Things You Never Knew About Kate Middleton & Prince William's Romance

Prince William and Princess Catherine are arguably one of the world's most famous couples, along with the likes of Beyoncé and JAY-Z, and Victoria Beckham and David Beckham. The pair met when they were young students at St. Andrews University and, although they enjoyed somewhat of a private life there, they have pretty much been in the spotlight ever since. Because of that, fans have been able to watch the stunning transformation of William and Kate's relationship unfold in real time.

That said, while there have been many times William and Kate have proved they're the perfect pairing, there's still a lot royal fans don't know about their relationship. Like the time William broke up with his then-girlfriend over the phone. Or how she later paid a sweet tribute to him on their 2011 wedding day. With that in mind, here's the truth about William and Kate's relationship and all the things you might not know about their decades-long romance.

There's a lot of internet lore about when Prince William and Princess Catherine (then Kate Middleton) first became romantically involved, with many royal fans believing that he was first attracted to her during a charity fashion show at St. Andrews University, where they both studied, in 2002. By that account, William's crush on Catherine developed when he saw her walk the runway in a see-through black-and-gold tunic. "Wow, Kate's hot," he's alleged to have told a friend at the time (via Harper's Bazaar). However, royal expert Ingrid Seward gave the Daily Mail another account.

"The couple had already been on a date," Seward revealed, explaining that no one else knew this information at the time. According to the expert, William and Catherine had started a friendship months earlier in the fall of 2001, and over the Christmas holidays, he'd driven hours to her parents' house to take her out for the evening. "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," she said.

After that, things turned pretty serious for the new lovebirds. At the start of their second year at university, they moved into the same apartment with two other classmates. "It just sort of blossomed from there, really," William told ITV (via British Vogue) about how their love developed. "We just saw more of each other, hung out a bit more, and did stuff."

Given that anyone Prince William dates could become the future queen, it's no surprise the public and paparazzi were all over him and Princess Catherine in the early days of their romance. After meeting at St. Andrews University and falling in love, the pair were still trying to get to know each other while the rest of the country — and, to be honest, the world — eagerly wanted to know what they were getting up to. To get around that, the pair are understood to have used certain methods to keep their romance low-key.

"Their bedrooms were on separate landings [at university], but by this stage it was nothing more than pretense," royal expert Katie Nicholl wrote in Vanity Fair. "William and Kate had fallen in love and were enjoying a conventional university romance, albeit one involving elaborate cover-ups and decoys." So, what did those cover-ups include? "In a bid to keep their relationship below the radar for as long as possible, they would leave the house at different times and arrive at dinner parties separately," Nicholl added. On top of that, William and Kate "made a pact never to hold hands in public." Pretty strict of these young lovebirds!

Breakups are never easy. But do you know what makes them even harder? When they occur over the phone! Unfortunately, that very scenario happened to Princess Catherine during the early years of her romance with Prince William. After meeting in 2001 and starting a romance in 2002, their relationship became public knowledge in 2004. But just a year later, they faced a temporary blip in their romance before rekindling not long after. 

However, their 2005 split wasn't the only one. In the 2024 book "Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography," author Robert Jobson explained that William and Kate broke up in 2007 over the phone. "In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on 'different pages'," Jobson suggested. "It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone," (per Newsweek).

Luckily, that breakup didn't last forever, and the pair got back together. Reflecting on their brief split, Kate told ITV News during an interview to celebrate her and William's engagement that she was grateful for their time apart. "I, at the time, wasn't very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realized," she said. "I really valued that time for me."

Wondering how Prince William managed to win back Princess Catherine's heart after dumping her on the phone? Well, in true love-story style, a big, romantic gesture won her over. Months after their split, William chose Valentine's Day 2008 to prove to Catherine that he was serious about their relationship. To do so, William enlisted the help of Grant Harrold, King Charles III's former butler.

"When they got back together, it was fresh ... They both were making more of an effort," Harrold told Fox News. "[They had] this romantic dinner for Valentine's Day, which they asked me to do," the ex-butler went on. Recalling the evening, Harrold said the pair had never had a romantic dinner like this before, and he thought it was William's way of affirming his intentions. "I felt that [William] was saying, 'Look, I'm serious. This is going to up a level,'" he said.

