How Prince William Met Kate Middleton: Their Royal Romance Over the Years
By Rahul Kumar On Jan 9, 2022
Over the next few months, a romance blossomed between the two. Eventually, they came clean to their fellow housemates. "I think at first they were a bit surprised that it had happened," William admits. "Then they realized it was really nice."
The group living situation gave them a temporary cover. But colleges are small, and gossip spreads fast. Soon, basically everybody at St. Andrews knew about their relationship, and the rumors reached the wider world. Reporters showed up at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, England. "We are very amused at the thought of being in-laws to Prince William, but I don't think that is going to happen," Kate's father, Michael Middleton, told them.
Yet a year later, the whole thing blew open. In March 2004, paparazzi captured the two skiing together in the Swiss Alps. The Sun blasted the news all over their April 1 front page: "Finally…Wills gets a girl," read the headline. "Prince and Kate so close in Klosters."
Just like that, Kate Middleton was thrust into the spotlight—and never left it.
In June 2005, both William and Kate graduated from St. Andrews. Kate's father took a photograph of them together, wrapped in a tight embrace. They look young, beautiful, and happy.
But college, for the couple, was a bubble. The British press had agreed to a coverage blackout while William was at university, which allowed William and Kate to date (somewhat) privately. Now it was onto the real world, where that bubble would burst.
To the British tabloids, Kate's nonaristocratic background was fair fodder. They called her family "the Middle-Class Middletons." They dubbed Kate and her sister, Pippa, "the wisteria sisters" (because of how fast they could climb). Kate's work ethic was also questioned—at the time, she was a buyer for the clothing chain Jigsaw. In 2006, when attending William's graduation from military academy Sandhurst, Kate's mother, Carole, was skewered for chewing gum.
By 2007, the pair was on the rocks. William had joined the Household Cavalry in Windsor and had little time to visit Kate. Meanwhile, pictures of him partying hit the tabloids. Come springtime, they officially split up. "At the time I wasn't very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person," Middleton says of the break.
Yet, as long-term couples tend to do, they found their way back together. In October 2010, Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his mother's ring at the foothills of Mount Kenya. Three weeks later, they announced the news to the world. "I'm willing to learn quickly and work hard," Middleton told reporter Tom Bradby during their official engagement interview. William agreed: "She'll do really well."
Kate Middleton and Prince William a the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival on March 13, 2007. They'd soon split—although not for good.Photo: Getty Images
Prince William and Kate Middleton in Klosters, Switzerland, during a March 2008 ski trip.Photo: Getty Images
Prince William and Kate Middleton confirm their engagement on November 16, 2010.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate at the Naming Ceremony of the Atlantic 85 Lifeboat 'Hereford Endeavour' on February 24, 2011.Photo: Getty Images
Prince William and Kate Middleton smile as they visit the University of St Andrews on February 25, 2011—several years after they first met on campus.Photo: Getty Images
The newly-christened Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cambridge leave Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, April 29, 2011.Photo: Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave Buckingham Palace driving Prince Charles's 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Volante decorated with L plates, bunting, ribbons and balloons, following their wedding reception.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate walk hand in hand from Buckingham Palace the day after their wedding to a waiting helicopter as they leave for a secret honeymoon location on April 30, 2011.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate at a bull riding demonstration in Calgary, July 2011.Photo: Getty Images
Thee Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a London gala on June 9, 2011.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate at the 2012 London Olympic Games, August 2, 2012.Photo: Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pose with their first child Prince George, outside the hospital on July 23, 2013.Photo: Getty Images
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge enjoy a short skiing break on March 3, 2016 in the French Alps.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate enjoy a Game drive through Kaziranga National Park, April 13, 2016.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate recreate Princess Diana's famous 1992 Taj Mahal portrait on April 16, 2016.Photo: Getty Images
William and Kate race each other during a London Marathon Training Day, February 5, 2017.Photo: Getty Images
Kate Middleton affectionally smiles at Prince William during their royal tour of Germany in 2017.Photo: Getty Images
Kate and William, smiling with their children, at the annual Trooping of the Color in 2017.Photo: Getty Images
The Cambridge family at the christening of Prince Louis.Photo: Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Royal Ascot in 2019.Photo: Getty Images
Prince William and Kate Middleton at Kensington Palace in a portrait released for their 10th wedding anniversary in 2021.Photo: By Chris Floyd/Courtesy of Kensington Royal
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the No Time to Die London premiere in 2021.Photo: Courtesy of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/By Alex Bramall
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