With eight years of marriage under their belts and 3 kids, Kate Middleton and Prince Williams’ fairytale love story is one for the books. But what even many fans may not know is that the couple, whose relationship was years in the making after meeting in 2001 at the University of St. Andrews, almost didn’t make it to the altar.
The couple broke up briefly in 2007 for four months, after needing time away from each other before committing. Said Kate about the breakup:
“At the time I wasn’t very happy about it, but it actually made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger, and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn’t think it at the time.”
13 PHOTOSKate Middleton and Prince William early in their relationshipSee GalleryKate Middleton and Prince William early in their relationship
(NO SALES) In this Handout Image provided by Clarence House www.officialroyalwedding2011.org, Kate Middleton and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrew’s Universityin St Andrew’s on June 23, 2005 in Scotland.
Prince William & Kate Middleton Attend The First Day Of The Cheltenham Festival Race Meeting. . (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
KLOSTERS, SWITZERLAND – MARCH 19:Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton use a T-bar drag lift whilst on a skiing holiday on March 19, 2008 in Klosters, Switzerland.(Photo by Indigo/Getty Images)
KLOSTERS, SWITZERLAND – MARCH 19:Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton use a T-bar drag lift whilst on a skiing holiday on March 19, 2008 in Klosters, Switzerland.(Photo by Indigo/Getty Images)
LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: (NO PUBLICATION IN UK MEDIA FOR 28 DAYS) Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton arriveat the Central Flying School at RAF Cranwell where Prince William received his RAF wings in a graduation ceremony, Sleaford on April 11, 2008 in Lincolnshire, England. (Photo by POOL/ Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)
TETBURY, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 21:Prince William (L) enjoys a joke with girlfriend Kate Middleton (R) on his birthday at Beaufort Polo Club on June 21, 2008 in Tetbury, England.The pair were joined by Prince Harry as they watched England beat New Zealand 6-4 in the Williams De Broe Polo Test Match. (Photo by Mike Lusmore/Getty Images)
TETBURY, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 21:Prince Harry (R), Prince William (C) and Kate Middleton (R) celebrate William’s birthday at Beaufort Polo Club on June 21, 2008 in Tetbury, England.The royals were joined by friends as they watched England beat New Zealand 6-4 in the Williams De Broe Polo Test Match.(Photo by Mike Lusmore/Getty Images)
Britain’s Prince William (L) is pictured with his girlfriend Kate Middleton after his graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell air base in Lincolnshire, on April 11, 2008. Britain’s Prince William graduated as a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot on Friday after successfully completing an intensive flying course.The prince, 25, received his wings from his father Prince Charles in a graduation ceremony at the RAF Cranwell air base in Lincolnshire, east central England. AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS/POOL (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
SLEAFORD- APRIL 11: (NO PUBLICATION IN UK MEDIA FOR 28 DAYS)Prince William walks with his girlfriend Kate Middleton after his graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell on April 11, 2008 in Sleaford, England.(Photo by Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage)
Prince William (R) stands beside girlfriend Kate Middleton (L) in the paddock enclosure on the first day of the annual Cheltenham Race Festival at Cheltenham Race course, west of England, 13 March 2007. (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)
From left, Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton watch as England’s Jason Robinson scores a try during their Six Nations Rugby Union match against Italy at Twickenham Stadium, London, 10 February 2007. AFP PHOTO/STRINGER. (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton enjoy the rugby as England play Italy in the RBS Six Nations Championship at Twickenham. (Photo by David Davies – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
TIDWORTH, ENGLAND – JULY15: Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton chat with Chelsy Davy at Tidworth Polo Club on July 15, 2006 in Tidworth, Hampshire. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images) Up Next
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However, an excerpt from the book Kate: The Future Queen, written by royal biographer Katie Nicholl, revealed that the two later traveled to the island of Desroches in the Seychelles that year and made a pact to one another three years before their engagement, which helped take pressure off the relationship and put Kate at ease.
Nicholls wrote:
“There on the paradise island, William promised Kate that he was in the relationship for the long term. For the very first time, they talked seriously about marriage, and with the ocean before them and beneath the night sky, they made a pact to marry.”
