Kate Middleton’s Parents “Delighted” By Royal Wedding Announcement

Thirty years after the fairy-tale nuptials with the unhappy ending, Britain will finally have another big royal wedding — and the parents of the blushing bride-to-be couldn’t be more pleased that it’s their daughter that Prince William wants to marry.

After all, he’s been dating her for almost nine years!

British business owners Michael and Carole Middleton, of Bucklebury, England, say they are “absolutely delighted” over their daughter Catherine “Kate” Middleton’s engagement to Britain’s Prince William. William proposed to Middleton during a vacation to Kenya last month. The royal family announced the couple’s engagement in an official statement on Tuesday.

“I would just like to say that Carole and I are absolutely delighted by today’s announcement and thrilled by the prospect of a wedding sometime next year,” Michael Middleton said in a statement Tuesday.

The Middletons, who first met Will when he began dating Kate in college, say they’re glad the sweethearts had a lengthy courtship, as it allowed them to get to know their future son-in-law better.

“As you know Catherine and Prince William have been going out for quite a number of years, which is great for us because we have got to know William very well. We think he’s wonderful and we’re extremely fond of him,” he added. “They make a lovely couple. They’re great fun to be with and we’ve had a lot of laughs together. We wish them every happiness for the future.”

The wedding will be held next year.