The Prince and Princess of Wales struck up their romance while both students at St Andrews University – but according to a new biography of Kate, their first meeting was actually before they studied together
It’s no secret that romance blossomed for the Prince and Princess of Wales during their university days.
After both starting at St Andrews University in the same year, they discovered their spark – especially after William saw his future wife in a charity fashion show where she strutted down the catwalk in a see-through dress. It has long been thought that St Andrews is also where the pair met and was also depicted in the final series of hit Netflix drama, The Crown. But according to a new book, their first meeting wasn’t at university – and in fact, they had actually met years earlier.
In his new book Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, author and royal expert Robert Jobson claims they actually first came across each other during their school days when Prince William attended Eton College and Kate was at Marlborough College.
In the book, being serialised in the Daily Mail, the author writes: “What’s less well known is that Catherine and the Prince first met when she was at Marlborough, and it was then that they actually became friends. ‘There was plenty of socialising [between pupils at both schools] back then, and they were known to each other,’ said a senior source close to the Middletons. ‘I understand he invited her on a few things.'”
In an interview to mark their engagement in 2010, the couple was asked about the moment they met. Kate was able to recall the moment straight away, but William struggled to remember and said he’d have to “wrack his brains”.
And Kate added: “I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you. William wasn’t there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn’t there from Fresher’s Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other. But we did become very close friends from quite early on.”
In that same interview, the couple talked about their brief split in 2007 before they got back together shortly after. William said: “We did split up for a bit. We were both very young, it was at university and we were both finding ourselves and being different characters and stuff. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up. It was just a bit of space. It worked out for the better.”
Meanwhile, in 2022, Kate opened up about her early romance when she admitted becoming a member of the royal family was something she never expected – but then she met and “fell in love” with William. Kate made the admission when she joined a Dame Kelly Holmes Trust event in Bath and took on the double Olympic champion at a game of bean bag noughts and crosses – but came out second best.
When the princess sat down for a private chat with a group of schoolgirls supported by the charity at St Katherine’s School in Bristol, she opened up the floor to questions about herself after listening to their experiences about home and school life. Asked if she wanted to be a “royal” by a pupil, the Princess replied it was something she had not expected but she “fell in love” with William.
