William and Kate's First Big Argument
Britons got a royal treat in London this weekend, as Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton made their first public appearance since announcing their engagement last month.
It preceded a week of firsts, reports CBS News Correspondent Charles D'Agata, not the least of which is the first official wedding memorabilia -- a collection of their wedding china - going on sale to benefit charity Monday.
It was in keeping charitable efforts as a key part of their royal role that William and Kate stepped out this weekend.
Though not yet officially a member of the royal family, Middleton arrived to a round of applause at what was her first official event.
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Dressed in black and white, and bravely wearing heals on a soggy and snowy Saturday evening, Middleton joined William at a fundraiser to benefit a cancer charity.
Like William's mother, Princess Diana, Middleton is expected to make charity a cornerstone of her role in the royal family.
"I think," says royals insider and CBS News contributor Neil Sean, "you're gonna see a rather low-key sort of invovlement from Kate -- a little bit more Princess Anne, rather than Princess Diana -- which I think is no bad thing."
Also over the weekend -- the first book on the newly-engaged couple was released.
"William and Kate: A Royal Love Story," by Christopher Andersen, chronicles how Middleton's relationship with William developed, stalled, and was eventually revived.
The book details an early argument between the future King and his Queen over a trip to Africa, which William had planned with another woman, a friend he'd dated before Kate.
When confronted by Middleton, the prince is said to have quipped "Do you know who I am? No one tells me what to do."
Despite the remark, William relented and wound up taking Kate on their first summer vacation together.
"She got him," says Seans, "by basically being a strong woman. All male royals -- like Prince Charles (William's father) with camilla -- they all like strong women."
Theirs is a relationship, writes Andersen, that is above all else a love story.
The china was personally approved by the couple.
Prince William's office said the items had been commissioned by the palace department responsible for the royal family's art collection and made in Stoke-on-Trent in central England, a traditional center for British ceramics.
The three souvenirs - a tankard, plate and pill box - each feature the couple's entwined initials, the prince's coronet emblem and the date of the wedding - April 29, 2011.
On sale at royal palaces and a website, profits from the collectables will be donated to the charity which curates the royal family's artworks, known as the Royal Collection.
"The Royal Collection has been working on the design since around the time of the engagement - it's a very fast moving process," William's office said in a statement.
His office said that the prince and his future bride had both approved the wedding merchandise.