Prince William and Kate Middleton’s secret notes shared as they planned their wedding

As the Prince and Princess of Wales prepare to celebrate their 15^th wedding anniversary this week, the woman who made their spectacular eight tier cake tells HELLO! how she had a ringside seat in Westminster Abbey on the big day. 

“I couldn’t quite believe we were actually there; I still can’t, when I think of it,” says celebrity baker Fiona Cairns. “We were surrounded by so many famous people – the Beckhams, Guy Ritchie, so many others… it was surreal. I can remember the anticipation. There were big screens inside, and we could hear the excitement from outside. It was history and we were part of it.

“A few days later, Catherine asked me: ‘Could you see? Did you have a good view?’ I said: ‘Yes, we had a very good view.’ I thought it was so amazing, and so sweet of her to ask me that question.”

Just a few weeks earlier, Fiona’s husband Kishore – who died four years ago, but was Fiona’s business partner at the time – had taken the phone call that would change their lives.

“I still get goosebumps thinking about that moment, because it’s a phone call that potentially changes so much. It’s not just a huge honour, but stress on another level,” Fiona recalls.

“We were and still are known for our delicious fruit cake. People used to say: ‘Maybe you’ll be asked to make the royal wedding cake.’ I used to say: ‘I wouldn’t want that stress.’ But when we were approached, I changed my mind.”

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Princess Kate’s ‘clear vision’

Fiona, whose Fiona Cairns brand celebrates its 40^th anniversary this year, was already working with the royal grocer Fortnum & Mason and with Party Pieces, the business run by Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, when she was approached in January 2011 and invited to Clarence House early the next month to meet Kate.

“It was a bit like having an interview, but it was more of an informal conversation,” she says. “Kishore was there, and I think [Kate’s brother] James Middleton was, too. We had a cup of tea in a small inner room.

“She was extremely clear about what she wanted; she is very creative, and we knew that the brief very much came from her and William, because even though it was going to be a huge global occasion, at its core, it was a family wedding.”

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She also tells how William and Kate communicated their ideas, including the 17 varieties of the 900 sugar flowers that would sit on the cake, which included roses, ivy, lily of the valley and sweet William. 

“It was very special. I still have the couple’s original list, and all the little handwritten Post-It notes that came back with their comments, which I keep private. It felt very personal to them,” she reveals. 

After the wedding, Fiona was told that the cake had exceeded the couple’s expectations. “We could relax then, because that’s all that matters, isn’t it? I was just delighted that everything had come together,” she says.

Since the wedding, on 29 April 2011, Fiona’s business has grown from 75 to 130 staff, with retail contracts with Waitrose, Harrods, Selfridges and Dunnes Stores in Ireland, and a newly launched online shop selling handmade celebration cakes, teatime treats and fairy cakes. 

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Meanwhile, Fiona has watched William and Kate’s own evolution to future King and Queen and parents of three. 

“They have had challenges, but they are so exemplary and have grown into their positions. I have huge admiration for them,” she says. “We feel hugely privileged to have been a very small part of the very beginning of their marriage and their journey. It was one of the most special, precious memories of my life.”

For more information, visit fionacairns.com

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