How Prince William and Kate Middleton rented a home together in Anglesey (before they were engaged) – after the royal got RAF role in Wales and future Princess ruled out a long-distance relationship
After being together for several years, Prince William and Kate began taking the next steps in their relationship, although they were still not engaged.
When William was posted to RAF Valley in Anglesey in 2010, Kate decided it was time to move too.
According to Robert Jobson’s new biography of the Princess of Wales, Kate “ruled out a long-distance relationship” and instead rented a house together for £750 a month.
This was the first time for a young couple in the royal family, an institution that likes to keep things traditional.
Despite rumors of an impending engagement circulating in the media for some time, William had yet to get down on one knee.
Kate and William at a wedding in St Andrews in 2010, the same year they moved in together when the prince lived on Anglesey
William was a Sea King search and rescue pilot based at RAF Valley in Wales. Above: In his uniform at RAF Valley during his father’s visit to the base, July 2012
A lighthouse pictured in Holyhead, Anglesey. The couple lived in the area for three years, from 2010 to 2013
The couple lived in a cottage on the Bodorgan Hall estate in Anglesey.
There, Kate worked from home for her family’s business as a website designer and photographer, while William was a Sea King search and rescue pilot at the RAF base.
Looking back on the time they spent there, Jobson wrote that William found it an “extremely special place for both of us.”
The remote location allowed the young couple to live a relatively normal life.
Kate loved cooking and baking and often went to the local pub with William.
Unlike most royals who are in the spotlight, Kate even went shopping to Waitrose and Morrisons every week.
When William was sent to RAF Valley, Kate decided to join him and move too
One of the Sea King helicopters that Prince William flew during his time at RAF Valley
Prince William’s car pictured at the gatehouse of the Bodorgan Estate, where he lived with Kate in 2012
William pictured was at the controls of a Sea King helicopter during a training exercise in March 2011
Kate pictured at a polo match where William and Harry played in July 2010
Holyhead Lighthouse pictured in Anglesey, Wales, near where Prince William was stationed with the RAF
They remained in Wales even after they married in 2011, and Lupo, a cocker spaniel that Kate and William received as a wedding gift, came along.
Lupo was bred from a dog owned by Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton.
He lived long enough to spend time with all three of the couple’s children, but passed away in 2020.
Prince George spent his childhood on Anglesey until the family moved to Kensington Palace in 2013.
While Anglesey was a special place for William and Kate, it could also feel too remote at times, especially when they had newborn Prince George.
Kate said during a visit to a children’s centre in Cardiff in 2020: ‘It was so remote, so closed off, I didn’t have my family around me. He worked nights, so I would have had a centre like that at some point.’
Since 2022, William and Kate have lived in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor with their three children.