The pair briefly split in 2007
Kate Middleton issued an ‘ultimatum’ to Prince William after an ’embarrassing’ incident before their brief breakup, it has been revealed in a new book.
The couple met at St Andrews University in 2001 while they were studying history of art. They moved into a shared house with two other friends in 2002 and reportedly became a couple around Christmas 2003.
However, four years later the pair briefly split, reportedly because of the strain caused by William’s military career, but also came amid intense media pressure since they met.
The Mirror’s Royal Editor, Russell Myers writes in his new book, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, which is being serialised by the Mirror, has opened up about the split, with sources claiming that at the time, William and Kate’s relationship had ‘soured beyond repair’.
He writes: “In March 2007, William and Catherine who had barely seen each other since Christmas, were pictured decked out in matching tweed, appearing frosty with each other at the Cheltenham horse racing festival. Sources claimed the relationship had ‘soured beyond repair’.
“Days later, William heaped further embarrassment on Catherine when he was pictured appearing to grope an 18-year-old Brazilian student he met on the dancefloor of Elements nightclub in Bournemouth. Looking wide-eyed, sweaty and clutching a pint of beer as he stood between two young women, William seemed to have temporarily abandoned his senses. Was this the normality he craved?
“Or was he simply a young man letting off some steam after finishing a tank commander course, while continuing to exist in a pressure-cooker situation? Catherine was upset and admonished him for his behaviour, questioning whether the light of their four-year relationship was about to be extinguished forever.”
And this is where her ‘ultimatum’ came in. Russell writes: “In the days after the Cheltenham Festival, deeply unhappy and at a loss to describe how their relationship had faltered, Catherine delivered an ultimatum to William. While she did not explicitly demand an engagement or even a promise of marriage, she did break free from the gentle and arguably submissive persona that had typified her relationship with the future king.
“A long-standing friend who she confided in at the time said, ‘Catherine was distressed. She was miserable, but she certainly wasn’t desperate. She felt as though she had nothing to lose and for the first time she probably relayed her true feelings to William. She wasn’t demanding an engagement, but she wanted a commitment, and if he couldn’t deliver that, well, then she left him in no doubt that it was best they go their separate ways.’
“On many levels, the conversation was the clearest sign of the changing dynamic of their relationship. Catherine was no longer a shy student finding her way in the world, nor was she willing to be portrayed as the long-suffering girlfriend of a prince who had other priorities. Either they were a team, or they weren’t.”
But, things didn’t seem to better from there. “In a shock move, William personally instructed Clarence House to confirm the news that he and Catherine were no longer together,” Russell continues. “But, behind the scenes, there was much going on that suggested this was more than just a difference of opinion. It’s telling that William confided to one senior courtier that, ‘at least she is free.’
“This was perhaps the most significant moment in his life since his mother had passed. William revealed a deep distress and anxiety over what a relationship with him represented in the real world. The attention, the constant pressure and expectation. He held these things responsible for contributing to the breakdown of his previous relationships, but now, when it mattered the most, he wondered if he was taking the right course of action, for Catherine or himself.”
In the end, it appears the late Queen Elizabeth II was the one who had a role in bringing the couple, who have now been married for more than 10 years and share three children, back together. “The Queen had witnessed at first hand the toxicity that spilled over from Charles and Diana’s relationship and the devastating effect of the Princess of Wales’s tragic death on both William and Harry,” Russell writes.
“And she knew that William was hurting from the attempt to reconcile so many competing expectations, demands and desires. During those initial days of hopelessness after the tragedy of Diana’s death, Elizabeth’s first reaction had been that of a grandmother, not a monarch. She refused to bow to pressure from the press and instead dedicated herself to comforting her suffering grandchildren. Now she would do the same.
“Sensing William was struggling, the Queen invited him to Sunday lunch to judge his mood. William was more than just crestfallen and worried about whether he was throwing away the one constant in his life. He was, according to one well-placed source, ‘completely broken’.
“‘In that moment, the Queen advised her grandson that the only certain path is the one supported by faith. It was all she had to say,’ they said.”
William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, published on 26 February by Ebury, Penguin Random House, is available to pre-order now
