Catherine, known as Kate Middleton before her royal title, first crossed paths with William at the University of St Andrews in 2001. A decade later, she was walking down the aisle at Westminster Abbey to marry her Prince.
Their love story is often seen as the ultimate fairytale romance, yet the royal couple themselves would be the first to acknowledge that their journey wasn’t without its challenges.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, now 42 and 43, experienced not one, but two breakups during their ten-year courtship.
The first breakup occurred shortly after the news of their relationship became public in 2004.
The couple was photographed on a romantic ski trip in Switzerland, and William faced growing pressure from the media to reveal his marriage plans. At just 21, he was still a young man navigating his future.
With only a year left until his graduation, the young prince felt overwhelmed and suffocated by the constant attention. He decided to take a break from the relationship, embarking on a “boys only” sailing trip to Greece. According to royal historian Robert Lacey, the yacht had an all-female crew.
In a 2020 Daily Mail article, Lacey noted that Kate was “not impressed,” leading to their split.
However, William soon realized his mistake and, later that year, he and Kate reconciled. After four years at the prestigious University of St Andrews, both graduated with an upper second-class degree—William in Geography and Kate in History of Art.
Prince William first met Kate Middleton while they were both students at the University of St Andrews.
Kate watches alongside two friends as Prince William plays in a Rugby Sevens tournament at St Andrews in 2005.
After nearly five years of dating, Kate and William faced a long-distance relationship when William was stationed in Dorset for a two-and-a-half-month tank commander’s course.
While Kate managed the distance, she was hurt by William’s decision to visit London for parties instead of spending time with her.
In March 2007, reports surfaced of William flirting and dancing with another woman during a lads’ night out at Boujis, an exclusive nightclub in South Kensington.
The tension between them was evident when they attended the Cheltenham Festival in matching tweed outfits. Kate hid behind dark glasses while William walked ahead.
Seeking guidance from his family, Prince Phillip advised William to “make up his mind about marriage,” while Charles, having experienced the pain of a very public divorce, suggested not rushing into it, according to royal biographer Katie Nicholl.
The final straw came when tabloids published photos of William’s “drunken antics” at the Elements nightclub in Poole, where he was seen with two local girls. One of the girls, 19-year-old student Lisa Angar, described the prince as “touchy, feely and quite pissed,” Nicholl wrote.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage their relationship, Kate gave William an ultimatum: she wanted his full commitment if they were to stay together, or the relationship was over.
In a photo later shared by the Middleton family, the couple embraced on their graduation day, June 23, 2005.
Prince William parties drunkenly at Elements in Poole with two women.
At 24, William was reportedly unsettled by the idea of marriage. He loved his army lifestyle and had already stated that he didn’t want to marry “until I’m 28, or maybe 30.”
When rumors surfaced about courtiers searching for a wedding date and china cups being made in preparation for a royal engagement, William’s hesitation turned into full-blown cold feet.
So, the couple decided to part ways again in April 2007—eighteen years ago this month.
Kate was devastated and given a week of compassionate leave from her job as a children’s accessories buyer at Jigsaw, a high-street brand. But instead of wallowing at home, she kept herself occupied.
Immediately after the breakup, Kate was taken to Ireland by her mother, Carole Middleton, to support a family friend showcasing a private exhibition. The mother-daughter duo viewed the paintings, attended a champagne reception, and finished the cultural day with a tour of the National Gallery of Ireland.
William, on the other hand, celebrated the end of his relationship in a different way—with a trip to his favorite nightclub, Mahiki, a Polynesian-themed bar in Mayfair. There, he jumped up on a table, shouting, “I’m free!” The news of their split broke the next day.
During their time apart, William was spotted leaving the Mahiki nightclub in central London on April 14, 2007.
Kate, meanwhile, enjoyed several nights out at venues where she had previously frequented with William.
Just five days after the prince was seen dancing the night away at Mahiki, Kate was photographed having a great time at the same hotspot.
Soon after, her sister Pippa, who had just finished university and moved into Kate’s Chelsea flat, joined her in London. Spray-tanned and perfectly coiffed, the two sisters appeared at a series of glamorous social events.
Free from the pressures of being the prince’s girlfriend, Kate accepted numerous invitations. She was photographed at a reception at luxury jeweler Asprey for the launch of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s book Young Stalin and even attended a party promoting a film about women obsessed with a brand of sex toys called Rabbit Fever.
