Everyone imagines their wedding day to be a special moment for themselves and their partner, shared with the family and friends they love the most.

But for Prince William and Kate Middleton, it also happened to be an event of national importance, meaning they had to share their day with a global audience of 36.7 million people.

The throng of eyeballs made it difficult for the future King and Queen to share a private moment during the festivities at Westminster Abbey.

As although the crowds could never have hoped to make out the few words they exchanged together in those moments above the roar, their chats didn’t stay secret for long.

This was because anyone watching on TV could make out the words – if only they could lip-read, that is.

Out of all of the words exchanged between the Prince and his bride on that historic day 14 years ago, perhaps one sentence is now the most relevant.

After the ceremony, where Kate had thrilled adoring crowds in her £250,000 Alexander McQueen gown and said ‘I do’ in front of 2,000 guests, the newly married couple took a carriage ride through the streets of London.

According to the lip reader who analysed footage for CBS News, William can be seen to say: ‘I hope I remember… It’s mad, it’s mad! Oh my goodness it’s really loud here – these people are clapping.’

At the royal wedding William can be seen to say: ‘I hope I remember… It’s mad, it’s mad! Oh my goodness it’s really loud here – these people are clapping’, according to the lip reader

The sweet moment in the carriage seems all the more touching considering the extremely difficult few years the couple have faced recently

At another point in the journey, William reportedly turned to his new wife and told her: ‘You look happy’, to which she smiled and told him, ‘Yes! Are you happy?’ to which he replied, ‘Yes. Very!’

He later reportedly turns to his new wife and tells her: ‘You look happy’. 

She smiled and told him, ‘Yes! Are you happy?’ to which he replied, ‘Yes. Very!’ 

The sweet moment seems all the more touching considering the extremely difficult few years the couple have faced recently, with Kate and Charles’ cancer diagnosis and William’s estrangement from his only brother Harry.

As the couple look to celebrate their 14th anniversary of that day on April 29, perhaps they will remember how it felt to take the carriage ride and wave to the thousands of well-wishers who had waited hours to catch a glimpse of them.

Many commentators have described the fairytale wedding as one of the feel-good moments of the decade for the public. 

Even the British weather agreed, with the clouds parting as the new husband and wife emerged from Westminster Abbey to greet the public – and found themselves bathed in golden spring sunshine.

After all, Kate and William’s relationship had been through a lot to even get to that moment.

Legend has it that, when she was at school, young Kate had a picture of Prince William on her dormitory wall.

Princess Kate and Prince William wave to the thousands who had gathered to catch a glimpse of them  

Prince William and Kate Middleton pictured on their big day on April 29, 2011

They finally met as students at St Andrews University and dated for eight years, splitting up briefly in 2007. Then in October 2010, on holiday in Kenya, they became engaged.

William had brought his mother’s engagement ring with him in his rucksack. 

His girlfriend was ‘Waity Katie’ no more. When the date for the wedding was set, William told his team he wanted the day to be ‘as enjoyable as possible, for as many people as possible’.

They seemed to take full advantage of their day, even prepared to break tradition by electing Pippa Middleton as Maid of Honour and Prince Harry as Best Man – two roles that are not supposed to exist in royal weddings.

And let’s not forget Kate’s hair, which she decided to wear down – breaking a 350-year-old tradition.

But eagle-eyed lip readers believe the touching moment in the carriage was not the only occasion the royal couple engaged a few words on the big day.

When William was reunited with his beautiful bride for the first time at the altar, as the music came to a close, he said: ‘You look lovely…(unclear)… you look beautiful.’ 

Hard to believe: Crowds gathered all day long on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace on the couple’s wedding day, waving union jacks and cheering as the newlyweds appeared on the balcony

Happier times: Prince Harry waves alongside Lady Louise Windsor and Pageboy Tom Pettifer as they arrive at Westminster Abbey

The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla with a youthful-looking Prince Harry sat in the front row to watch Kate and William take their vows

The State Landau carriage was originally built for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria

Over to you William! Michael Middleton pictured giving his daughter away at Westminster Abbey… as she went from Catherine Middleton to future Queen Consort of 17 nations

He then followed it up by breaking the tension for an understandably nervous Kate with the joke: ‘We’re supposed to have just a small family affair.’ 

The tongue-in-cheek comment made light of the grand state affair, which would have been daunting for the then 29-year-old woman. 

However perhaps the most famous moment of the royal wedding between the couple took place on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

By the time the glass doors of Buckingham Palace’s balcony swung open, the playful crowds below were already chanting: ‘Kiss, kiss, kiss.’

They had to wait a few minutes, but when the time came they were doubly rewarded.

‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ exclaimed Kate, confronted by the spectacle below: a forest of up-raised flags, periscopes and mobile phones stretching from the gates of the Palace all the way along The Mall to Admiralty Arch in the distance.

After a minute, the couple were joined by their bridesmaids and pageboys and then their families.

Carole Middleton couldn’t resist a coy wave, while her husband Michael shared his observations with Prince Charles.

On the other side of the balcony, Pippa Middleton appeared charmed by the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) and Prince Harry, standing with Kate’s younger brother James, delivered a quip or two; and the Queen, her hands clasped behind her back, simply kept smiling.

That kiss! Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a very public display of affection on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding at Westminster Abbey

Prince William followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather and got married in Westminster Abbey

A veteran of the balcony appearance, she had seen this before, but seemed genuinely moved nonetheless.

There was some small talk about the weather, how the rain had held, how delightful it was that there was sunshine against the odds.

And then Prince William, half-turning to his bride, said: ‘Go on, a little kiss, go on.’

A little kiss was exactly what he got. In fact it was scarcely more than a peck and brought to mind Prince Charles’s rather stilted kiss with Princess Diana on the same spot 30 years earlier.

But high on an enormous blast of goodwill, William, normally averse to public displays of affection, wanted more – and so, of course, did the multitude before him.

‘Let’s give them another one. I love you,’ said William, as a spectacular flypast of Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft swept into view. ‘One more kiss, one more kiss. OK?’

Kate acquiesced and gave him a smacker that detonated a tidal wave of cheering, prompting William to echo the crowds, and say with them: ‘Come on! Come on! More! More! More!’

It was all too much for three-year-old bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem – the noise of the crowd and the flypast, that is, not the kissing – and she covered her ears and looked cross.

The crowd of thousands of people waving British flags as they wait for Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine to appear at the balcony of Buckingham Palace

Tootle pip! The happy couple pictured leaving for Clarence House in William’s royal blue vintage Aston Martin DB6 MkII festooned with balloons and a ‘JU5T WED’ number plate

It made for a charming image that will no doubt be enjoyed by her family in years to come. Behind her, Prince Charles lifted Camilla’s granddaughter Eliza Lopes, also three and a fellow bridesmaid, high into the air to get a better view.

After fifteen minutes of standing, the Queen began to wander back inside and the others followed. 

Kate lingered a moment more, then with a backwards look over her left shoulder, savoured the extraordinary scenes for a final time.

Understandably so, the wedding remains one of the couple’s happiest memories, with them issuing a video montage in 2021 to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.

Perhaps the couple took what William said in the carriage to heart and they still remember that happy day.