The Prince and Princess of Wales are one of the British royal family's most iconic power couples, so it's no surprise that Prince William's late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was known to be a fan of his wife.
In fact, Catherine was known to have an incredibly close bond with the former monarch right until her death in 2022, who also gave her a helping hand when it came to handling engagements in the early days of royal life.
© Getty ImagesNow, it has been revealed that the now-Princess of Wales and the late Queen actually had secret meetings before she got engaged to Prince William that the public didn't know about, proving that the mother of King Charles and Princess Anne had an interest in the relationship much earlier than was publicly known.
In his new book, William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, royal author Russell Myers shared an insight into the early days of the couple's relationship, specifically details around their engagement that are not as they seemed. He wrote: "During the couple’s eventual engagement interview in November 2010, Catherine said the wedding was her first meeting with Her Majesty, although this was not strictly true.
"This was her first meeting at an official royal engagement, of course, but the Queen had taken an interest in her grandson’s relationship for some time, inviting the couple to meet and even dine with her on several occasions," the royal expert continued.
He also shared that sources explained how the Queen had "become intent on keeping a watchful eye over her heir," which prompted her to consider bringing his partner "closer into the fold".
In his book, Russell also wrote that "A former senior courtier said, 'The Queen was incredibly fond of Catherine. She found her polite and engaging and understood why William was so taken with her.'"
Prince William's pre-engagement plea to Queen Elizabeth
However, being fond of the young Catherine Middleton didn't mean that the late monarch played favourites. When Prince William approached his grandmother with a request to provide security for his girlfriend, she denied his request.
While the Metropolitan Police's dedicated department for royal protection could not use taxpayer-funded money to protect her, the heir to the throne turned to his grandmother to ask if security could be privately funded. However, according to Russell, the Queen decided that "until the prince was engaged, no arrangement could be made."
