When William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, wed in 2011, their televised union, which didn’t go without its mishaps, garnered about a billion views across the globe. While the public’s first insight into their relationship was in 2004 when they were captured on a ski trip to Klosters, Switzerland together, the two had been smitten with each other for quite some time before then. Laura Warshauer, who attended the University of St. Andrews with William and Kate, told the Daily Mail that she met the now-couple the same week they met each other at the university, and their chemistry was strong from the very beginning.
The couple’s classmate recalled one instance when a young woman, who was interested in the royal, was trying to engage in conversation with him, but he seemed disinterested. “All of a sudden Kate walks up from across the room, puts her arms around him, and enables him to turn to this other girl and be like ‘I’m sorry, I have a girlfriend,'” Warshauer said. She noted that William thanked Kate, and she knew no one else could pull off that stunt besides Kate. “They had just met each other but it was clear they had a connection,” she added.
In an ITV interview following their engagement in 2010, the pair reminisced on their early relationship, with Kate recalling to William, “I think you said I actually went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off. [I was] feeling very shy about meeting you.” The future king and queen of Britain continue to stand by each other in their strong marriage where they have since welcomed three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The Wales’ Marriage Has Been Through Various Trials And Tribulations
Though William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are often seen as having a fairytale romance, their relationship hasn’t been without its flaws. In 2007, the two went their separate ways to “find themselves,” according to the prince in their ITV News interview in 2010. “It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up,” William recalled. That same year, the two rekindled, and they got engaged three years later. However, their royal wedding did not guarantee a perfect marriage. In 2019, it was rumored that the Prince was having an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
The couple never publicly confirmed or denied the rumors, but an article from The Daily Beast alleged that the palace’s lawyers were warning media outlets who published pieces on the affair that legal action would be taken against them, leading many outlets to remove stories written about the affair. Yet, a source close to the family alleged that the gossip forced the couple into a moment of introspection of their marriage, which was needed.
That being said, in 2024, Prince William proved that he was a good husband when he supported his wife through her cancer diagnosis and treatment, which was revealed to the public in March 2024. In November, after the Princess had undergone preventative chemotherapy, William told the BBC, “I’m so proud of my wife…for handling the things that they have done.” Royal author Robert Hardman further told the outlet that William had been “holding the fort down.” While many still view the two as a couple out of a storybook, they prove that no relationship exists without flaws. Yet, they have shown that their love is capable of withstanding even the hardest tests.