As the future king and queen, it's pretty impossible for Prince William and Princess Catherine to go anywhere these days without being recognized as royalty. Despite their public personas, William and Catherine tried to enjoy some much-needed privacy on their romantic getaways in the early years of their relationship. Writing in his 2024 book "Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography," royal expert Robert Jobson revealed that the now-Prince and Princess of Wales used to check in to hotels using fake names to avoid being harassed.

"Occasionally they checked into hotels using the names Mr and Mrs Smith," Jobson wrote (via Marie Claire). However, the royal biographer is skeptical of how well this trick worked. "[This] doubtless fooled no one," he added. Regardless, Jobson explained in his book that this was not the first time William tried to hide his identity. "In 2001, William quietly slipped into undergraduate life at St Andrews, where he used the pseudonym 'Steve' in a rather pathetic attempt to stay under the radar," Jobson penned.

As lovely as an engagement ring hidden inside a dessert is, you'd expect the proposal of a future king to a future queen to be a bit more, well, elaborate. And you'd be correct. In October 2010, Prince William proposed to Princess Catherine against the dramatic landscapes of Kenya while the pair enjoyed a safari vacation. Talk about memorable!

Even more significant than the stunning location was the ring William used to pop the question. The now-Prince of Wales presented his soon-to-be bride with a very important piece of jewelry: the same ring his father used to propose to his mother, Princess Diana. The engagement ring is made from 18-karat white gold, and the center piece is a 12-carat oval blue sapphire, which is surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds.

"It was right to put the two together," William later told the media (via the BBC) about why he gave his late mother's ring to his future wife. "[It was] my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement," he went on. Speaking of the proposal itself, Catherine chimed in: "It was very romantic, and it was very personal."

Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding day in 2011 was full of big special moments as well as small romantic gestures. Take Catherine's bridal bouquet, for example. In addition to lily of the valley, hyacinth, and myrtle, her bouquet also included sprigs of sweet William (yep, that's a flower!) as an adorable nod to her soon-to-be husband.

Beyond the heartfelt gesture to William, Catherine's bouquet followed a royal tradition. After the pair's wedding ceremony, it was laid at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior inside Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth II's mother started this tradition, and other royals, including Meghan Markle, have followed it after tying the knot. Remarkable as the tradition may be, in the case of William and Catherine, it must have been a very expensive one, given that the couple's flower budget was reportedly $800,000.

Many people experience nerves leading up to and on their wedding day. And for Prince William, that was very much the case. In fact, the future king was seemingly so nervous on the day he said "I do" to the now-Princess Catherine that he had to have sweat pads sewn into his suit.

That said, the reason behind William's suit alteration isn't entirely down to wedding day nerves. As is royal tradition, he wore an elaborate military suit — specifically, a bright red uniform typically worn by Colonels of the Irish Guards — for his nuptials, which, as you can imagine, was pretty hot. To that end, tailor Kashket and Partners custom-made the suit to feature sweat pads under William's armpits. The suit was also made from heat-absorbing material to help the prince stay cool ... or perhaps, keep his cool.

Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding day in 2011 is estimated to have cost a whopping $34 million. With such a big budget, one can only imagine the amount of decision-making that went into the big day, with everything from bridesmaids' dresses to seating arrangements to be considered. Thankfully, Queen Elizabeth II took it upon herself to make life a little easier for the couple as they planned their wedding. 

In a bid to save William and Catherine the arduous decision of whether to serve salmon or chicken, the queen took charge of the couple's wedding menu. And wow, what a wedding menu it was. A team of 21 chefs is said to have cooked up the feast, which included approximately 10,000 canapés. The main event (read: three-course meal) was equally as lavish. Per People, it began with a crab, langoustines, and herb salad, followed by organic lamb with spring vegetables. Later in the meal, guests enjoyed a trio of desserts (those being ice cream, trifle, and chocolate parfait), served with Laurent-Perrier Rosé Champagne. Anyone else feeling hungry after reading that?

