William and Catherine: Remember when they separated... twice!

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are the dream couple of the English royal family. It became clear in early 2024, when she was in hospital, that British royal fans desperately need their Kate. However, as you may remember, this couple almost ceased to exist. In this gallery, you will find out how the two separated.

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As Vogue reports, the two go back a long way. They first met when they were 9 years old. It was at a hockey game between their respective school teams - Ludgrove Prep and St. Andrews Prep.

Kate and Prince William saw each other again in 2001. They studied art history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The two began dating approximately a year after starting college together.

At first, William and Catherine tried to keep their relationship secret from the public. But then, photos of a vacation together appeared in the media. Apparently, at that moment, William felt restricted in the relationship. The two went their separate ways for the first time.

After a few years though, in 2006, Catherine and William got back together As Gala reported, the public assumed that their relationship was serious.

However, just a year later, the relationship ended a second time. Reports from 2007 that Prince William and Catherine Middleton had broken up caused a big surprise.

This separation was not officially confirmed by the British royal family. Nevertheless, the press focused on the news and speculated as to why the relationship had failed.

British media outlets such as the Express claimed that the Queen was initially not keen on Catherine as her grandson's future wife. She allegedly advised him against an engagement. In the book 'The Making of a Royal Romance', royalty expert Katie Nicholl wrote that Elizabeth II believed Kate needed her own identity and a full-time job before she could become a member of the hard-working royal family.

After graduating in 2005, Kate Middleton did not have a permanent job, and in 2007 and 2008 she did not work regularly. The British media criticized her for it, as if she were work-shy and pleasure-seeking.

Catherine got nicknames like 'Lady of Leisure', 'Waity Katie', and 'Princess in Waiting'. However, Time Magazine included her in the list of the top 100 most influential people in 2013.

Several British media outlets also suspected that William wanted to test his girlfriend's loyalty. Many newspapers offered her money to tell them about her love story with the prince. But Kate didn't accept any of it. She soon got back together with William.

The heir to the British throne only commented on the separation years later. In an interview with ITV News, he said: "We did split up for a bit... It was very much finding our own way and we were growing up. It was just a bit of space, and things like that."

It wasn't until 10 years after they met that Prince William asked Kate Middleton to marry him. Why did she have to wait so long?

Katie Nicholls wrote in her book that Prince William did not want to be put under pressure when planning his future and family. Unlike his mother, who married Charles when he was 20, he wanted to avoid the failure of any future marriage. In an interview, the prince said that he didn't want to get married until he was "at least 28 or maybe 30."

On October 20, 2010, the 28-year-old Prince asked for Kate's hand in marriage during a trip to Kenya. He used the ring of his late mother Princess Diana.

From December 2010, Kate took part in official events and took on her first tasks as a future royal. The wedding of William Mountbatten-Windsor and Catherine Middleton took place on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey. The witnesses were Prince Harry and Kate's sister Philippa (Pippa). The marriage was a major media event and was broadcast on television around the world.

The couple now has three children: Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (2015) and Prince Louis (2018). The little royals regularly delight the public with their grimaces and behavior.

Princess Kate takes her duties as a working royal very seriously. She almost always has a smile on her face and receives a lot of approval from the public. Even after Prince Harry's memoir, which published some remarks about Princess Catherine with a negative undertone, she continued to be very popular.

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