15 Adorable Photos Of Kate Middleton & Prince William, From Every Year Of Their Marriage
Catherine, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales, have had to deal with near incessant romance rumors in recent years, with things like the royal couple's body language being picked apart by people on social media, all with the purpose of sniffing out a scandal that has refused to materialize. Indeed, all signs seem to indicate that the couple is still going strong after 15 years of marriage.
It only feels like yesterday when tens of millions stopped what they were doing to watch a girl from Bucklebury walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey and begin her stunning transformation into one of the most photographed — not to mention scrutinized — women on the planet in April 2011. The newly minted couple stepped onto the Buckingham Palace balcony in front of all the attendees and obliged the crowd with an endearing kiss ... or two. Middleton had waited a long time for the proposal (garnering the distasteful nickname of "Waity Katie" from certain parts of the media) but by all accounts, 15 years and three children on, the future king and queen are making it look easy.
Sure, it's a long way from the Cartier Halo Tiara and the gilded carriage where this story began, but that's just the point. What the Wales family has built over the past 15 years is sturdy — the kind of sturdy that survives the queen's death and Kate and the king's cancer diagnoses. Here are photos from every year of that marriage, proving the cynics and the rumor mill wrong.
Caught mid-cheer at the Velodrome in 2012
In this photo from August 2012, the happy couple look deliriously joyful while watching the London 2012 Olympic Games at Velodrome, and they seem to have forgotten anyone is watching. Kate Middleton has her arms wrapped around Prince William as they both beam. They've had to weather a lot of storms in their long relationship, and it's moments like these that prove their longevity is more than just an act for the cameras.
History repeats itself, but this time in a heartwarming way
On July 23, 2013, the morning after Kate Middleton gave birth to Prince George of Wales, the new parents stepped out of St Mary's Hospital and drank in the same sight that must have greeted King Charles III and Princess Diana with Prince William back in 1982. The press had apparently spent many days camped outside the hospital (what tabloids had taken to calling the "Great Kate Wait" — yes, very imaginative) before the heir to the heir to the heir finally made his debut, giving way to this iconic image of two new parents whose lives and marriage were about to change forever.
A family outing in Australia with the latest royal scene-stealer
Nothing can quite bring a royal family together like a visit to the Commonwealth with their eight-month-old. In fact, this may have been the moment Kate Middleton and Prince William family discovered that Prince George was not just their firstborn, but also a professional-grade scene-stealer. On April 20, 2014, midway through the family's overseas tour, William and Middleton brought baby George to Sydney's Taronga Zoo to meet a bilby with his same name. This image, capturing the prince laughing at the bilby is, frankly, weaponized cuteness. George also reached for the bilby's ear, which prompted his father to joke: "If he gets it he'll never let go" (per TODAY).
Game day at Twickenham with a candid moment
Even with individuals like the royals, always careful about what they show in public, that calculation can run into a wall when you get a quiet moment with your significant other. On September 18, 2015, just a few months after the birth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the royal couple had an outing to Twickenham Stadium for the Rugby World Cup. There's a moment where Kate Middleton is whispering in Prince William's ear, and he is smiling broadly in return. In fact, the look on both their faces indicates that this royal engagement may be more like a date night, what protocol dictates and the cameras catch be damned.
A snowball fight in the Alps with the future king and queen
The more cynical among us might look at this photo from early March 2016 and see a deliberately arranged photo call. However, this outing in the French Alps was the first time the then-Cambridge children had ever set foot in snow and delighted in its timeless charm, so it makes sense that the family turned it into a big deal, at least by bringing a photographer along to capture the highlights. One of these highlights was a snowball fight between Prince William and Kate Middleton, with the two embracing, laughing, and losing themselves in the moment.
Kate Middleton's BAFTA debut and a look that was full of adoration
Despite being nearly six years into their marriage, Kate Middleton and Prince William had never appeared for the BAFTA Awards together, even though William had been the organization's president since 2010, having taken over from Lord Attenborough (that is, the late Sir Richard Attenborough of "Jurassic Park" and "The Great Escape"). That changed on February 12, 2017, when the couple appeared for the 70th BAFTAs at the Royal Albert Hall. Middleton's 'fit for the occasion hardly makes it into her best fashion moments, but it's the way she's looking at him, so full of adoration and pride, that really stands out in this particular photo.
