Prince William broke this royal tradition when he proposed to Kate Middleton

Prince William proposal

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married since 2011, but the Duke broke one major rule when proposing to her.

Royal weddings tend to be very traditional, as well as creating rituals of their own throughout the years.

But Prince William revealed he went against one tradition, after proposing to Kate when they were on holiday together in Kenya.

Many men follow the tradition of asking their partner's father for 'permission' ahead of the proposal, but the Duke decided not to do this.

When the couple gave a joint TV interview to comment on the happy news, Prince William revealed why he'd gone his own way with the proposal.

Prince William proposal

Prince William and Kate Middleton announcing their engagement. (Credit: Getty Images)

Speaking to Tom Bradby, 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."

He added, "So I thought, 'If I ask Kate first, then he can't really say no'. So I did it that way 'round."

Apparently, the Prince had spoken to Kate's father Michael "sort of soon after it happened".

Prince William proposal

Kate's engagement ring once belonged to Princess Diana. (Credit: Getty Images)

Kate revealed, "I knew that William had asked my father, but I didn't know if my mother knew."

"She didn't make it clear to me whether she knew or not, so both of us were there sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward about it. But it was amazing to tell her, and obviously she was very happy for us."

Lucy Buglass
Digital Writer

Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer for What's on TV, Goodto.com, and Woman&Home. After finishing her degree in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University she moved to London to begin her career. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases.