"This programme contains scenes of Repetitive Flashing Images." "It's the most anticipated royal wedding of our time." "You both look happy and relaxed." "We're like ducks - very calm on the surface, but little feet going under the water!" "On Friday, a future king will welcome a future queen to his family." "Tonight, we look back at the love story that captivated the world..." "The biggest royal marriage since William's parents tied the knot." "Called the ultimate reality show, the royal wedding is expected to command the biggest audience in TV history." "..and we hear from the people who shared their journey." "She has this great sense of humour and Will and Kate both share that." "He is very easy to get on with, despite all the pressures, particularly at the moment with planning for the wedding." "Early on, people commented, "Imagine if they ended up getting married." ""and we've been here when they met."" "He'll marry me." "SHE SIGHS" "This is romantic, this is two people who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together." "Everyone will be happy for them." "Westminster Abbey - home to the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066 and the burial place of Chaucer, Dickens and Tennyson." "In just a few days, it will be under the world's spotlight again as Prince William of Wales marries Catherine Middleton." "Theirs is a simple love story, a modern-day romance with a fairytale ending." "As the House of Windsor prepares to welcome a future queen, we look back at where their story began." "21st June 1982, seven days after the end of the Falklands Conflict," "Britain was celebrating, as in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, a future king was born." "Just a day old and the royal baby is tonight sleeping in his cot at home." "The Prince's first public appearance lasted less than a minute." "What did you think of him?" "Oh, he's wonderful, absolutely fabulous." "Oh, I cried, I couldn't help it." "We have still no word on the baby's name." "The first time I photographed Prince William was when he was less than 24 hours old." "They never do what you want them to do." "Prince William said his first words in public." "Dat, dat, dat!" "Camera." "Today was Prince William's first day at his new school, it meant putting on a new uniform and facing all those cameras, but the new boy wasn't bothered by any of it." "This was no ordinary life." "Even fun days out were scrutinised under the glare of the media spotlight." "For William, destiny and duty went hand in hand." "With his mother by his side, he embarked on his first official engagement at the tender age of eight." "Despite the pressures of royal life, Diana always strived to bring a touch of normality to her children's lives." "But in 1997, the unthinkable happened as William and his family mourned the death of Princess Diana." "I know Kate and her family because they've been coming in here over the last ten years or so for a drink with their friends, for a meal." "I have been here for about 15 years so I've got to know them quite well." "50 miles from London lies the sleepy, rural village of Bucklebury, home to the Middletons, William's future in-laws." "The Middletons were like any other family, everybody knows everybody." "In 1982, they had their first child, Kate - an ordinary girl destined for greater things." "He will fall in love with me." "SHE SIGHS" "He will marry me." "SHE SIGHS" "In London." "SHE SIGHS" "HE PLAYS PIANO" "I taught Kate the piano from the age of 11-13." "This is the actual piano she learned on." "I don't think anybody thought she was going to be a concert pianist, but she was always bubbly, always bright and she came for lessons and she was always a happy person when she was being taught." "Kate has always been a very, very friendly person." "And ever since we've known her, there has been a radiance about her, an aura." "It sets her aside from other people." "People don't talk about a future princess, they talk about Kate, that she's getting married to William and that's great news." "I think everybody is excited that somebody from our village is going to be a princess, and one day, queen." "But then, perhaps things were always meant to be." "I wish to marry you, only say "yes" to me." "Yes." "Oh, yes, dear William." "So how did this girl from the Home Counties find herself on the cusp of royalty?" "Well, it almost started thousands of miles away in South America." "In 2000, William decided to take a gap year and work in Chile with charity organisation, Raleigh International." "# Oh, hokey cokey, cokey... #" "I set out to Chile in September 2000 and underwent all the staff preparations, we got ready for the venturers to arrive." "Then it was announced that Prince William was joining the expedition." "When I first heard that William was coming on an expedition to Chile," "I felt quite a lot of fear, to be honest with you - did he actually really appreciate what he was letting himself in for?" "Yuh!" "'But when I met William, all my fears were completely laid to rest.'" "He was up for it and ready for the challenge." "I take it these are my trousers?" "Ollie?" "Ollie, have you left your trousers here or are these mine?" "William wanted to experience real expedition life, so the press were kept under tight control." "It was felt that it probably wasn't suitable for someone with a journalistic background to be on the same expedition as Prince William, so I actually came back to the UK." "Um..." "Ironically, they sent me out on the next expedition where Catherine Middleton was a member of the expedition." "Kate had missed her prince by just a few weeks." "Kate began six weeks after William had left Chile, which is pretty remarkable, considering they had never met and they both decided to go to the same country on a similar type expedition." "There was a buzz at the fact that he had just been there and they were following in his footsteps and staying in the same accommodation and cleaning the same toilets, but I think of most of them got down to the day-to-day business of being on an expedition." "It's strange to think that someone you'd spent time with in a bizarre situation in the south of Patagonia could one day be the queen." "Later that year, William and Kate did meet on the coastline of Scotland at the University of St Andrews." "PRINCE WILLIAM:" "We were friends for over a year first." "It just sort of blossomed from then on." "We spent more time with each other and had a good giggle, had lots of fun and realised we shared the same interests and just had a really good time." "She's got a really naughty sense of humour which helps me because I've got a very dry sense of humour, so we had a really good laugh and then things happened." "In a break from tradition, William chose this ancient Scottish university, surprising everyone, not least of all the new vice-chancellor." "I signed the contract, "Yes, I'll start in January."" "The people who I'd been speaking to at St Andrews said," ""Um, there's something else you ought to know."" "I said, "Yes?"" ""William is coming."" ""William?"" ""Prince William."" "I said, "Ah."" "The Prince's arrival didn't go unnoticed, but the media had agreed to an unprecedented amount of privacy to allow him to further his education." "We've had pictures of William with girls and Harry with girls put on our desks and the editor said, "Take them away, I'm not doing it."" "We gave our word we will not intrude while they are educated and he's keeping it." "We were determined that we were going to give William a normal student life and to give him a preparation for a life that is unimaginable for the rest us." "But having a prince arrive on campus isn't something that happens every day." "LAUGHTER" "On the Monday morning, came down to breakfast and there was a sense of," ""Oh, who is he going to sit next to, who's he going to talk to?"" "Then he walks in by himself with his tray." "That is classic." "I think everyone was very conscious of trying not to suddenly go silent as he walked into the room." "Fellow-student Jules Knight from classical boy band Blake met William and Kate at university." "Will and Kate were in St Salvator's Hall which was one of the best halls to be in because it was in the centre of town." "It wasn't what you'd call plush or five-star accommodation, it was reasonably comfortable." "His father, when he visited before William arrived, tested the bed by bouncing up and down on it and seemed to be satisfied." "I ended up in the room next door to Kate when I was in first year at St Andrews." "The first thing that struck me when I met her was just how stunningly attractive she was." "The hair was always perfect, just like it is now." "She was really noticeably beautiful and she was nicknamed Beautiful Kate as well in hall." "Whilst both studying art history, it didn't take William long to notice Beautiful Kate." "When I first met Kate, I knew there was something very special about her and I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there." "But we ended up being friends for a while and that was a good foundation." "They were within a group of friends of about seven or eight people." "Kate wasn't famous then, Will was famous and Kate was one of us." "I actually went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you." "But, um, it took a bit of time for us to get to know each other." "In 2002, a charity fashion show was rumoured to spark a change in William and Kate's friendship." "I would never have guessed that the girl I photographed on the catwalk would later be a princess." "So they say, that he watched her in the fashion show when she wore this amazing see-through dress." "And he was smitten." "Kate looked fantastic, she looked a million dollars and I think people did think, "Wow!"" "Because Kate is quite a shy girl really, but I think that was a moment of showing her self-confidence." "And you know, she's got the body and the looks for it, so why not?" "I did get a phone call from one magazine asking if they could reproduce my iconic image of Kate Middleton and I had never heard anybody call it that before." "You know, what..." "I was totally overwhelmed, I never expected that I'd get a photograph like that in my lifetime." "But, you know, I think it's easy to look back and think, "THAT moment."" "I mean, obviously at the time, it wasn't really "THAT moment" to us, it was just like one of your friends up there and obviously Kate has become the most famous woman in the world and so extra significance" "has been put on this moment." "When he was here, he was always in the area and you could be walking in the supermarket with your trolley and he'd be walking down the next aisle with his." "In a way, the locals all got used to seeing him in the area." "It's only now we realise that was our future king that was down here and in for fish and chips as well." "He did get a bit more freedom than perhaps he would have got at another university because the media did leave him alone, they did back off." "So he did have a certain amount of freedom to walk around." "He was left to get on with his lectures and his daily life and his social life in relative freedom." "In the second year of university," "William and Kate became flatmates in a shared student house." "JULES KNIGHT:" "I lived in 11 Hope Street and Will and Kate were in 13." "The people they lived with were close friends of mine and so we were always in and out of one another's houses because there wasn't that much to do, so you would have a lot of dinner parties and tea and lunch and all that kind of stuff." "Actually, you did cook for me quite a bit at university and it would always come with a bit of angst and anger if something had gone wrong and I would have to wander in and save something that was going..." "I would say I'm getting better at cooking," "Kate would say I'm getting worse." "I didn't give you enough chance to practise." "That is true, I get quite lazy about cooking because when I come back from work, it's the last thing I want to do, but when I was trying to impress Kate," "I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners and it just blossomed from there really." "We saw more of each other and hung out a bit more and did stuff." "So, um, yeah." "Their friendship grew from being great mates into a romantic relationship." "As the relationship developed, it wasn't long before the word got out." "They were photographed kissing on the slopes in Klosters." "It was then she sort of came on to everyone's radar, that they were a serious couple." "I didn't take the picture." "Paparazzi took the picture." "But it's of great general interest because William is second in line to the throne." "Therefore, whoever he marries is going to be a queen." "Catherine Middleton." "Kate Middleton was now hot property and at their graduation, the cameras weren't just focused on William." "Graduation day, that's really when the bubble burst for us." "I remember very distinctly walking out of my graduation ceremony, and it was just a sort of bank of photographers, 150," "200 photographers, all taking photos." "And I think they did go up to some students and say," ""I'll clear your student debt if you sell your stories," or whatever." "I say every year, "And you may have met your future spouse."" "Now, when William and Kate graduated," "I went out of my way to say, "And I say this every year."" "We were at the Graduation Ball." "I remember seeing William pinch Kate's bottom when they were standing at the bar, that kind of thing." "And they were I think, at that stage, dancing together and being much more coupley." "Obviously my hope was that they would eventually do the right thing by one another." "But it's very, very satisfying to see your students move on into adult life." "Away from the sanctity of St Andrews, they embarked on their separate working lives." "For William, this meant training in the armed forces." "Alongside his military duties, he also followed in his mother's footsteps by actively involving himself in his many charities." "'A royal reporter for the day." "This is Alice Marples, who's 10." "'She's a patient at the Royal Marsden Hospital, 'where she's being treated for cancer.'" "Tonight I'm going to be interviewing Prince Harry so..." "Brilliant!" "Brilliant, Alice." "That is a keeper." "That is a keeper." "Like his mother, he threw himself into his work with his heart and soul." "And I just asked him to go and sleep on a pavement in the centre of London." "So, I was indeed surprised, even though I shouldn't have been, that he said yes." "Straight away." "Straight away, that's it." "He didn't say, "Let me think about it."" "He didn't say, "I'll come back to you."" "He didn't say any of that stuff." "He didn't say, "Call me tomorrow."" "He said yes straight away, "I'll do it."" "Evening came." "We knew it was going to be very cold, it was." "So we found some wheelie bins, we used the wheelie bins to shield ourselves a little bit." "We put our cardboard down and we slept the night." "We didn't have an army of security, he didn't want any publicity about it at all." "People have asked me, "Surely there must be security" ""around about in the corner?" There wasn't anything like that at all." "Maybe there wasn't even any need for any of that because, frankly, who's expecting to see Prince William sleeping rough?" "Meanwhile, working as an accessories buyer for Jigsaw," "Kate was adjusting to London life." "But, as the girlfriend of a Prince, that life was becoming more complicated." "When Kate left university, she was suddenly faced with a lot of press intrusion." "And I think that's quite difficult for any individual." "She's got to expect some photos to be taken, if she's out in public, if it's her birthday, like today." "I think that was a big shift for her." "They didn't have that cocoon of being up in St Andrews and having the agreement with the press." "They had been pretty much left to themselves when they were studying for those four years." "If you're not experienced in dealing with the media," "I think that can be quite a challenge." "PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOUT" "And she seemed to deal with it very well." "You never saw a picture of her looking aggressive, looking cross." "She always managed a smile." "She was incredibly poised." "I would say she has a right to expect the rest of the day to herself, unless she chooses to go into a public place later on in the day." "The outside world was unaware that a big announcement was imminent." "Prince William and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton have split up." "The couple, who met at university six years ago, had faced huge public and media interest in their relationship..." "We've had the announcement, fine." "They should be left alone now, without reams of stuff being written that I can assure you, from my experience of royal stories, most of which will be complete nonsense." "At the time, I thought it was permanent." "You know?" "I think the relationship was too strong." "At the time I thought he's never going to be able to form a relationship with a girl, like he did with Kate, in that totally...perfect time as an undergraduate at university." "I wasn't very happy about it." "But, actually, it made me a stronger person." "You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realised." "I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you're younger." "I really valued that time." "For me, as well." "Although I didn't think it at that time, looking back on it, I...." "As a chance to re-centre yourself?" "Definitely, yeah." "You know, we were both very young." "It was at university and we were both finding ourselves, as such, being different characters and stuff." "It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up." "So it was just a bit of space, a bit of things like that." "And it soon worked out for the better." "The split was only temporary." "Within months, rumours were circulating that Kate and William were back together." "We picked ourselves up and carried on." "You know, from where you had the odd problem when you're first getting to know each other, those have all gone." "It's just really easy being with each other and it's really fun." "I'm obviously extremely funny, and she loves that." "So it's been good." "You know, obviously William couldn't live without her." "And now they're getting married." "And a royal marriage is big news, with more than 100 cameras capturing the images that will be seen by an estimated global audience of two billion people." "So when the couple announced their engagement last November, it was done in front of the world's media." "It was about three weeks ago on a holiday in Kenya." "We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time, really, and proposed." "It was a total shock when it came, and very excited!" "Did you ask Kate's dad and what did you say, and what did your respective parents say when you told them?" "I was torn between asking Kate's dad first and then the realisation that he might say no dawned upon me, so I thought if I ask Kate first then he can't say no." "They kept it to themselves for several weeks before telling anybody." "He was determined to keep it a secret until they decided that the world should know." "Nobody was going to get any exclusives." "And William's like that." "William likes to keep things very close to his chest." "And then they gave the courtiers, I think, two or three hours' notice." "We had a little talk before and he even phoned the Queen that morning to tell her he was going to announce his engagement that day." "They were just so comfortable with each other, you know?" "She looked a million dollars, she had a fabulous dress and her hair looked wonderful." "Of course, she was wearing this great ring, which she was showing everybody at every opportunity." "I'd been carrying it in my rucksack for about three weeks." "I literally would not let it go," "I was keeping hold of it, because I knew if it disappeared I'd be in trouble." "It's my mother's engagement ring." "Obviously she won't be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all, this is my way of keeping her close to it all." "That was a wonderful gesture, and