Prince William to prove his 'steadfast love' with Princess Kate's favourite Valentine's Day gift
The Prince and Princess of Wales have never publicly marked Valentine's Day, but with the romantic holiday approaching, it's possible that they will be preparing to privately gift one another thoughtful tributes that show their continued commitment, including cards or flowers.
This will mark their first Valentine's Day since Kate completed her cancer treatment and began taking on more royal duties, and it comes just two months before they celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary.
When they got married in 2011, they vowed to stand by each other "in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish," which they have proven with their strong family unit over the challenging past year. But was Kate's symbolic bridal bouquet indicative of the poignant gifts she'd want to receive?
Many choose to buy their partners red or pink roses – the colours of love – but Elise Harlock of Prestige Flowers pointed out another floral tribute that could carry more meaning.
She explained Kate's bridal bouquet, designed by Shane Connolly, "contained many stems carefully chosen for their meaning and symbolism", including lily of the valley, hyacinths, ivy and myrtle.
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Elise added: "All would be fitting to feature in a Valentine’s Day arrangement as a nod to their wonderful wedding almost 14 years ago.
“Hyacinths are known to represent steadfast love while ivy symbolises marriage, friendship and affection.
"Myrtle, a favourite for royal wedding bouquets, means love and hope, while the elegant lily of the valley means happiness."
Royal wedding flowers
Back in 2011, Kate paired her understated flowers with a lace Alexander McQueen wedding dress and a Cartier Halo Tiara as she made her way into Westminster Abbey.
Shane later opened up about working with the royal couple on their stunning blooms, which were witnessed by fans across the world.
"It was an enormous honor and a very exciting project in every way. I think I didn’t realize how global it all was going to be until a few weeks before when the press got involved!
"But all I ever want is to please my client… whoever they are. And so I kept on reminding myself that it didn’t matter what the world thought, if the bride and groom were happy that’s all that mattered. They were very happy so it was all fine.
"The main challenge was making sure no one but me knew the details. I think social media was less common then so it would be much harder to do now!"
Kate and William's Valentine's Day
In 2012, the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had to spend their first Valentine's Day as a married couple apart when William was deployed to the Falkland Islands for six weeks in his role as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
Several years later, the Princess of Wales joked about her Valentine's Day gifts from her husband.
After admiring a display at florist Neil Ashcroft's business in January 2023, he said: "William will be buying you some roses?"
After presenting her with a bouquet of hyacinths he claimed were her favourite flowers, the stall holder said: "I suggested William will be buying her roses and she said, 'I don't think he will do'".
Perhaps William has taken note of Kate's quip and will turn to her favourite flower to show his "steadfast love."
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