WHEN Prince William decided he was going to ask Kate Middleton to marry him, Prince Harry was the first person he told, according to a royal author.
Ingrid Seward has revealed how William told his younger brother how he planned to pop the question in Africa – a country close to both of their hearts.
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Ingrid told The Celeb Report: “Once he had finally decided, the first person he told was Harry.
“His brother was impressed by William’s romantic plan to propose to Kate in a remote lodge in Kenya, East Africa, accessible only by helicopter.
“Being Harry, he had to make a joke of it and suggested as well as the bottle of Champagne on hand for when she said yes, he should also have a bottle of brandy in case she said no.
“Romance for Harry was more difficult.”
Africa is poignant for both brothers, as they visited with their dad as boys after Princess Diana died so they could come to terms with the loss.
Just before Prince William proposed to Kate, Prince Harry even selflessly offered his brother the chance to Princess Diana’s engagement ring, which he owned.
The engagement in October 2010 came seven years after Kate and Wills first got together, sparking mass excitement all over the world.
The royal couple tied the knot on April 29, 2011, and was declared a public holiday in the UK.
Since William isn’t the first in line to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion, which meant many details of the big day were left down to the couple.
The wedding was watched live by 36 million people and was jam-packed with all the usual pomp and ceremony of a royal occasion.
Kate and Wills had their fair share of celebrities watching the nuptials, such as the Beckhams, Sir Elton John and the late Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.
Prince Harry was chosen by William to be his best man, and gave a rather non traditional best man speech.
Ingrid added: “William and his brother have always had a joshing kind of relationship. They made fun of each other, teased each other constantly about their hair — or lack of — and called each other outrageous nicknames.
“This occasion was a little different. It was at Buckingham Palace. It was after a long and stressful day and it was almost certainly after a few drinks had been consumed.
“Apparently, Harry had a joke about when William first brought Kate home (to Clarence House) he gave her the thumbs up because she had such a great pair of pins.
“Instead, he called William the “perfect brother” referred to him as “dude” several times, called his relationship with Kate “inspirational” and, to huge applause, added: ‘William didn’t have a romantic bone in his body before he met Kate, so I knew it was serious when he started cooing down the phone.’”
lIngrid Seward is author of Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century, (Atria Books, £20) and editor in chief of Majesty magazine.
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