“It seemed a case of what William could do, Kate could do better,” royal biographer Katie Nicholl wrote in her book Kate: The Future Queen.
That season, the Middleton sisters topped Tatler’s Most Invited List and quickly earned the nickname “the Wisteria Sisters” for being “highly decorative, terribly fragrant, and possessing a ferocious ability to climb,” according to Nicholl.
In addition to partying, Kate signed up for a charity challenge with an all-female dragon boat racing crew called the Sisterhood. The group, described as “an elite team of female athletes, talented in many ways, toned to perfection with killer looks, on a mission to boldly go where no girl has gone before,” aimed to row across the Channel to raise money for children’s hospices.
The 21 women on the team trained early mornings on the Thames from 6:30 AM. Kate, who had gotten involved through her old school friend Alicia Fox-Pitt, threw herself into the challenge, using it as a welcome distraction.
Kate enjoyed several nights out at venues she had frequented with William in the past. Here, she is seen leaving Mahiki nightclub on April 19, 2007.
Pippa and Kate attend a reception at the luxury jeweler Asprey for the launch of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s book Young Stalin.
That season, Kate and her sister Pippa topped Tatler’s Most Invited List and earned the nickname “the Wisteria Sisters.”
“I first spoke to her in April on the phone after she and William had broken up,” fellow rower Emma Sayle told Nicholl.
“She said she wanted to get involved in something, and I told her about the race. She signed up in May.
“It wasn’t a case of, ‘Oh, she’s Kate Middleton, so she makes the team,'” Emma continued. “She had to prove herself. Our coach said she could only join if she was up to it.”
Thanks to years of tennis and swimming, Kate was more than prepared for the challenge.
Emma added, “Kate was really down, and I think the training became her therapy. She had always put William first, and she said this was a chance to do something for herself.
“He was the most important person in her life, and that was obvious. She said it was the best relationship she ever had, and that when it was just the two of them, everything was perfect. It was when they were in the public eye that it became complicated.”
Alongside early mornings on the Thames, Kate returned to work at Jigsaw. Her colleagues noticed she was spending more time on her phone and taking private calls in the parking lot.
During a trip to Ibiza with her brother James Middleton and friends, including her Marlborough classmate Emilia d’Erlanger, her friends also observed Kate spending a lot of time on the phone.
Kate attended 6 a.m. training sessions on the River Thames until she and William reconciled.
A few weeks later, William and Kate were back together for Camilla’s 60th birthday party at Highgrove.
Kate had been quietly smuggled in to avoid media attention, but once inside, the couple basked in the glow of their renewed relationship. She wore a long cream dress and sipped champagne while William mouthed the lyrics of “It Had To Be You” to her.
With the media spotlight growing, Kate was advised that she couldn’t seek privacy from the paparazzi while participating in such a public event as the boat race. According to her crewmate Emma, as shared by biographer Nicholl, Kate withdrew from the race on the Palace’s advice.
While her teammates rowed across the English Channel that August, Kate spent her time paddling with William in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
With so much to catch up on and lost time to make up for, the couple flew to the Seychelles, staying at the Desroches Island Resort under the names Martin and Rosemary Middleton.
They were able to enjoy their time together in peace, kayaking and snorkeling in the coral reefs by day, and relaxing with candlelit beach dinners by night.
It was during this getaway that William and Kate came to an unspoken agreement. They decided that over the next few years, they would focus on their work and enjoy their lives, knowing that when the time was right, they would marry—and perhaps even start a family.
Years later, during their engagement interview, Catherine reflected on this period apart, acknowledging how mentally valuable it had been for both of them.
Prince William and Kate Middleton gave their first joint interview on the day they announced their engagement in November 2010.
During their engagement interview, Catherine reflected on their time apart in 2007, describing it as mentally very valuable.
“At the time, I wasn’t very happy about it, but it made me a stronger person,” she shared in the 2010 interview. “You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized. When you’re younger, you can get quite consumed by a relationship, and I really valued that time for myself, even though I didn’t see it that way at the time.”
William also acknowledged their on-and-off relationship, telling ITV’s Tom Bradby, “In that particular instance, we did split up for a bit. We were both very young… we were both finding ourselves, as such.”
