As a couple, Kate Middleton and Prince William seem unstoppable. When they're photographed together, they look like they enjoy each other so much. They're always laughing and whispering to each other, walking side-by-side in perfect unison, if not always hand-in-hand. When they're apart, they always seem to have nothing but praise for the way each handles their jobs as parents, partners, and working royals. In short, they seem to have been designed for each other.
But the story of how they got to be that way is a bit thornier than the fairy tale image lets on. The story of their love — how it started, what obstacles they overcame, how they build each other up — is more interesting and complex than the picture of them in full royal wedding glory, waving and kissing from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
And that's a good thing. After all, before their ceremony became the wedding of the century, another couple were thought to be the future of the royal family: William's own parents, Princess Diana and Prince Charles, who, after a whirlwind courtship, had a spectacularly failed marriage that made headlines.
But where Charles and Diana's union was loveless, William and Kate's is the opposite. They got to know each other as friends first, then via a relationship that lasted nearly a decade before they got engaged. It wasn't always an easy relationship; it didn't always go smoothly. It had stops, and starts, bumps, tears, and reunions.
It survived their different backgrounds, doubts, and pressures — she came from a family that was wealthy but not aristocratic and that was nurturing; he came from riches, strict tradition, a broken family, and public scrutiny. There were times when one of them seemed to give up, and times when both wanted to call it quits. But somehow, they always found a way through.
And somehow, out of all of that, a beautiful relationship, marriage, and family was ultimately created. And there's still so much more love story to be told, as they prepare for their ultimate journey together, as king and queen consort.
But for now, let's look back at how Kate and William got together, starting with a little-known encounter when they were just … well, read on.
1990s: A Young Kate Watches Prince William Play Hockey
According to royal biographer Kate Nicholls, Kate first set eyes on William when he played hockey at her prep school:
"Although [Kate] wasn’t especially interested in boys, the arrival of one particular young man had caught her attention. Nearby Ludgrove Prep school would often play matches against St. Andrew’s Prep, and there was much excitement when Prince William, a left back on Ludgrove’s Colts team, came to St. Andrew’s to play a hockey match when he was 9 years old. William, like Kate, loved sports and was one of the best hockey and rugby players in his year. Of course, the arrival of the prince generated a flurry of excitement. It was the first time Kate had set her eyes on the young prince, but certainly not the last."
2001: Kate & William Meet at College
Kate and William ended up in the same dorm building at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Both were art history majors. Although a former boarding school roommate of Kate's once told the Daily Mail that the teenage future duchess had a poster of William on her wall, Kate denied it during the couple's engagement interview.
"No, it was the Levi’s guy on my wall, not a picture of William. Sorry!" she said. So no, she didn't transfer to St. Andrews from her initial college of Marlborough in hopes of landing him.
2002: They Become Roommates
Kate and William were part of a group of friends who rented a house off campus. Though they were in close quarters, the two remained just friends, as each was dating other people. But then Kate took part in a charity fashion show, in which she famously strutted on the catwalk wearing a see-through mesh tube dress, and reportedly, William started seeing her in a new light, telling a friend, "Kate's hot!"
Circa 2003: Dating Begins!
Sometime in late 2002 or 2003, Kate and William started dating in secret, being careful not to be seen arriving or leaving anywhere together. Despite that, and although William never talked about his romances to the public, the two were later spotted in bars and restaurants around Fife, Scotland, where St. Andrews is located. But because the press had an agreement with the royal family to not hound William and Harry while they were at school, the press didn't catch on.
March 2004: They Take a Skiing Holiday Together
All privacy was officially over when the press caught wind that Kate had joined William, Prince Charles, and Harry at the Klosters ski resort in Switzerland. Charles had agreed to let photographers take a few shots of him and the boys in exchange for leaving the family alone afterward — a practice that Princess Diana started in order to protect her sons' privacy. But photogs stuck around and captured Kate and William embracing and headed down a slope. Suddenly, the public couldn't get enough of the story of how a "commoner" girl had captured the heart of the future king of England.
2004: William Breaks Up With Kate
After more than a year of dating, William's eye began to wander and his commitment began to wane. At his 2003 summer birthday party, he'd virtually ignored Kate. Then, he gave a blistering interview about his love life.
"There’s been a lot of speculation about every single girl I am with, and it does irritate me after a while, more so because it is a complete pain for the girls. These poor girls, whom I’ve either just met or are friends of mine, suddenly get thrown into the limelight and their parents get run up and so on," William said during an interview.
Ouch.
He also had lots of girls hanging around, in 2004, took a boys-only holiday with his posse on a yacht with an all-female crew — effectively dumping Kate.
Ouch again. But at some point, Kate and William pick up where they left off.
December 2006: Kate Attends William's Military Academy Graduation
After a few years of dating marked by a lot of ups and downs, it looked like the relationship was finally solidifying by the end of 2006. In a hint of things to come, Kate and her parents, Michael and Carole, attended William's graduation from military academy. The young couple was not photographed together, nor did Kate sit with Queen Elizabeth, who attended the event. Rumors of a wedding began to swirl and every aspect of Kate's life began to be covered and dissected in the media.
April 2007: William Dumps Kate Again
The couple had spent a lot of time apart, with William backing out of spending Christmas with her family, and then joining a regiment in another part of England. Meanwhile, Kate had been working for her parents' party supply business and as a buyer for a women's fashion chain. It seemed like they were growing apart, and William's phone call to Kate in April confirmed it. He broke up with her, then went partying, reportedly dancing and yelling at a bar, "I'm free!"
