Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, laugh as they stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London June 11, 2011. Trooping the Colour is a ceremony to honour the sovereign's official birthday.REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, laugh as they stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London June 11, 2011. Trooping the Colour is a ceremony to honour the sovereign's official birthday.REUTERS/Dylan MartinezPrince looks at his then fiancee Kate Middleton as she prepares to sign the book of condolence at the New Zealand High Commission, in central London Feb. 25, 2011.REUTERSPrince William and Kate gaze into each other's eyes minutes after their wedding ceremony in Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.Reuters/Toby MelvilleKate Middleton Hats for AuctionREUTERS/Dylan MartinezBritain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L), sits next to her husband Prince William as they leave the Order of the Garter service at St. George's chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle, in Windsor, southern England, June 13, 2011.REUTERS/Andrew WinningBritain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit Victoria Barracks for a medal presentation ceremony to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, on Armed Forces Day in Windsor, southern England June 25, 2011.REUTERS/Carl Court/PoolBritain's Prince William (L) and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge look at the tree planted by the Prince and the Princess of Wales in 1983 at Rideau Hall in Ottawa July 2, 2011.REUTERS/Lionel Hahn/POOLBritain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, react during a signing ceremony at the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, July 8, 2011.REUTERS/Todd KorolBritain's Prince William (L) and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, look toward each other during a stop at Variety's Venture Capital and New Media Summit at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California July 8, 2011.REUTERSCatherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as her husband Britain's Prince William comments on her artistic skills during a visit to the Inner City Arts campus in Los Angeles July 10, 2011.REUTERSBritain's Prince William looks at his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, during a dance performance by teenagers during their visit to the Inner City Arts club in Los Angeles, California July 10, 2011.REUTERSBritain's Prince William (L) is seen smiling as he walks with his then girlfriend Kate Middleton at RAF Cranwell, central England in this April 11, 2008REUTERS
It has been almost a year since Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton were pronounced man and wife by the Archbishop of Canterbury at London's Westminster Abbey, on 29 April. The couple, who will observe the first anniversary of wedded bliss on Sunday, will reportedly opt for a private celebration.
The wedding of the two royal heartthrobs was deemed the Wedding of the Year, surpassing the popularity of the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981. In fact, William and Kate's wedding also set a world record for the most watched online event ever - as many as 72 million people reportedly turned on their computers and watched them say "I do" to each other. Millions more watched it live on television.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who courted each other for nearly a decade before solemnising their relationship as husband and wife have always appeared to be very much in love and no matter how public an event, William and Kate have often been caught on camera and in videos, seemingly with eyes only for each other.
The fairy tale that is their love story - a time-honoured classic of a commoner marrying royalty - has inspired the commercial and the entertainment world. While a film depicting their story was released just before their wedding, London's Hamleys Toy Store, one of the largest in the world, unveiled Prince William and Princess Catherine Royal Wedding Dolls in August. The dolls were exact replicas of the couple, as they looked on their wedding day.
The level of detail is actually quite wonderful and Kate's doll re-creates everything from her much talked about wedding dress to her tiara, designer shoes, wedding bouquet, wedding ring and veil... every item of clothing and accessory of the Princess Catherine Wedding Doll resembles those Kate Middleton wore as the royal bride.
As the royal couple prepare to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, stealing a few moments of much-deserved companionship with each other, IBTimes UK brings to you photographs of their stolen romantic moments... a few quick seconds to glance into the other's eyes... a half-smile and a secret shared... and a quick touching of hands... even amid people milling around they were, sometimes, far from the madding crowd...
Press "Start" to view some of these unforgettable and timeless moments of the royal couple...