Prince William & Kate Middleton's First Date May Have Been Sooner Than Anyone Realized

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It turns out that the royals can keep some secrets, especially when it comes to their love lives. William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, were first outed as a couple in April 2004 during a ski trip in Switzerland, but their romance wasn't new. Royal experts and sources have long claimed that William and Kate started dating in 2002, shortly after the prince saw her walk in a charity fashion show with that now famous sheer dress. But in a column she penned for the Daily Mail in September, royal expert Ingrid Seward claimed that William and Kate had already been out together before that fateful fashion show. According to Seward, romance blossomed in December 2001 when William went to great lengths to take Kate out.

"In the snug surroundings of a country pub with dark wood furnishings and a fire going, there was a crucial shift in their fledgling relationship," Seward wrote. It was during this meeting that William reportedly told Kate he no longer wanted to study art history but that he was afraid of dropping out of the course because of the inevitable public opinion. Kate encouraged him to study something else, and he followed her advice, switching to geography the following year. This created a bond of trust between the two, and the two became housemates (with two other fellow students) that year, but Seward claims they were already seriously dating at that point, contrary to former reporting.

When the couple did go on what they considered their first official date, however, things went a little awry. Kate was in a joking mood and tried to curtsy to the prince, according to Heart Radio (via the Mirror). She took a tumble right into William, who ended up soaked with the drink he was holding. 

If Prince William and Princess Catherine want to keep some of the details of their friends to lovers romance a mystery, it's certainly understandable. Whatever the true timeline of their relationship, it's clear that their love is the real thing. Some of the most famous royal romances ended in divorce, but these two are still going strong, and cute pictures of Kate and William even show the couple showing off their silly side every once in a while.

Since Queen Elizabeth II's heartbreaking death, people have looked to Kate and William as the future of the monarchy. Sources told Us Weekly in 2023 that the Waleses had been supporting each other through the loss of the family matriarch. "They're the first to admit it's been a tough year, but everyone agrees William and Kate have done a wonderful job staying strong in the face of such adversity," the source disclosed, adding, "They're in awe of each other." Furthermore, the source noted that Kate and William are done with adhering to the royal family's strictest unwritten rule — engaging in PDA. "William used to be quite awkward about showing too much affection, but Kate's helped him relax," the source asserted.

Royal historian Amanda Foreman told People in December 2025, "They seem more loved-up than ever." Meanwhile, royal expert Russell Myers told Marie Claire in March that, while doing research for his book, "William and Catherine, The Monarchy's New Era," insiders told him how much William depends on his wife. "They are a real partnership, but William really leans on his wife for guidance, both personally, professionally and emotionally, and I don't think many people would recognize that," Russell told the publication.