Things You Didn’t Know About Prince William And Kate Middleton’s Relationship

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13. Meeting

They met back in 2001 when they were both living in St. Salvator’s Hall, a residence at the University of St. Andrews. They met when Kate was invited to sit with William and his friends while they ate. They quickly discovered that they had a lot in common. Kate was a country girl who loved sports, especially swimming, much like William. She was also a good skier just like William, and they were both studying Art History. She also got along well with his friends, Fergus Boyd, an Eton classmate, and Olli Chadwick-Heale, who were known as Sally’s boys.

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12. Seeing Kate in a New Light

Before the night of the annual Don’t Walk charity fashion show, Will didn’t see Kate as anything more than a friend; however, after watching her walk down the catwalk, he changed his mind. He reportedly told his friend Fergus, “Wow, Fergus, Kate’s hot!” After the show, he decided to make his move. They were a corner talking and toasting Kate’s success when he leaned in to kiss her, but Kate rebuffed him because she was dating a fourth-year student named Rupert Finch.

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11. Roomies

During their second year, the Prince of Wales moved in with Kate, his friend Fergus and another friend, Olivia Bleasdale. This is when Prince William and Kate first began dating, although they did their best to keep their romance under wraps, which involved leaving the house at different times and arriving at dinner parties separately. During their third year, they moved out of their shared accommodations to Balgove House, a sprawling private estate a quarter of a mile outside the town center.

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10. Going Public

They went public with their romance in April 2004 when they went to Klosters, Switzerland, for a ski trip. William made no attempt to hide his affection for Kate and the tabloid, The Sun, was able to get pictures of it and confirmed the relationship. Rumors had been around for months that they were dating, but because of how discreet they initially were, the rumors had never been confirmed until this point.

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9. Trial Separation

During the summer of 2004, the couple briefly separated. Will was feeling claustrophobic and decided to take a break from the relationship and began spending time with American heiress Anna Sloan (who wasn’t interested in him) and heiress Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe (who he pursued but was rebuffed). When Kate and William returned to St. Andrews that fall, they continued to live together and it wasn’t until Christmas that they were back together, but they had agreed to take things slowly.

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8. Engagement Rumors

After graduating from St. Andrews, the media became obsessed with the possibility that the two would get engaged; however, the Prince made it clear that he wouldn’t get married until he was “at least 28 or maybe 30.” As a result, the press dubbed Kate “Waity Katie” because she seemed to be hanging around waiting for the Prince to propose.

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7. Breakup

In 2007, after William was photographed getting a little too close with a couple of different women during a couple of night’s out, Kate gave him an ultimatum – either he gives her his full commitment or they break up. William ended up choosing the latter. While Kate was devastated, she didn’t mope. Instead, she and her sister got dressed up and began hitting the town. She also joined the Sisterhood, a group of 21 women who were planning to row from Dover to Cap Gris Nez in a dragon boat to raise money for charity. Within a few weeks and before she finished training for the race, she and William were back together.

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6. She dated His Friend

After William broke up with Kate in 2007, she began spending time with his friend, shipping heir Henry Ropner, and it is rumored that the two became more than friends. William was reportedly upset about this because Ropner was one of his school friends from Eton.

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5. His Promise

Following their split in 2007, Wills made a pact with Middleton during a trip to Seychelles about their future together. They decided that they were going to stay together and made a secret pact that he would make her his wife, but only after he finished his military training.

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4. Proposal and Marriage

During a trip to Kenya in October 2010, William finally proposed to his university sweetheart in a secluded log cabin, using his mother’s 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire ring. According to the Prince, he wanted to propose in Africa because it’s one of the places he feels most comfortable. “I regularly daydream. Africa is definitely one of the places I go to. It does completely settle me down. [Kate] understands what it means to me being in Africa, and my love of conservation,” he told CNN. “I didn’t really plan it that far in advance. I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it and I wanted it to mean something, other than just the act of getting engaged.” The couple announced their engagement in November 2010 and were married on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey.

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3. Honeymoon

The couple spent their honeymoon in Seychelles, a string of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, in a luxury villa that costs a reported $6,000 a night and included a freshwater pool, private garden, outdoor yoga pavilion, personal chef, and butler. While the press made an agreement with Kensington Palace to not take photos of Will and Kate on their honeymoon, 15 months after, pictures from their honeymoon were published on the front of Woman’s Day magazine.

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2. They Lived Together before Marriage

In 2010, Kate moved to Anglesey, Wales to live with William while he trained to become an RAF search and rescue pilot. While many traditional Anglicans were against this, the Archbishop of York backed the couple’s decision, saying that most couples want to “test the milk before they buy the cow.” They are the first royal couple to have cohabited before marriage.

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1. Kate Wants at least Three Kids

William only wanted two children, but Kate reportedly wants at least three, which means the royal couple might have one more baby. They currently have three children together: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

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Cate

Cate has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature and has been the Managing Editor of Fame10 for more than 6 years. Despite having a love for the works of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy and Lord Byron, she also has an intense fascination with pop culture. When she isn’t writing for Fame10, she’s planning her next big adventure in Southeast Asia.