An explosive new book by royal author Robert Jobson has claimed that Prince William ended his relationship with Kate in a tense 30-minute phone call that left her ‘heartbroken’
The Prince and Princess of Wales are now seen as one of the most stable and loving couples in the Royal Family, but William and Kate’s love story got off to a turbulent start.
The much-loved pair first met when the princess was a teen at Malborough College, and their paths crossed again when they both became students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Sharing the same halls of residence, they were part of the same friendship circle and were often spotted going out for drinks together and playing tennis.
Their friendship soon turned into romance, and before long, they were an item on campus. But it wasn’t an easy path to their eventual marriage at Westminster Abbey in April 2011, in a day filled with pomp watched by millions across the world. Indeed, as he himself admitted, at one point William had serious second thoughts.
When they graduated in 2005, William and Kate had seemed to be a solid partnership. William went into the military after graduation, while Kate took a job in London as an accessories buyer at Jigsaw. But by 2006, the cracks had started to appear. Just as Catherine, now 42, approached her 25th birthday in 2007, William, also now 42, cancelled plans to join the Middletons at a New Year celebration in Dundee. Despite newspapers predicting a royal engagement, Kate had sensed something was off.
In his new book Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, author Robert Jobson writes that Wills called Kate to suggest they split up as they both needed a ‘bit of space’ and to ‘find our own way.’ In an extract serialised in the Daily Mail, the author says William confessed that: “He was unable to promise her marriage.
“In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on ‘different pages’. It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone. Though it wasn’t the first time William had called time on their relationship, it felt final.”
The brutal phone call reportedly led the now mum-of-three to question their entire relationship, with her left wondering if she’d simply been led on. Jobson says Kate was ‘distraught’ and resorted to hiding away from the outside world. Her mum took the heartbroken daughter for a break in Dublin, he says, while William headed for the clubs with pals. Jobson claims that he got so drunk at club Mahiki that he started yelling about being ‘free’ as he enjoyed his newfound singledom.
With the support of her friends, Kate got back out there and was papped hitting the clubs in London, often arm-in-arm with her sister Pippa. And at the time, she was linked with shipping heir Sir Henry Ropner. After initially letting off steam, it was then a different story for Wills, who was holed up in barracks for most of the summer as an army officer. Friends of the couple said it wasn’t much more than two months after the split that William began to miss her.
Doubts seemingly crept in about his decision to end things with Kate, but he reportedly feared he wouldn’t be able to get her back. His luck changed when he and Kate were both invited to a fancy dress party at their mutual friend’s manor house, and was they locked eyes again, author Jobson writes that “the chemistry between William and Catherine did the rest.”
William had made a beeline for Kate, who was dressed as a sexy nurse. They spent the evening deep in conversation before snogging on the dancefloor. They kept their reconciliation a secret at first, but after the reunion, William and Kate were seen kissing at an army party at barracks in Bovington, Dorset.
And in July 2007 Kate and her brother James were seen at the Concert for Diana, held at Wembley to mark 10 years since William’s mother’s death. They were a few rows behind William, Prince Harry and his then-girlfriend Chelsea Davy. Kate then attended the wedding of William’s cousin Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly, taking William’s place, while he attended a friend’s wedding in Africa. It wasn’t long before their romance was confirmed to be back on, and Kate moved into William’s Clarence House flat, where he would return from military duties on Friday nights for cosy weekends together.
Three years after the brief split, it was revealed that William and Kate were engaged, with the bride-to-be given the late Princess Diana’s engagement ring.
