Kate and Prince William’s love story – from how they met to painful break up

Today marks 10 years since Prince William and Kate Middleton got married at Westminster Abbey as the world watched.

But the world has been mesmerised by their love story for even longer than that.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who now have three children together, have actually known each other for nearly 20 years.

Kate and William first met in 2001 at the University of St Andrew's in Scotland, where she was studying history, and he geography.

Prince William reportedly watched a charity fashion show that Kate was in, and her walk down the runway sparked an interest.

It is believed William paid £200 for a front-row seat.

Recalling the moment they first met, Kate said in their engagement interview in 2010: “I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you.”

Kate went on to explain that it had taken quite a bit of time to get to know William, who was away a lot of the time.

She said: “William wasn’t there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn’t there for Fresher’s Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other.

“But we did become very close friends from quite early on.”

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They then began sharing a four-bedroom Edwardian townhouse at the start of their second year with two other friends.

Prince William explained: ”We moved in together as friends because we were living together, we lived with a couple of others as well, and it just sort of blossomed from there really.”

The following year the four friends moved into a secluded rented cottage.

Kate and William shared a love of sport and outdoor life, and they were rumoured to have stared dating around Christmas 2003.

William said about meeting Kate: “When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her.”

He added: “We just spent more time with each other, had a good giggle, had lots of fun and realised we shared the same interests and just had a really good time. She’s got a really naughty sense of humour.”

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They first became official after they were photographed on a ski trip at Klosters in Switzerland.

But dreams were crushed when William ended their relationship in 2007.

It is thought William had got cold feet as speculation grew about an engagement, but both William and Kate said the brief split made them stronger.

Looking back at the time, William said: “We did split up for a bit. We were both very young, it was at university and we were both finding ourselves and being different characters and stuff.

"It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up. It was just a bit of space. It worked out for the better."

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Kate admitted she wasn’t very happy about it at the time, but in hindsight she believed it was a good idea.

She said: “At the time I wasn't very happy about it but actually it made me a stronger person.

"You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realised.

“I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you're younger. I really valued that time, for me as well, although i didn't think it at the time."

Prince William proposed to Kate on a trip to Kenya in 2010.

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