They might be royalty, but not even young love birds Prince William and Kate were above the curse of the awkward first date after meeting at St Andrews university in Scotland
The Prince and Princess of Wales were just good friends when they first met at university, before anymore more serious happened.
William and Kate were placed in the same accommodation block, St Salvador’s Hall at St Andrews University in Scotland, and they struck up a friendship. Theirs was a romance that unfolded over time, with Kate initially dating someone else.
And unlike the movies, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for the pair – or for William at least. While Kate easily recalled their first encounter that left her ed-faced, William admitted he couldn’t remember the occasion. In an interview to mark their engagement in 2010, the couple was asked about the moment they met.
The memory seemed much more prominent for Kate who was able to recall the moment straight away. William struggled and said he’d have to “wrack his brains.” During the interview, Kate added: “I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you.”
She added: “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.”
Their romance things cranked up a notch when in 2002, William spent £200 for a front-row ticket for the charity fashion show Kate starred in. In response to her now famous see-through dress, it’s said he remarked: “Wow, Kate’s hot.” Kate would attend William’s birthday party and by Christmas 2003 the pair were considered an “item.”
Meanwhile, whilst agreements were struck between the palace and the media to leave the prince in peace as he studied, studying was not smooth sailing or enjoyable for William and he almost quit after Christmas 2001 before switching from art history to geography.
Following their graduation, William joined the military and they went through a rocky patch, which actually saw them split in 2007. But they soon rekindled their relationship before becoming engaged in 2010 and marrying in 2011. They welcomed their first child Prince George in July 2013 before Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis later came along.
