After nearly a decade in the public eye, the heir to the heir is ready to marry his university sweetheart

It must have been the worst kept secret of the past few months, writes Shirley Tart.

But this morning’s announcement from Clarence House still brought a whoop of joy from royal followers.

As by now widely predicted, Prince William is to marry Kate Middleton next year.

There was a certain poignancy about the official announcement: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton.”

In other times, it would of course have been the Prince and Princess of Wales and no doubt his beloved mother will be forefront in the young man’s mind as he now prepares for marriage and fatherhood.

After a courtship which has lasted nearly a decade, that attraction born at St Andrew’s University in Scotland when the pair were hopeful young students, has blossomed into an enduring love.

And now, a royal wedding as the heir to the heir takes a bride — in the Spring or Summer of next year.

There had been a rumour that when it happened, they might choose somewhere like Windsor where Prince Edward and his wife and then the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were married.

But no, as befits this important step for the next generation and the young man who will one day be king, the ceremony and celebrations will be in London.

Probably at St Paul’s Cathedral William’s parents so memorably wed in 1981. They could choose Westminster Abbey of course, but it’s smaller than St Paul’s – and the cathedral is widely seen as the royal family’s local church!

Today’s announcement says that more details about the wedding day will reach us in due course. And for sure this modern day fairy story of a handsome prince and his beautiful bride-to-be will run and run until the big day.

Even while recent speculation has raged, the young couple were still nursing the secret that actually, they became engaged in October during a sunshine holiday in Kenya.

We don’t know yet – but may if Kate spill the beans – about how Prince William finally asked her to marry him. But he’s certainly had plenty of time to work out what and how he wanted to mark the big moment.

Even while they were quietly celebrating the moment, her parents were at Balmoral, guests of Charles and Camilla, which was widely seen as an absolute pointer to extra special news before too long.

Indeed you could hazard a guess that a glass or two of the best was raised up there in the Highlands to the young couple

The formal statement offers the obvious, that “Prince William has informed The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince William has also sought the permission of Miss Middleton’s father.”

But can’t you guess it would have been a much more excited young man than formal announcements suggest, telling a much loved granny (note he has ‘informed’ rather than as so often happens with royals, ‘sought’ the Queen’s permission) some of the happiest news of his life.

And she will undoubtedly be thrilled.

Remember it was Her Majesty back in 1997 who was so widely and harshly criticised because she stayed in Scotland comforting her two small grandsons after their mother’s untimely and shocking death rather than instantly joining the London crowds.

It was such an unfair burden to lay on a Queen who at that moment, was a compassionate and caring granny, something we should all have respected and actually, something the late Diana would almost certainly have wanted

But what of the romance itself? Given the vagaries of anybody’s teenage years, university and looking to the future, it has all gone pretty well, thank you very much!

Yes, they had a spell apart in recent times but is that so unusual or even unwise? Sometimes a spell apart gives people the opportunity to work out exactly what they do want and most importantly of all, whether they want to be married to each other.

William of Wales and his Kate clearly do.

She has weathered the sometimes unbearable eye of the media storm well, has kept her counsel and even if hurt be those deriding her family as simply ‘commerce’ (her parents have a party planning and novelty business in which Kate has worked, and her mother was once an air hostess) she has never reacted in public.

Service career

But she and William have increasingly looked more comfortable together, she has been at the most important moments of his service career – including joining his father and stepmother at RAF Shawbury where William and brother Harry were both based last year.

They have been at other weddings as friends tied the knot, the most recent the weekend before last, and those of us watching, did feel that they were maturing and growing together as a couple.

They have shared a home for some years – now in North Wales where they’ll continue to live after the wedding as Prince William continues his Royal Air Force career.

There have been so many pointers suggesting that modern bride Kate was indeed destined to walk down the aisle with her prince, her youthful beau, the shy but smitten young man who bought a ticket to watch her in a student fashion show. And now, the husband and wife to be.

So next year it is. With both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Olympics in 2012, that was always going to be no-go for a wedding. But William said he wouldn’t marry before the age of 28, they are both that age now.

I have a bit of a vested interest here as well. I was outside the London hospital reporting on the day the new baby William was taken home by his parents.

Back for a minute to commerce, the companies who took a haymaker and produced Will and Kate mugs, teacloths and so on, are set to make something of a financial killing. Indeed, it was one of the last flamboyant flings made by Woolworth’s before the company went out of business!

Though mock ups of most of the memorabilia had everything on them except the year. So 20- can now be instantly changed to 2011, then let the production lines roll.

But most of all, let the nation enjoy this latest glimpse of happiness, hope and enjoyment which a royal wedding always brings. Regardless of the cynics, I see no reason to think this one will be any different.

Congratulations!