Real reason Prince William did not ask Princess Kate’s dad for permission to marry

Prince William did not ask Princess Kate’s father Michael Middleton for his permission to marry her for one key reason.

While it is tradition for a man to seek the permission of a future brides father before getting down on one knee and proposing, it appears the Prince of Wales, 42, did not do this before asking Kate for her hand in marriage in 2010.

At the time of their proposal, believed to have happened on October 20, 2010, in Kenya, the prince had been with the princess for around eight years after first meeting her at St Andrews University in 2001.

Despite the fact the prince had a good bond with her family, William was hesitant to get permission before popping the big question for one reason.
In their engagement interview with ITV in November 2010, around the same time the proposal was announced, the future King revealed why he did not follow the standard tradition.

He said: “Well, I was torn between asking Kate’s dad first and then the realisation that he might actually say ‘no’ dawned upon me. So I thought if I ask Kate first then he can’t really say no.

“So I did it that way round. I managed to speak to Mike soon after it happened really and then it sort of happened from there.”

The prince also revealed that the couple had been talking about marriage for some time, despite the fact Princess Kate said the proposal came as a “total shock”.

William revealed that he had been carrying the ring, which belonged to his mother Princess Diana, around with him for weeks beforehand in his rucksack waiting for a good opportunity.

The pair had been away with friends at the time however managed to sneak a private moment alone when staying at a lodge at Lake Rutundu.

The lodge was believed to have been a romantic setting, with Princess Kate having left a note for the housekeeping staff saying she loved the “fires” and “candlelight”.

After being engaged for around six months, the couple married in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey where her father walked her down the aisle.