Prince William's Romance With Ex-Girlfriend Rose Farquhar Revisited
On December 17, William, Prince of Wales, was a guest at the wedding of his former girlfriend, Rose Farquhar. Formally dressed in a tuxedo and bow tie, the prince traveled solo to enjoy the ceremony and reception. After her successful Christmas concert, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, had an evening at home with their children, per Hello!
As reported by the Daily Mail, William made a covert appearance at the event by entering through a back door of St. Mary the Virgin Church. During the ceremony in Gloucestershire, the bride married a longtime family friend, George Gemmell. Rose wore a white long-sleeved dress with a train, topped by a white fur capelet, while the groom wore Scottish trews (via Tatler). According to the Scotland Kilt Company, tartan trews are pants made of tartan material.
Previously, Rose was a guest at William and Kate's 2011 wedding, and she also attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 ceremony, per Woman & Home. At this recent celebration, Prince William and the bride weren't the only ones with a past connection, notes Hello! Magazine. Olivia Hunt, another former girlfriend of William's was also a guest. While Olivia has the distinction of being William's last girlfriend before he and Kate became a couple (via Express), William's connection to Rose goes back much further.
Rose Farquhar was Prince's William's first significant romance
William, Prince of Wales, and Rose Farquhar's association goes way back. According to The Telegraph, they were childhood friends. Rose's father, Captain Ian Farquhar, had a close relationship with the royal family and he served as one of the Queen Mother's equerries, or personal assistants, per Twystory. King Charles III was also a frequent visitor to the Farquhar family's dairy farm at Twyford Mill.
Rose also has the distinction of being William's first major romance, the Daily Mail notes. They became a couple in 2000, after he finished his education at Eton College, with the relationship beginning at the Beaufort Polo Club. Author Katie Nicholl called it "an innocent, tender romance" in her book "The Making of a Royal Romance," per People.
However, the couple soon went their separate ways, with William heading off to Scotland and the University of St. Andrews (via Woman & Home), and Rose taking acting classes at New York's Lee Strasburg Institute.
As reported by Tatler, Rose later went on to pursue a singing career. In 2006 she auditioned for "The Sound of Music's" Maria in "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" Then, in 2016, she sang on "The Voice." When Rose performed "Anyone Who Had a Heart," she shared, "I have sung since I was a little girl, singing really makes me tick," per the Mirror. Since 2020, Rose has worked in special projects and development at Belvoir Castle.
Rupert Finch and Kate Middleton were dating when William's romantic interest began
At Rose Farquhar's wedding, one of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales' exes, Rupert Finch, was also in attendance (via Hello!). As noted by Tatler, in 2001 Kate and Rupert had been dating less than a year, meeting as students at Scotland's St. Andrews University. Around this time, in September 2001, Prince William and Kate crossed paths, again through the university, per The Telegraph. "We ended up being friends for a while and that just sort of was a good foundation," William reflected, speaking to ITV after their 2010 engagement.
By 2002, Kate was still dating Rupert, who was studying law at St. Andrews, per the Daily Mail. However, after William saw Kate participating in a university fashion show, he became romantically interested in her. "He actually told her she was a knockout that night, which caused her to blush," a source told royal author Katie Nicholl, per Cosmopolitan.
Years after his brief relationship with Kate, Rupert embarked on a romance with Lady Natasha Rufus Issacs. The couple married in 2013 and now have three children. Rupert remains friends with both the Prince and Princess of Wales, and both couples were guests at each other's weddings. Rupert is a lawyer with Williams Advanced Engineering. Reflecting on his time dating Kate, he's said, "It was a long time ago," per People.