Royal future: William and Kate celebrate 10 years of marriage

LONDON: Prince William and his wife Kate mark a decade of marriage Thursday, with the popular couple increasingly seen as the British monarchy's future as other senior royals age or recede from view.

Second-in-line to the throne William, 38, and Kate, 39, married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, after first meeting at university and then dating for more than seven years.

They now have three children -- seven-year-old Prince George, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, three -- and their family represents several generations destined to head the centuries-old institution for years to come.

After 10 years carrying out solo and joint royal duties as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they have been formally known since tying the knot, the couple are among the most popular monarchy members.

"We really have as near to normal a family in the Cambridges as we've ever seen in the royal family and that all bodes well for the future," said royal writer Penny Junor ahead of the anniversary.

Strained relations

The pair have been more in the spotlight recently during a tumultuous period for the royal family that has included the death of Queen Elizabeth II's 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, William's grandfather.

The monarchy has also been rocked by Prince Harry and wife Meghan's shock decision to step back from the institution last year and move to the United States, amid rumours of a rift with his sibling William.

Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, followed their departure by giving a bombshell television interview in March in which they accused the monarchy of racism, and failing to support them.

Harry also said William and their father, Prince Charles, were "trapped" by royal convention while Meghan singled out Kate as having made her cry ahead of her 2018 wedding.

The accusations gave a rare glimpse into strained relationships within Britain's most famous family and the four younger royals, who were once dubbed the "Fab Four".

The explosive charges, which engulfed it for weeks, prompted William to defend the institution he will eventually lead, telling reporters: "We're very much not a racist family".

Harry appeared to begin healing any enduring rift with his brother after reportedly spending several hours with him after Philip's funeral earlier this month, their first public meeting since the furore.