Inside Prince William and Kate Middleton's 'nightmare' past five years: 'Either crushes a marriage, or it brings them together'
The couple have had a tough few years
Prince William and Kate Middleton have endured ups and downs throughout their marriage.
The couple have stuck together during Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s departure from the royal family – followed by an uncontrollable media circus – the COVID-19 pandemic, King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and of course, Kate’s own ill health.
Because of such, it comes as no surprise that these past five years have been dubbed a “nightmare” for the couple…
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s tough five years in their marriage
Royal historian Amanda Foreman has weighed in on the topic.
“There is a sense of protectiveness and partnership,” Foreman told People Magazine. “The last five years have been a nightmare for them in every possible way — the past year even more so. That either crushes a marriage, or it brings them together.”
Foreman emphasises that this has only strengthened their bond, which is important as “the international stage is so unstable”.
Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have remained private when it comes to their personal lives, but on rare occasions have alluded to how tough some of their experiences have been.
“Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult,” Prince William said in November to reporters.
“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
How Prince William and Princess Kate have navigated their marriage through trying times
In January, Kate returned to her royal duties after confirming her cancer was in remission.
One year after Kate revealed her illness to the public, royal biographer Robert Hardman told People: “There is definitely a feeling of resetting the dial — of being back.”
A former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth, Ailsa Anderson, also chimed in, stating: “Fast-forward, and what a difference a year makes. She’s even more beloved in the nation’s hearts than she was.”
Former royal aide Jason Knauf recently discussed how trying the aftermath of Kate’s diagnosis was for William.
Prince and Princess of Wales’ approach to parenting young royals
When asked if he remembers the phone call he had with Prince William about Kate’s diagnosis, Jason said: “It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”
He added: “The problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online, ‘was she really ill?’
“But they didn’t want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn’t told the children. They were still working through how to tell the children.”
Meanwhile, it seems the couple have been focusing largely on shielding their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis from ongoing difficulties in the royal sphere – especially as criticism surrounding Meghan Markle and allegations against Prince Andrew continue to bubble.
Reports have recently claimed that William and Kate prioritise upholding “normalcy” for their children as they navigate the pressures of royal life.
A source reportedly told Life & Style: “They’d love to be able to totally shield them from social media, but the older they get, the harder that is. So instead, they’ve decided on a lot of rules.
“First thing is they aren’t allowed to have their own accounts. They have shared family accounts that they are all logged into that are strictly for viewing content.”
Read more: The public’s obsession with Kate Middleton – From concern to conspiracy theories
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