When the family of four turned into a family of five on the Lindo Wing steps
Five years on from Prince George's debut, the couple made an appearance outside St Mary's Hospital again with their third child, Prince Louis of Wales. The royals look extremely happy, captured talking to each other while Kate Middleton holds her newborn to her chest. There has been some chatter about Middleton's red dress pointedly echoing Princess Diana's when she appeared with Prince Harry on those same steps a few decades earlier, but she and Prince William look so full of bliss here that any possible symbolism should hardly be relevant.
The very picture of domestic bliss with the adorable Prince Louis in tow
There's a certain kind of joy that you can't feign, not even for the cameras, not even when you're a royal whose entire life has been defined by waving at people, posing for the cameras, or knowing that each and every one of your gestures will be studied by experts and media analysts. That joy is genuine and pure, and it was plastered on the faces of Prince William and Kate Middleton for all the world to see when they brought little Prince Louis out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony during Queen Elizabeth II's annual birthday parade in 2019.
The surprising warmth of a sweet moment in a difficult year
Speaking of the relentless scrutiny that royals have to deal with on a near daily basis, we have to talk about this moment in September 2020. In a year when the family was beleaguered by all sorts of dramas, what with the "Megxit" in full effect and COVID-19 wreaking havoc in the world, Prince William and Kate Middleton had little reason to smile. Yet, here they are at the London Bridge Jobcentre, grinning and enjoying each other's company as always, with the easy familiarity of two people who've spent the past decade building a life and family together.
A royal belly laugh captured by the cameras at Wimbledon
2021 was a rough year for the royal family, with Meghan and Harry's infamous Oprah interview in March and the death of Prince Philip in April. And yet, when the press caught Prince William and Kate Middleton watching the Wimbledon Championships, they looked like their usual, relaxed selves. Whatever the prince has just said, Middleton is gone. Head all the way back and mouth all the way open, she's laughing in a way that is entirely involuntary and uncontrollable. If that's not proof of a marriage in good working order, nothing is.
The last Jubilee on the balcony with the queen
This June 2, 2022, photo depicting Queen Elizabeth II with her grandson Prince William and his family is probably the definitive photo of the royals in 2022, and it's even sadder to consider that the sovereign, celebrating her Platinum Jubilee — after 70 years on the throne — passed away three months later. This was one of the queen's final balcony appearances, flanked by the then-Cambridges. William and Kate Middleton are openly smiling, while Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are each pulling a different face, presumably at the same fly-past that has caught the attention of the queen and Middleton.
A winning goal, followed by a winning embrace
On July 6, 2023, Prince William was playing at the Royal Charity Polo Cup in Windsor and managed to score the winning goal. After achieving that feat, one of the first things he did was walk straight to his wife, Kate Middleton, who, in a blue midi dress, looked as radiant as ever. The two embraced and William kissed his wife on the cheeks, marking a wholesome moment in their first summer as Prince and Princess of Wales — titles they inherited after the queen's death. And this, right here, is what carrying that new weight together ought to look like.
Captured in a tender moment after a hard year
This photo from December 3, 2024, showing Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Horse Guards Parade during the Qatari Emir's visit to the U.K., is particular for its heartwarming simplicity. 2024 was another tough year for the royals, whether we're talking about the #WhereIsKate trend after Middleton's conspicuous absence, the Mother's Day photo disaster, or her cancer announcement, following King Charles' own cancer diagnosis just weeks earlier in February. Prince William had described 2024 as "the hardest year in my life" (per ABC News) but this photo has the implication that it was also the year they leaned hardest on each other.
Aprons, flour, and a year on the mend
So, the mission here was potato apple bread, after Prince William and Kate Middleton made a trip to Long Meadow Cider in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, and decided to bake the farm's traditional bread. This was Middleton's first year in remission, and this photo from October 14, 2025, shows the couple in matching aprons, once again losing themselves in the normalcy of the moment and having a great time. Considering everything they've been through over the years — from endless media scrutiny to some of the greatest upheavals in modern royal history — we'd say they've probably earned it.
The sweet family portrait to commemorate 15 years
On April 29, 2026, to commemorate the milestone of 15 years of marriage for Catherine, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales, they shared a family snapshot on X.
Celebrating 15 years of marriage ❤️ pic.twitter.com/egvsuIh6xF
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 29, 2026
The picture featured the couple and their three kids, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Prince Louis of Wales, sprawled on the grass. They held hands and smiled widely, and the five-word caption simply said, "Celebrating 15 years of marriage" with a heart emoji. It's likely that the Waleses will have plenty more fun family moments like this in the future, along with more exciting milestones.