Four ways Kate Middleton & Prince William keep the spark in their marriage – from ‘rationing PDAs’ to ‘dirty’ secrets
2025 will mark the 14th year since Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in a fairytale ceremony in 2011, which was watched by millions across the globe.
The future King and Queen, who first crossed paths in 2001 when they went to university together at St. Andrews, Scotland, have since gone from strength to strength, enduring numerous battles along the way.
Following a ‘’brutal’’ year for the Royal Family, which also included Kate’s shock cancer diagnosis, William is planning a ‘‘second honeymoon’’ and may even renew his wedding vows with his wife, The Sun recently revealed.
The source said: “Wills is ever the romantic – Kate values their alone time, nothing is more special than having her prince to herself.
”So he’s planning a romantic getaway – just the two of them – Wills has set the wheels in motion to whisk Kate away.”
Not only this, but the source added that a vow renewal wouldn’t come as a surprise too, as they went on: “And those close to them wouldn’t be surprised if the royal couple took this time out to reaffirm their wedding vows in a private blessing.”
But being working royals with busy back-to-back schedules and three young children to look after, how does the Wales’ duo managed to keep a spark in their relationship?
From ”rationing PDAs” to Kate’s ”dirty” secret, here are four ways the future King and Queen have kept their marriage and love stronger than ever.
A strong foundation
When Kate and Wills, both 42, first met, their relationship wasn’t romantic.
By their sophomore year, the university students had become housemates, sharing a four-bedroom flat with two other friends and frequently walking to classes together.
“It’s a relationship based on friendship,” royal author Robert Lacey told PEOPLE Royals.
However, according to Laura Warshauer, a New Jersey native and St. Andrews student who lived in the same dorm as they, the pair “definitely had chemistry”.
“Whenever Kate was in the room, Will was obviously paying attention to her,” the former university pal continued.
“When we’d be sitting at lunch in the dining hall and the two of them would be talking, it was amazing to see how natural it was, how they had so much to say to each other.
”Looking back, there were all these small moments — certainly moments where I was like, ‘Wow, this could really be something’.”
Even after graduating, Kate and Wills took their time with dating, including a brief breakup before getting engaged in 2010.
During their engagement interview, Prince William said: “We’ve talked about today for a while, we’ve talked about this happening so Kate wasn’t in the dark at all when we were planning it for at least a year if not longer, it was just finding the right time.
”And that’s what most people say about couples, it’s all about timing.
”And I had my military career and I really wanted to concentrate on my flying and I couldn’t have done this if I was still doing my training, so I’ve got that out of the way and Kate’s in a good place in terms of work and where she wants to be and stuff, and we both just decided now was a really good time.”
Rationing PDAs
Princess Kate stunned the world when she released a new video in September last year announcing that she had finished her chemotherapy treatment.
The intimate video also showed Wills and Kate doing some uncharacteristic public displays of affection too.
Cinematic footage showed an affectionate Prince and Princess of Wales cuddling and kissing, which was a deviation from them using refraining from being romantic in public.
Body language expert Judi James said ”this video was remarkable in the way we saw Kate and William happily showing the world the depth of their love for each other”.
“William has always kept to the subtlest PDAs with his
wife but here he showed signals of open adoration and even passion in a very uninhibited and adorable way.
“The intimacy looked mutual, with William just as keen to make the
emotional reveal as Kate.
“If anything, his wide smiles and his ‘look of love’ facial expressions
suggested he was relieved to be more honest about his emotions after decades of keeping them under wraps in public.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton's affectionate nicknames for each other
ROYAL editor Ingrid Seward told The Sun’s Royal Show that the Prince and Princess of Wales have some rather informal pet names for one another.
Speaking to The Sun’s Royal Correspondent Matt Wilkinson, she said: “Prince William was Big Willie, I think.
“Kate was Babykins, But people change their nicknames every time.”
Ingrid added that King Charles often refers to Queen Camilla as “darling” or “beloved.”
”Naughty” secret
The couple have weathered a great deal together, including the death of the late Queen in 2022 and King Charles’ cancer diagnosis in 2024 – but there is one key thing that keeps their relationship firmly on track.
Christopher Andersen, author of The King, said it’s the couple’s playful side that acts as their secret weapon – and it’s something they’re passing on to Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
He told Fox News Digital: “William once described Kate’s sense of humour as ‘naughty’ and his own as ‘dirty’, and claimed that it was one of the most important things that drew them together.
”They’ve certainly cleaned up their act for the children’s sake, but they can still make each other double over laughing.”
The author added: “William and Kate have also passed their wacky, slapstick, Monty Python-meets-Benny Hill sense of humour on to the children.
”And like all parents of young children, William and Kate find themselves refereeing when the kids fight over the TV remote, or when the inevitable teasing that goes on between siblings turns into the equally inevitable wrestling match.”
They make time for fun
Although some royal outings tend to be quite serious, the couple also know how to have fun when it’s appropriate, showing off their best dance moves during the Caribbean tour or going scuba diving with sharks during a visit to Belize in 2022.
Whether they’re racing each other in a charity race competition or facing off on the football field, Kate and Wills aren’t afraid to go head-to-head.
The Sun also reported that Kate has picked up a rather unusual hobby which Wills cannot get his head around – swimming in freezing cold water.
Kate opened up about her hobby, which she also does in the dark, during an appearance on the podcast, The Good, The Bad an d The Rugby, hosted by Mike Tindall, James Haskell and Alex Payne.
“I can always remember being physical, using our bodies, whether it’s walking, climbing the Lake District, in Scotland [or] swimming from a young age.
”[My parents] always encouraged us to be physically active and sporty and they always encouraged us into doing team sports and trying things.”
The 42-year-old raved: ”Cold swimming – the colder, the better. I absolutely love it.
”Slightly to the point where William’s [saying] ‘You’re crazy’ and it’s dark and it’s raining.
”I will go and seek out cold water. I love it!”