Prince William and Kate Middleton like to spend a lot of time together, but royal tradition once kept the pair apart.
The Prince and Princess of Wales met at St Andrews University and were friends for years before their romance blossomed. However, strict royal rules meant the couple couldn’t spend Christmas together until they were married.
In 2006, they planned to reunite for New Year celebrations after spending Christmas apart. However, a royal author has claimed Kate was left upset when William canceled his plans at the last minute, causing her to worry about the future of their relationship.
In her book The Making of a Royal Romance, author Katie Nicholl alleged William promised Kate he would join her family but decided to stay with his own instead. He told her about his plans over the phone on Boxing Day.
Nicholl wrote, “William had been having second thoughts and sat down with his father and his grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate. Both advised him not to rush into anything.”
A few weeks later in 2007, Kate and William briefly split, and sources later claimed the late Queen Elizabeth was disappointed by the breakup. However, the separation was short-lived as William and Kate were seen sharing a kiss at an army party in Bovington, Dorset, shortly after.
In July 2007, Kate and her brother James Middleton attended the Concert for Diana at Wembley, marking a decade since the death of William’s mom. Their romance was soon rekindled, with Kate moving into William’s Clarence House flat where he would return from military duties for cozy weekends.
The couple then announced their engagement in 2010 and got married in April 2011. They’ve been happily married for nearly 14 years and have three children together – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
This Christmas season has been particularly significant for the Wales family as Kate continues her recovery from cancer. She underwent planned abdominal surgery before revealing she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. She completed her treatment in September and has been gradually resuming her duties.
