A video of Prince William and Kate Middleton graduating from college is going viral (and I was weirdly there, too)
Fun fact (maybe the most fun fact about me): I saw Prince William and Kate Middleton graduate from college. The year was 2005, and my older sister, Rose, was graduating from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As is the case with many large universities, St. Andrews divided up their graduation days by majors, and by some blessed, mystical chance, Geography (William), Art History (Kate), and Psychology (my sister) were all graduating in the same time slot. (As many royal aficionados surely know, Will and Kate met in college and were even flatmates).
This also meant I got to see Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker Bowles (Harry was not in attendance…and don’t think I didn’t notice). And when I say I “saw” the queen, I really saw her, because she can’t simply attend an event discreetly. As is royal custom, she must be formally announced, everyone must stand as she enters, and then everyone must wait until she sits to take their seat again. We also had to sing “God Save the Queen” (the British national anthem), which they apparently do at every graduation, but it felt especially noteworthy because the queen was like…right there.
And now it appears that footage of young Kate and William graduating has resurfaced on a royal fan account, and it’s taking me right back to that surreal summer day.
FYI: Kate and Will didn’t actually graduate back-to-back as the above video makes it appear; they actually walked across the stage about an hour apart. Also, “William Wales” was the pseudonym Will attended university under—in part to honor his late mother, the Princess of Wales, and because his full name, William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor, seemed too conspicuous.
Another fun fact about the day: There was security and paparazzi everywhere. As my mother whispered to me as we watched Prince William walk across the stage, “This definitely is gonna trump your college graduation.” And honestly, it did.