25 PHOTOSMost adorable photos of Prince William, Kate Middleton and familySee GalleryMost adorable photos of Prince William, Kate Middleton and family
08-06-2019 England The ceremony of the Trooping the Colour, marking the monarch’s official birthday, in London. Prince William, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge ( PPE/Nieboer/Sipa USA) 
Prince William holds Prince George as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gives him a toy during a visit to the Bilby Enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo April 20, 2014. The Prince and his wife Kate are undertaking a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia with their son George. REUTERS/Chris Jackson/Pool (AUSTRALIA – Tags: ENTERTAINMENT ROYALS SOCIETY)
Britain’s Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, leave the chapel with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis after Prince Louis’s christening in the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, London, Britain, July 9, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERS
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 09: Princess Charlotte and Prince George hold the hands of their father, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, as they arrive at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, London for the christening of their brother, Prince Louis, who is being carried by their mother, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on July 09, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge pose for a photo with their newborn baby son Louis Arthur Charles as they leave the Lindo wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018.
Britain’s Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, his wife Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk past helicopters at the airfield in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, July 21, 2017.REUTERS/Christian Charisius/POOL
Britain’s Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, his wife Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk at the airfield in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, July 21, 2017.REUTERS/Christian Charisius/POOL
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge (R), his wife Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge (L), Prince George (2nd R) and Princess Charlotte arrive to attend the morning Christmas Day service at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, near Bucklebury in southern England, Britain, December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Matthews/Pool
Britain’s Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrives to board a floatplane for their official departure from Canada in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, October 1, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Britain’s Prince William (2nd R), Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd L), Prince George and Princess Charlotte (L) watch as a man inflates balloons at a children’s party at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Britain’s Prince William (2nd R), Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd L), Prince George and Princess Charlotte (L) watch as a man inflates balloons at a children’s party at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, September 29, 2016.REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Britain’s Prince William (2nd L), Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George (L) and Princess Charlotte (R) arrive at a children’s party at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, September 29, 2016.REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge holding Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William, watch a flypast as they stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horseguards Parade in central London, Britain June 11, 2016. Trooping the Colour is a ceremony to honour Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday. The Queen celebrates her 90th birthday this year. REUTERS/Toby Melville 
Britain’s Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive to board a floatplane for their official departure from Canada in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, October 1, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk past the crowds at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate with their son Prince George and daughter Princess Charlotte, after her christening, on July 5th 2015. REUTERS/Mary Turner/Pool
Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, appear with their baby daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, in London, Britain May 2, 2015. The Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a girl on Saturday, the couple’s second child and a sister to one-year-old Prince George.REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton
Britain’s Prince William returns with his son George to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, after the birth of his daughter in London, Britain May 2, 2015. Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge, has given birth to a daughter, the couple’s residence Kensington Palace announced on Saturday.REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett 
Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, carries her son Prince George alongside her husband Prince William as they visit the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, July 2, 2014. Prince George celebrates his first birthday on July 22. Picture taken July 2, 2014. REUTERS/John Stillwell/Pool (BRITAIN – Tags: ROYALS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ATTENTION EDITORS – FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
Britain’s Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, holds her son Prince George as they prepare to board a plane with her husband Prince William (not pictured) to depart Canberra April 25, 2014. The Prince and his wife Kate are undertaking a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia with their son Prince George. REUTERS/Phil Noble (AUSTRALIA – Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and her husband Britain’s Prince William, watch as their son Prince George looks at an Australian animal called a Bilby, which has been named after the young Prince, during a visit to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo April 20, 2014. The Prince and his wife Kate are undertaking a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia with their son George.REUTERS/David Gray (AUSTRALIA – Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds her son Prince George during a Plunket nurse and parents’ group event at Government House in Wellington April 9, 2014. Plunket is a national not-for-profit organisation that provides care for children and families in New Zealand. Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate are undertaking a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia with their son George.REUTERS/Marty Melville/Pool(NEW ZEALAND – Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT)
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, holds her son Prince George after disembarking with her husband, Britain’s Prince William, from their plane after arriving in Wellington April 7, 2014. The Prince and his wife Kate are undertaking a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia with their son George. REUTERS/Phil Noble(NEW ZEALAND – Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT)
Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge appear with their baby son, outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, in central London July 23, 2013. Kate gave birth to the couple’s first child, who is third in line to the British throne, on Monday afternoon, ending weeks of feverish anticipation about the arrival of the royal baby. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett (BRITAIN – Tags: SOCIETY ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH)
Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis during Trooping the Colour ceremony, marking the monarch’s official birthday, in London. (Photo by DPPA/Sipa USA)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 08: Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge appear on the balcony during Trooping The Colour, the Queen’s annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)Up Next
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