Spring 2007: Kate Parties & Keeps Busy Post Break Up
Although she was heartbroken, Kate didn't exactly sit around her flat sulking. She joined a women's dragon boat crew — which was training for a race — and on weekends, hit the London party scene big time, with her sister, Pippa, who had just moved in with her. Through it all, she looked happier and more glowing than ever, probably from not having to deal with whether William was finally going to commit to her.
July 2007: The Couple Reconciles
But just a few weeks later, Kate and William made up. The public got the first hint that they were back together at the concert that William and Harry coordinated in honor of Princess Diana's birthday, 10 years after her death. Kate attended the concert, but sat separately from William — probably to keep the focus on the concert, and not on herself. After all, right around the time that she and William were struggling, Diana's former personal secretary had written a newspaper piece all but branding her the "New People's Princess." A couple getting their relationship back on track doesn't need that pressure.
April 2008: Kate Attends William's Pilot School Graduation
When William graduated from the Royal Air Force's helicopter pilot program, we finally got a picture of the couple together that wasn't an unauthorized paparazzi shot, or a picture of them sort of kind of together in the same place at the same time. This was confirmation that William was finally getting serious about Kate and ready to move forward toward a future together.
Summer 2010: They Move to Wales
When William became a search and rescue helicopter pilot and was stationed in Wales, the couple moved into a friend's secluded farmhouse in the stunning island of Anglesey and deepened their relationship in private, while also hanging out with Wills' work buddies. Kate was photographed many times shopping at the local grocery store, and the couple were spotted (but left alone!) at different pubs and stores in the area. When William announced that his tour in Wales was coming to an end in 2013, he said:
"I know that I speak for Catherine when I say that I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey, Both of us will miss it terribly when my Search & Rescue tour of duty comes to an end."
November 2010: They Announce Their Engagement
It was an instantly iconic moment. William and Kate happily walked into a room at St. James' Palace and posed for pictures after the royal family announced their engagement. Kate was wearing a sapphire dress to match her engagement ring, and — gasp! — it was Diana's own ring, not seen in 20 years. William would later recount how they became engaged while on a trip to Kenya a month earlier, during which he carried the ring in his backpack while he waited for the perfect moment to pop the question. Their wedding date was later announced: April 29, 2011. The countdown had begun.
February 2011: Going on Their First Joint Official Event
Now that they were officially engaged, Buckingham Palace wasted no time in sending them to do royal work. Their first event was definitely light duty: Christening a tugboat (!) in their own backyard of Wales. Kate did the honors, pouring a bottle of champagne on the boat, while William looked on and clapped. With her feathery fascinator and a huge smile, Kate already looked like a royal pro and queen-to-be. And more importantly, the couple already looked like they'd make a great team.
April 2011: They're Married!
After months of royal fans everywhere wondering what Kate's wedding dress would look like and who would design it, and what tiara she would choose to wear, the day finally arrived when we got up extra early to tune into William and Kate's long-awaited wedding. It did not disappoint, neither as a grand spectacle (Westminster Abbey is stunning!) nor as the satisfying fairy tale end to a sometimes turbulent love story.
June-July 2011: Their First Royal Tour Together
Coming just weeks after their wedding and honeymoon to the Seychelles, Kate and William's weeklong tour of Canada was a second honeymoon of sorts. Yes, they did lots of official appearances, hand-shaking, breaking of ground, and the like, but they also exchanged a ridiculous amount of sexy glances, smiles, and secret conversations. They seemed really happy and totally in love. They were off to a good start both as spouses and work partners.
July 2013: Kate & William Become Parents
News that Kate was pregnant drew as much attention as the announcement of Kate and William's engagement. The news was leaked when Kate was hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe and constant nausea, weight loss, and dehydration, and which she would also suffer from during her following pregnancies. But that was all forgotten when Kate gave birth to an adorable little boy who will one day be king, and who looks just like Kate and her dad. The couple's love story had reached a whole different level.
May 2015: Princess Charlotte Is Born
Kate and William had been part of the "sleep deprivation society that is parenting," as Wills once put it, for two years when Charlotte arrived. When the future Princess Sassy arrived, it strengthened the royals' love even more. "It is fantastic having a lovely little family and I am so thrilled," William once said in an interview. "Catherine has been doing an amazing job as a mother and I'm very proud of her."
April 2018: One More Child, For Now
With a third, and likely last, baby — little Louis, of course — Kate and William have become more than they probably set out to be when they started dating: role models for strict but nurturing parenting. Beyond building a picture-perfect family, they've been open about wanting as normal a life for their kids as possible, while preparing them to be the royal family's leaders in the future. It's hard to believe that this was the same couple who struggled to stay together and get on the same page.
Guess some things are just meant to be.
2020: Preparing for the Throne Together
In January, Kate and William hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace, to mark the UK-Africa Investment Summit. It's just one of the many responsibilities that the couple has been taken over for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, a way of gradually increasing their roles in preparation for one day being Prince and Princess of Wales, and then, of course, becoming King and Queen Consort. With a relationship that has withstood test of time, we're pretty sure that William and Kate will can handle whatever comes their way — even the awesome responsibility of being the future leaders of the royal family.
