Before Prince William and Kate Middleton became the global power couple they are today, they actually broke up briefly, according to a new biography. Author Robert Jobson’s upcoming book Catherine, Princess of Wales: The Biography makes the shocking revelation that Prince William broke up with Middleton in 2007, a few years before their engagement. The New York Post obtained an excerpt from the book detailing this chapter in their lives.
Prince William and Middleton met in 2001 at the University of St. Andrews, and began dating in 2003. They actually broke up briefly in 2004, Prince William told ITV News years later. He said: “We were both very young, it was at university and we were both finding ourselves as such, and being different characters. It was very much finding our own way and we were growing up. It was just a bit of space, and things like that.”
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It sounds like the 2007 breakup was very similar, with both young people uncertain of where the future would take them and what they really wanted. However, the second breakup was more significant since the couple had garnered more attention from the public and the press by then. In 2006, Prince William completed a course as an Officer Cadet which admitted him as an officer in the British Army. In December, Middleton was invited to his military graduation, but later that month he canceled their New Year’s Eve plans together. According to Jobson, Middlton knew “something was wrong” at that point.
“Catherine knew William wasn’t in any hurry to propose, and the truth is she was prepared to wait until he was ready. After all, they were in love – weren’t they?” Jobson wrote. He then revealed that Prince William called Middleton and broke up with her over a phone call, writing: “In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on ‘different pages.’ It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone.”
Middleton was reportedly “distraught” by the breakup, but she “resolved to hide her pain from the outside world.” She took two long trips to clear her head, but the press was watching her closely. Meanwhile, Prince William reportedly went out to a nightclub in London shortly after the breakup. However, the prince was having “second thoughts” before long, and he got his chance to make amends at a mutual friend’s party.
Prince William and Middleton reunited at a costume party where the theme was touted as “freakin’ naughty.” Middleton reportedly dressed up as a nurse, and Prince William approached her early in the night for a long conversation. They were spotted kissing on the dancefloor, and they have been together ever since.
Middleton also spoke to ITV News about her breakups with the prince. She said: “I think I, at the time, 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 realized, or 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. Looking back on it.”
