William and Kate's two-year break

Britain's Queen Elizabeth is giving Prince William and Kate Middleton two years free from public duties to enjoy married life.

The monarch, 84, is worried Kate, 29, won't have time to adjust to life in the royal family if she is thrust into the limelight too soon and it could harm their relationship so has insisted the prince focuses on his RAF career as a helicopter pilot, while Kate will be a normal housewife following their April 29 wedding.

The queen herself - who undertook 400 official engagements last year - spent the first 18 months of her own marriage to Prince Philip in Malta where he was serving as a naval officer.

William and Kate won't be expected to make public appearances except for a number of overseas tours.

A palace source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "This is the best wedding present William could have hoped for. The Queen knows there is enormous pressure when the heir to the throne first marries."

The generous monarch has also reportedly offered them a marital home inside Buckingham Palace to ensure they have a safe and secure place to start their married life together.

William, who will spend much of his time living with Kate in a cottage near his RAF base in Anglesey, North Wales, where he is a search and rescue pilot, is yet to make a decision on where to make his home in the capital.