Lace was a crucial design component of Middleton’s wedding gown. The dress featured lace that was handmade at London’s Royal School of Needlework based at Hampton Court Palace and was appliquéd with individual flowers that were hand cut from the lace. The bodice and skirt were designed from hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace.

In 2014, William and Kate memorably took an almost 2-year-old Prince George along with them on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand that overlapped with Easter. The royal couple, then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, attended an Easter Sunday Service at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney but didn't bring young George along.

Kate and William's relationship quickly progressed, and the two began living with each other and friends Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale in a four-bedroom apartment near the town center. A friend of Middleton's said she didn't see the arrangement as being a "big deal," noting, "He has a large circle of friends, and she is just one of them."