Prince William, Kate Middleton mark 13th anniversary with never-before-seen wedding photo

(LONDON) — Prince William and Kate, the princess of Wales, are celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary.

The couple, who wed on April 29, 2011, marked the occasion publicly by sharing on social media a never-before-seen portrait of themselves taken on their wedding day inside Buckingham Palace.

The photographer who took the photo, Millie Pilkington, shared the photo on her own social media, writing on Instagram, “Wishing the @princeandprincessofwales the very happiest wedding anniversary.”

“Can’t believe it is 13 years ago almost to the hour, that I took this portrait,” she captioned the photo, which shows a smiling William with his hands resting on the waist of Kate, who is also smiling and holding her wedding bouquet. “So excited and honoured that they should wish to share it.”

William and Kate were married in Westminster Abbey, which on Monday shared a video on X of the couple leaving the church on their special day.

The Waleses were married in front of nearly 2,000 people inside Westminster Abbey, and in front of a global TV audience of millions that also watched them say their vows.

After the wedding, William and Kate traveled by carriage to Buckingham Palace, where they kissed on the balcony.

Over one decade later, William and Kate are now the Prince and Princess of Wales, titles they were given after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and the parents of three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.

The couple celebrated Louis’s sixth birthday on April 23, and will celebrate Charlotte’s ninth birthday later this week, on May 2.

George, their eldest child, will turn 11 on July 22.

The celebrations of birthdays and William and Kate’s wedding anniversary comes amid a difficult year for both the Wales family and their extended royal family.

Kate announced in late March that she was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January.

The type of cancer has not been disclosed. According to Kensington Palace, Kate started a course of preventative chemotherapy in late February.

Kate is continuing to take time off public duties, while William returned to work in mid-April for the first time since Kate’s diagnosis.

Just a few weeks before Kate announced her cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace revealed her father-in-law, King Charles III, was diagnosed with cancer.

The palace has not specified the type of cancer Charles was diagnosed with, the stage of cancer or the type of treatment he is undergoing.

Charles, who celebrated his 19th wedding anniversary with his wife, Queen Camilla, on April 9, is expected to resume a modified schedule of public duties this week, beginning with a visit to a cancer treatment center on Tuesday.