Kate Middleton never met Diana and obviously William's told her everything about her." "He's told her the things none of us know." "And all the fun things people do with their mum, but you know, wearing that ring every day, as she looks at that, she will think that one of the most famous women in the world wore that ring" "and she should be proud to wear that ring, and I'm sure she is." "I just hope I look after it!" "If she loses it, she's in big trouble." "It is very, very special." "I'd just like to say that Carol and I are absolutely delighted by today's announcement and thrilled at the prospect of a wedding some time next year." "Good evening, there is nothing quite like a royal wedding to perk up spirits in the British Isles." "SHE SPEAKS GREEK" "The biggest royal marriage since William's parents tied the knot." "They're young, they're in love and they look fine." "The appetite in America is insatiable for this story." "Nat's been giggling non-stop..." "A major break in tradition..." "A king in waiting finally popped the question..." "Fairytale come true - the commoner meets the prince." "Thousands of people have been flooding the blogosphere with real-time reaction to news of an upcoming royal wedding." "With the engagement public knowledge," "William still had his day job to do - and for the future king that meant representing his country on the world stage." "When we were on our failed mission to win the World Cup, for Britain, we had lots of conversations." "He's got a brilliant sense of humour, a very good sense of fun." "He is not at all grand or anything like that." "He did his utmost to try and bring it home." "It wasn't just, "Yes, I'll help and do a little bit of this" ""and a little bit of glad-handing."" "He actually threw himself into it heart and soul." "It sent some really, really important messages." "What was very clear from somebody who was observing that, that he's clearly a team player." "As part of the new royal team," "Kate undertook her first official engagement in Anglesey, launching a lifeboat for the RNLI." "All eyes were on the bride-to-be." "We've got hundreds of photos of the event and there isn't one bad photo of her." "It doesn't matter whether she is looking away or at the camera, it's brilliant." "Really elegant." "THEY SING THE WELSH NATIONAL ANTHEM" "They sung the Welsh national anthem." "She did, yes, bless her." "Done very well in that." "She probably did a better job than we did." "You do that, cut it." "I do the talking bit, she's going to do the fun bit!" "It now gives us great pleasure to name this new lifeboat" "Hereford Endeavour." "May God bless her and all that sail in her." "CHEERING" "'I think she did fantastic on her first royal engagement.'" "I tried to give them a business card to be honest - he only lives down the road, I'm a plumbing and heating engineer," "I tried to give him a card." "With the soon-to-be-married couple setting up home in Anglesey," "William will continue to juggle his royal life with flying helicopters and saving lives." "I think he wants to get stuck in, just like the rest of us." "I'm not too sure he's too keen on the paperwork, just like the rest of us, he just wants to fly." "He certainly never shies away from the difficult duties, anything that needs attending to he's always there, wanting to lead from the front and get stuck into sometimes the more menial tasks as well." "I think what William and others of the younger generation are trying to do is be true to themselves." "So they're not just "manufactured" royals, who just perform." "They're actually trying to do their duty, but also be true to themselves and bring something of themselves into that role." "I think William and Catherine are trying to do that." "How am I doing?" "Am I anywhere near the end?" "Months of planning are about to come to fruition... as the country gets ready to celebrate the royal couple's big day." "I expect it to be a pretty joyous day." "A lot of celebration and people taking the opportunity to have fun." "I think I said to him that the thing I learnt was just never argue with your mother-in-law." "But, no, I'm sure he doesn't need any advice from me." "They have invited 1,900 people to this wedding." "We, people from Centrepoint, got a number of those invites." "That's because we matter to him." "'We are all going to the wedding.'" "My wife rang me at 22:45pm last night to talk about her hats." "We shall celebrate with them." "Didn't get an invite!" "I'll have to take a handkerchief with me," "I must remember that, because it's going to be quite an emotional day." "I'm looking forward to her and her dad walking down the aisle." "That'll be great - just to watch Mike take his daughter down the aisle." "It'll be something special." "Kate and William's romance has captivated the hearts and minds of the world." "And as the future king prepares to marry his future queen, the next chapter in their love story is only days away." "Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd" "E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk"