. It made for excellent television, and ultimately more than 150 million people around the globe tuned in to watch the future king pledge his love to the future queen. Later that same day, a few surprising people were able to tune in to a replay of the ceremony. In “Kate and Her King,” episode two of Vanity Fair’s DYNASTY: The Windsors, cohost Katie Nicholl reveals that Kate’s hairdresser arrived at Clarence House before that night’s reception and saw Kate, William, and Prince Harry kicking back on a bed in their robes and watching a recording of the ceremony, with Kate’s Cartier Halo tiara still perched on her head.
It was a moment of private celebration that came at the end of a decade-long courtship that began when Kate and William initially ran into each other at the isolated St. Andrews University in Scotland. In this episode, Nicholl and cohost Erin Vanderhoof explore the paths that made Kate, the daughter of successful party-store owners, an ideal partner for William, the heir to the throne who was still grieving the tragic loss of his mother. Guest Tori Cadogan, the education editor for Tatler, explains how the Middleton family sent their children to private schools that gave them access to a better life, and writer and Vanity Fair contributor Michelle Ruiz details some of the snide comments that the Middletons withstood from upper-class snobs.
After years of tabloid speculation, Kate and William announced their engagement in November 2010, and the private pair immediately became the public toast of the country. Podcaster, writer, and royal watcher Kristen Meinzer details how royal marriages are a crucial P.R. win for the monarchy, and how Kate’s entry into the family helped recast the Windsor narrative for the 21st century. Now, more than 10 years have passed, and the couple have turned their focus to raising children and expanding their charity empire, but they’ve never wavered from their commitment to the monarchy.
Listen to the episode in the player above, and don’t forget to tune in next Tuesday, May 3, when DYNASTY: The Windsors returns with an episode about Prince Harry’s turbulent road to adulthood—and the trauma that comes along with being the “spare.” Subscribe at listen.vanityfair.com/dynasty or wherever you get your podcasts.
— Prince Andrew Really Just Cannot Seem to Stop Himself
— How Princess Diana’s Dance With the Media Impacted William and Harry
— Prince Charles Commemorates the First Anniversary of Prince Philip’s Death
— Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Visit With Wounded Service Members From Ukraine
— From the 1985 Archive: Princess Diana, the Mouse That Roared
— DYNASTY: The Year That Changed the Monarchy