I've been asked by several TV networks to comment on Catherine and William's first joint engagement last week. The couple was in Anglesey, Wales to launch a lifeboat, but it was also the launch of Catherine's public role, and the first of many engagements and duties she will undertake once she's a full-fledged member of the royal family.
Many have commended Catherine not only for her confidence and ease during her first official event, but also the fact she sang the Welsh national anthem and a hymn in Welsh. This came as a surprise, since apparently nobody knew that Catherine had been secretly learning Welsh. Well almost nobody. Back in December, I revealed in my exclusive royal wedding details story that "Catherine has been learning Welsh for quite some time. This will further endear her to many as she will one day become the Princess of Wales."
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It seems that there are those in the UK who have picked up on my royal wedding coverage. A BBC news program covering the Anglesey visit last Thursday mentioned, "An American reporter had revealed that Catherine has been learning Welsh. Nobody here really knew about it since apparently she's been learning the language on her own." The palace has confirmed the accuracy of my information, and also stated that Catherine took it upon herself to learn the challenging Welsh language.
During her first official tour of Wales shortly after her 1981 wedding, Diana was given the key to the city in Cardiff, and she charmed the audience by managing a few Welsh sentences in her speech. Catherine has similiarly charmed and impressed those in Wales, and it is even more important for her than it was for Diana to learn the language since she'll be living in Anglesey after her marriage. As William said in his speech, not only is Catherine about to join the royal family, she is about to become an "Anglesonian."