So writes Robert Jobson in William and Kate: The Love Story, one of the first books on Prince William and Kate Middleton to be published after their engagement was announced in November 2010. As far back as 2006 the happy couple were at the Firefly guest house on the island of Mustique. According to Jobson, the island’s seclusion “was one of the reasons that William and Kate chose to spend time there together. Gossip columnists speculated that this was where William would propose to Kate.” How wrong they were. William’s proposal certainly had been a long time coming. The on/off relationship must have had something to do with intense scrutiny both William and Kate knew they would encounter. He is used to the intrusive press photographers hiding in the bushes, eager to capture every move. She is not. William and Kate often escaped to the Caribbean to relax away from the public gaze and make plans for the future. William had visited the Caribbean as a child when Diana took him to Richard Branson’s private Necker Island And even before Kate met William, the Middleton family regularly vacationed in the Caribbean. Both knew the effect those startling white beaches and tropical sunsets can have on the soul. Prince William has refused to let the ultimately tragic trajectory of his late mother’s life cast too long a shadow and he shows all the signs of being his own man. An early indication of this was his choice of his mother’s famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring for Kate. This choice was a poignant and romantic one. In an interview William admitted that it represented a very special heirloom and that Kate “is a very special person to me... It was my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on the excitement and the fact that [Kate and I] are going to spend the rest of our lives together!” One thing is sure. Prince William is a real-life Prince Charming. He revealed that he smuggled the priceless ring in his backpack when the couple went to Kenya in October 2010 where the prince proposed.

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