Pictures of the Prince and Princess of Wales are abundant for royal fans, but they weren’t always so simple to find, particularly at the beginning of their relationship.
William and Catherine first crossed paths at the University of St. Andrews in 2001 while they were both residents of St. Salvator’s Hall. They secretly started dating in 2002. At the wedding of Laura Lopes, the daughter of Queen Consort Camilla and her ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles, they were seen standing on opposite sides of the crowd even four years later.
On May 6, 2006, art curator Laura wed chartered accountant Harry Lopes in Wiltshire’s St. Cyriac’s Church. In one unearthed photo, mother-of-the-bride Camilla stood in the middle of the frame next to King Charles, who looked dapper in a grey suit. Camilla was wearing a pleated dress and a floral hat.
While looking across the crowd toward his girlfriend Catherine, his son Prince William was spotted on the steps to the left wearing a morning suit and a pink silk tie.
Why did the couple stand so far apart when her feathered hat was barely visible in the picture and was hidden among the wedding guests to the right of the picture?
It might have been planned by the wedding photographer or an intentional action by William and Catherine to quell unwarranted curiosity about their relationship. The Princess-to-lawyers be’s were considering legal action over paparazzi photographers following her every move the same year Laura got married, showing how much they valued their privacy at the time.
But as their relationship developed, Catherine accompanied William to a number of more well-known occasions, such as the Cheltenham races in 2007 and Peter and Autumn Phillips’ royal wedding in 2008.
Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Following his subsequent marriage proposal while on vacation in Kenya, Prince William and Catherine announced their engagement in November 2010 while Catherine proudly displayed the sapphire ring that belonged to his late mother, Princess Diana.
Eliza, Laura’s daughter, was one of Catherine’s young bridesmaids when they were married in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Eliza was born in January 2008, and Catherine made sure she had a very special role.
