Prince Louis of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour on June 2, 2022 in London, England.GETTY IMAGES.
They also became partners in running a household, giving dinner parties (William immediately installed a Champagne refrigerator), and decorating their little home. “William and Catherine were now embracing their newfound independence, handling chores like shopping, cooking, and entertaining guests together,” Robert Jobson writes in Catherine, the Princess of Wales. “These salad days were idyllic, filled with romantic walks and quiet evenings together, shielded from the prying eyes of the press.”
Protected by a privacy deal brokered between the Palace and press after the death of Princess Diana, they also did normal college kid stuff: drinking and watching football at college bars like Ma Bells, attending apartment parties and dancing at festivals. In March 2004, Catherine joined William on a hunt in North Yorkshire, where they continued to protect their relationship. “They were really oh so very careful,” one friend recalled, per Jobson. “Afterwards, when everyone else went for a meal, they’d disappeared.”
But this love bubble would be shattered the next month. At the end of March, Catherine joined Prince William, Prince Harry, and the then Prince Charles on a skiing holiday in Klosters, Switzerland. Long a favorite spot of the royal family, it was particularly beloved by Prince Charles who had been visiting since the 1970s. Catherine had reportedly already hung out with the royal family at Highgrove and Sandringham House and frequented William’s small cottage on the Balmoral Estate.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (C), accompanied by their parents the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at Lambrook School on September 7, 2022 in Bracknell, England.GETTY IMAGES.
