Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding website has been taken down from the internet nearly two years after they tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in a service that was viewed by billions of people around the world. The site, which has had more than 37 million hits, has been deactivated and users are now being directed to a new website which contains information about the couple and their family. "The web address now redirects to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's homepage on which sits a pdf of all the information posted on the royal wedding website," said a site spokesman.
It is thought that the site will feature news and updates about the couple's first child, due in July, as well as what William and Kate are up to themselves. The deactivating of the website comes despite its wild popularity and phenomenal success. It has been viewed by more than 13 million people and received 15 million page views on the day of the young couple's nuptials.
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The website was also the vehicle for the majority of the £1,058,367 raised for The Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund. The proceeds from this wedding fund were split between 26 charitable causes chosen by the newlyweds. Royal watchers and the world's media are in suspense as they await the arrival of William and Kate's first born. "It's around mid-July but apparently babies have their own agenda," said 31-year-old Kate on a trip to Scotland in April. However, friends of the royal couple have recently revealed a more specific date. "Some of Kate and William's closest pals were at a barbecue hosted by a family friend of the royals recently," a friend told the Daily Mail. "They were all discussing the fact that Kate's baby is due to be born on 13 July. Everyone was very excited."
Due to Kate's unexpected acute morning sickness, Clarence House was forced to prematurely announce the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's happy news before Kate had had her 12-week-scan, leaving royal watchers unsure as to how pregnant the duchess was. It is over two years since the pair, who met at St Andrews University, became husband and wife. Since they married, the royal couple have had to navigate some difficult times, notably long-range shots of topless Kate taken during a holiday in France and other intrusive pictures of the couple in Mustique, not to mention author Hilary Mantel's assessment of Kate as a "plastic princess". Despite these challenges, William and Kate have taken on the world together and the public have warmed to a couple who seem anchored in shared love and mutual companionship. Nowhere is this more evident than in their joint engagements. On a recent trip to Scotland, Kate, who is expecting her first child in July, seemed oblivious to gathered photographers as she gazed lovingly at her husband. "Be yourself," William advised his wife at the start of her royal journey , and since their wedding at Westminster Abbey, these words have been the Duchess's mantra, and the future Queen has shown a natural elegance and warmth that has charmed the nation.
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