Kate Middleton and Prince William are now the proud parents of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The pair first met at the University of St Andrews in 2001, before tying the knot in their spectacular 2011 royal wedding. However, their path to wedded bliss did not always run smoothly, and the future king demonstrated his “unwillingness to commit” to Kate on several occasions.
Biographer Andrew Morton, in his 2011 book “William and Catherine”, delves into the early days of the pair’s royal romance, and the break-up they suffered in 2007.
Mr Morton wrote: “It was a storm that had been brewing a long time, arising from his unwillingness to commit and the feeling his friends noted that ‘he could do better’.”
It came after another similar “trial separation” in 2004, after the pair finished their university studies.
Mr Morton explains, on that occasion, “[Kate] simply wanted more from him, in terms of emotional commitment and support, than he was prepared to give at that stage of his life.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Image: Getty)
Kate Middleton and Prince William pictured in 2004, the year they had a brief separation (Image: Getty)
A close friend of the prince told Mr Morton: “They had an up-and-down relationship at St Andrews because of his refusal to commit.”
However, after the 2007 break-up, the friend said: “[William] realised what he really wanted in life.”
“He thought he could do better, but realised very quickly what he had given up.”
Kate and William soon made up, and went on a romantic getaway to the Seychelles where they made a secret pact of commitment to each other.
However, Mr Morton writes, Kate’s friends had reacted
