10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Fairytale Royal Romance

This is a love story you know. One you’re familiar with, certainly. Kate Middleton and Prince William grew up in two completely different worlds. Yet, their paths almost crossed several times before they actually met. Just as Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in Sliding Doors showed us – what’s meant to be will be. And these two are definitely meant to be.

Their romance has been well-documented in the press, and we all counted down the days leading up to the royal wedding, and then the royal baby’s birth. But what about all of the little moments that led to their current ‘happily ever after’ status? What about the bumps in the road? What about the magic of new love? What about the jealousy that comes along with dating a sought-after guy? He is a PRINCE after all.

In Katie Nicholl’s new book, KATE: The Future Queen (you could win a free copy of this book by entering our giveaway below!), we get an inside look at the beloved Duchess, and how she has already lived a real-life fairytale. Here are 10 things you might not have known about the fairytale royal romance.

1. They almost crossed paths during their gap year before starting their first year at St. Andrews.

Kate and William were both volunteers on an expedition trip to Chile, organized through a UK-based company called Raleigh International. They coordinate community and environmental projects in South America. William was there in the fall of 2000 and returned to Britain just days before Kate flew to Chile for her three-month stay.

2. Kate was the quiet girl in class, and she took notes for William when he was absent.

Kate and William lived in the same building during their “fresher” year at St. Andrews, with William’s room one floor above hers. Their friend groups bonded quickly, and with Kate’s shy nature and William’s pursuit to stay out of the press, they often stayed in and made dinner together as a group. Kate and William bonded quickly, and she would take notes for him when he couldn’t attend class and then go over the lesson in the common area later.

3. Kate saved William from a stage-five clinger at a party.

One evening at a party, William was being relentlessly chased by a (I pictured one of the evil step sisters in Cinderella, but I’m sure this girl was nice enough) girl who wanted a chance with the prince. Kate noticed that he couldn’t seem to shake her off and when up behind him, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a warm smile. He told the girl, “sorry, this is my girlfriend.” and graciously thanked Kate later for playing along and rescuing him.

4. William bid on Kate and won a date with her.

Kate and her then-boyfriend Rupert were starting to fizzle. Kate and William both attended a Harry Potter theme party and Kate offered to be one of the dates to be auctioned off later in the night. William bid $300 and won. They were still just friends at the time, but it was starting to become clear that they had a strong connection to each other. They spent the night dancing together innocently.

5. They lived together before they dated.

Kate was one of the few people at school that William could really trust. At the start of their second year at St. Andrews, William asked her to move into a house with him and two of their closest friends. They still weren’t officially a couple at this point, but it didn’t take long for their relationship to make the transition from friends to young love. They enjoyed staying in and having friends over for dinner parties.

6. A drinking game with William’s ex led to them officially declaring that they were a couple.

An ex-girlfriend of William’s lived across the street from them. During one of their famous dinner parties, the gang started playing “Never Have I Ever” and his ex takes this opportunity to embarrass Kate and Will by saying, “Never have I dated two people from this group.” William played the game and was the only one to take a drink, forcing them to officially declare themselves a couple amongst their friends.

7. They bonded over shared grief.

Kate’s grandfather passed away not long after William’s great grandmother had, and when they were alone together, they were able to open up and share their sadness over these losses.

8. The Duchess doesn’t wallow. 

Their breakup was devastating for both of them. But not having lived her life in the public eye, the aftermath was particularly hard on Kate. One day she was William’s girlfriend and people were betting on when he would pop the question, and then the next day she wasn’t. Kate didn’t lay around in sweats in wallow in self-pity though. Well, maybe she did, briefly. But it wasn’t long after their breakup that she went out in body-hugging dresses and partied with her sister, Pippa, and spent time with her girlfriends. Because of her recent role as the prince’s girlfriend, she still had a lot of eyes on her. So her post-breakup evenings out were making front page headlines. William who?

9. Second chances don’t come easy.

They broke up because William wasn’t ready to make a commitment to Kate. She wanted to know that marriage was in their future, and that she was the one he wanted to be with. He wasn’t ready to make that promise. Eventually, they started communicating again and he begged her for a second chance. She was still trying to repair a broken heart and wanted to take things slow, but also wanted him to show her how serious he was about them. They made a pact to get married not long after that.

10. Even Kate had to deal with pressures every twenty something must face.

“So where are you working now?”

“How’s the job search coming?”

“Everyone is tying the knot these days. Think you two will be next?”

“Where’s the ring?”

“Have you talked about marriage?”

Ugh. Aren’t these questions exhausting? We all have to deal with them, and Kate did too. Obviously the marriage questions were a given. People were betting on the proposal dates, for goodness sakes! But being the girlfriend of a traveling, busy prince isn’t easy. She wanted to make sure she was available to see him when he was in town, but still wanted a fulfilling career. That’s not easy to deal with, but of course, Kate fielded those dreaded Q’s with the grace and professionalism that any future queen should possess.

Then came the engagement, wedding, and bouncing baby boy. You guys know the rest. Cheers to the future queen!

Giveaway Deets:

In the comments below, answer this: If you were the future queen, who would be your ideal king? Can be anyone, even famous or fictional. Share your answer for a chance to win a free copy of this book!

Only entries from residents of US will be considered.