Kate Middleton followed in her mother-in-law Princess Diana's footsteps by making a powerful change to her wedding vows. When Kate altered her wedding vows to make herself seem equal to her husband, she was really taking a cue from Princess Diana. At the age of 29, Princess Diana married Prince Charles in April 2011 and decided to change the customary royal vow to "obey," mimicking a step Diana had made when she married Charles. She became the first royal bride to alter the traditional vows. Neither Kate nor the late Diana mentioned the word "obey," only promising to love, comfort, honor, and keep.
Before William and Kate's wedding, it was announced that they intended to choose their own words for their vows, which led to the decision to delete "obey." William and Kate opted for the 1966 Series One Book of Common Prayer ceremony, which permits the bride to omit the religious duties of serving him and obeying him.
The late Princess Diana disregarded the royal custom of stating "obey," which had been followed by the late Queen, Princess Margaret, and the Princess Royal, among others, when she married Charles in 1981. In their wedding vows, the Duchesses of York and Edinburgh both vowed to obey. However, in 2018, Meghan Markle decided not to use the phrase in her wedding vows.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, praised Kate and William for their vows in a speech given before their wedding. He said to the Mirror, "I've been extremely moved by the way that William and Katherine have tackled this magnificent event. They have considered both what they want to convey and what they want for themselves. They have a clear, concise understanding of the key elements of this incident."
Kate and William are expected to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary in secret. They are now parents to three children: Prince George, who is 10 years old, Princess Charlotte, who is 8 years old, and Prince Louis, who is 6 years old.
Prince William has resumed public appearances following a private Easter with his family, while Kate recently confirmed that she was receiving preventive chemotherapy for an unidentified type of cancer and is currently recovering. Although Charles has always been transparent about his health issues, Kate, 42, first made the decision to keep her own cancer fight a secret following her scheduled abdominal surgery in January. The Princess of Wales spent months out of the public eye as she recovered, and her whereabouts were the subject of several rumors. She finally disclosed in March that she had also received a cancer diagnosis.
In honor of Prince Louis's sixth birthday on April 23, King Charles announced a number of new positions in the royal family. Some of these positions involve members of the royal family. The 75-year-old king named Princess Kate, his 42-year-old daughter-in-law, a Royal Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honor. She is the first Royal Companion named to this order, which is a twist that will make history. King George V established the Order of the Companions of Honor in 1917 to honor exceptional accomplishments in the humanities, sciences, arts, and public service. Currently, David Attenborough, Elton John, Anna Wintour, Judy Dench, and Maggie Smith are among the 65 honorary members. Although individuals from non-Commonwealth nations may be considered as additional honorary members.