More than 24 million people tuned in to watch Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding day when it aired live on TV back in 2011 (and this is before you consider global views and internet clicks), so it's no wonder the pair wanted a bit of privacy on their honeymoon. Although at the time it was public knowledge that the newlyweds jetted off for two weeks of sunshine in Seychelles after saying "I do," several years later it was revealed they also went on a secret honeymoon.

Writing in "The Windsor Legacy," royal biographer Robert Jobson claimed that before the now-Prince and Princess of Wales headed to Seychelles, they enjoyed a "top secret" honeymoon much closer to home (via Cosmopolitan). According to Jobson, just one day after their wedding, William and Catherine spent some one-on-one time at Llwynywermod, which is King Charles III's home in Wales. Describing the pair's time at the quaint 18th-century farmhouse, Jobson said the couple enjoyed "a blissful few days." Sounds like the dream getaway, to be honest!

From heirs traveling separately to avoiding selfies with the public, there are so many traditions and rules that the royal family has to follow. In addition to the stricter protocol (and strange royal family superstitions) that the monarchy has to abide by, there are also a few age-old traditions that feel a little lighter — like the one Prince William and Princess Catherine followed for all three of their pregnancies.

When expecting Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the now-Prince and Princess of Wales did not know the sex of their babies until they were born. This wasn't just to keep the information from leaking to the public and press, but rather because it is tradition that royal parents do not know the sex of their child during pregnancy. This differs from the decision many expectant parents choose these days, as knowing a baby's sex can help determine how their nursery will be decorated or what types of clothing to purchase. Nonetheless, William and Catherine stuck to tradition — although the princess has broken plenty of other royal rules since then.

Speaking of royal babies, when Prince William and Princess Catherine welcomed their first child, Prince George, his arrival was special in more ways than one. In addition to becoming parents, having George meant William and Catherine could share all the joys of royal life with him, and that included traveling the world. At just eight months old, George headed off on his first royal tour with his parents, flying all the way to Australia and New Zealand.

Beyond being an incredible destination for such a young baby to visit, the royal tour was poignant because Australia was also where William went on his first royal tour as a tot! In March 1983, when William was nine months old, he joined his parents (read: the then-Prince and Princess of Wales) on a month-long visit Down Under. By comparison, George and his parents spent 19 days touring Australia and New Zealand. Since then, the future king has been on quite a few royal adventures, including Canada and Germany.

For many people, their partner not wearing a wedding ring would be quite the cause for contention. In fact, many reality TV series have had entire storylines around this very drama. However, Prince William's decision not to wear a wedding ring has seemingly gone completely unnoticed by fans. As it turns out, though, the future king has never worn a wedding band — even from the very first day he said: "I do."

Speaking to People ahead of William and Princess Catherine's wedding day, a representative for the couple said: "There is only going to be one ring, in accordance with the couple's wishes." Unsurprisingly, given the context, that ring belonged to Catherine, with a Welsh gold wedding band joining her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

As for why William doesn't have a wedding band? Well, there doesn't seem to be a fixed royal tradition on this, as William's grandfather, Prince Philip, didn't wear a wedding band, whereas his father, King Charles III, does, albeit on his pinky finger. Prince Harry is another royal husband who wears one. Perhaps then, it's to do with taste, as an insider told The Mirror. "He's never worn any [jewelry]," the source said. "It's all down to personal preference."

While it's totally normal for couples to kiss and cuddle in public, that's absolutely not the case when it comes to royal romances. So, do British royals have to follow PDA rules? Technically, PDA is not forbidden for those within the monarchy. But it's certainly frowned upon. That's why you'll rarely see anything more than hand-holding between senior working royals.

"When attending official events on behalf of the royal family, royals are taking on professional roles, versus being on their own private time," royal etiquette expert Myka Meier explained to People. To that end, royals like Prince William and Princess Catherine, as well as King Charles III and Queen Camilla, sometimes appear rather indifferent in their relationships when in public. On the flip side, non-working royals, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle or Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall, are known to frequently shower affection on each other.

Although regular PDA is off the cards, it's not a reason to worry about Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage. Behind closed doors, the Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be very loving with one another. "When the cameras drop, you'll often see them walk away and Kate will put an arm around his waist, or he'll place his hand in the small of her back," royal reporter Katie Nicholl told The Mirror. "There's a lovely closeness between them."