It’s hard to imagine Prince William feeling anything but excited to marry Kate Middleton.
But there was a time before the fairytale wedding when the prince was not so keen to settle down.
As the couple celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary, they have plenty of ups and downs to remember from their years of marriage.
In fact at one point Kate received the nickname ‘Waity Katie’ after she was regularly seen attending weddings of friends with William – leading critics to claim she was hanging on for a proposal.
In a possible sign of good things to come, the couple heard a speech at their graduation ceremony in 2005 by their principal, who described St Andrews in Fife as the country’s top matchmaking university.
He added: ‘You may have met your husband or wife.’
William and Kate met in September 2001 at St Andrews, where they sat together in the dining hall bonding over their love of skiing and covering for each other when they had to miss a class.
But news of their budding romance spread across campus – and the world. Fresh-faced Kate was thrust into the spotlight.
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Kate Middleton was invited on a ski trip to Klosters, Switzerland, with the royals in 2005. Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William spoke to the media in a photocall
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Kate with William on their graduation day from St Andrews in June 2005
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A young William and Kate in December 2006 at London’s Exclusive Mahiki Nightclub
After they moved into a shared house together in their second year, rumours surfaced that the flatmates were romantically linked.
It is not known exactly when William and Kate became an item but their romance was finally exposed after they were pictured on the ski slopes of Klosters together in April 2004.
Royal aides were furious after The Sun used images, under the headline ‘Wills gets a girl’, of the pair sitting side-by-side on a skilift together.
In March 2005 Kate was invited to Klosters with the royals where, William gave an interview to the press during arranged photocall at the Swiss ski resort.
The 22-year-old reportedly blushed when he was asked about his long-term girlfriend Kate and said he was lucky to have a close circle of trusted friends.
He said: ‘Look, I’m only 22 for God’s sake.
‘I’m too young to marry at my age.
‘I don’t want to get married until I’m at least 28 or maybe 30.’
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Kate on a ski trip with the royals in Switzerland in March 2005
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William, then 22, reportedly blushed when he was asked about his long-term girlfriend Kate by a reporter
During the same photocall Charles was recorded on video saying he ‘can’t bear’ the ‘awful’ interviewer – BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell – without realising his microphone had picked up the sound.
What followed was a turbulent few years in William and Kate’s relationship.
Royal author Katie Nicholl wrote about this in her book The Making Of A Royal Romance.
In December 2006, Kate and her mother attended Sandhurst to watch Prince William receive his army commission, which sparked a frenzy of engagement rumours.
Woolworths even commissioned its own range of memorabilia in anticipation of the event.
These included traditional china plates, thimbles, mouse mats and even Wills and Kate shaped pick-and-mix sweets.
Woolworths went out of business in January 2009, before the engagement was announced.
But according to Nicholl it was senior royals who told William to take the relationship steady.
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Kate at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in July 2007
Woolworths commissioned its own range of memorabilia in anticipation of the engagement of William and Kate, leaving space for a date
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After dating for nearly a decade, William proposed in October 2010 in a cabin roughly 11,000 feet above sea level on the side of Mount Kenya. Kate and Wills are pictured in November 2010 for an engagement photocall
She wrote: ‘William had been having second thoughts and sat down with his father and his grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate.
‘Both advised him not to hurry into anything.’
The couple reportedly made plans to meet for New Year celebrations in 2006.
But Kate was said to be left in floods of tears when William cancelled plans last-minute – leaving her concerned over the future of their relationship.
Weeks later, William and Kate briefly split. Sources later said the late Queen Elizabeth was disappointed by the breakup.
The split was short-lived as the pair were soon seen kissing at an army party at barracks in Bovington, Dorset. In July 2007, Kate and her brother James Middleton were seen at the Concert for Diana.
Their romance was eventually confirmed as being back on, with Kate moving into William’s Clarence House flat.
After dating for nearly a decade William proposed in October 2010 in a cabin roughly 11,000 feet above sea level on the side of Mount Kenya in Africa.
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They announced their engagement on November 16, 2010, before tying the knot in April 2011. True to his prediction, William would later marry Kate Middleton two months before his 29th birthday
The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey with 2,000 guests and 2.6billion people around the world watching on television
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At the time, People called it the ‘greatest and grandest royal affair’ since Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s 1981 wedding
William had been carrying Princess Diana’s engagement ring in his backpack for three weeks before giving it to Kate.
True to his prediction, he would later marry Kate Middleton two months before his 29th birthday.
They announced their engagement on November 16, 2010, before tying the knot in April 2011.
The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey with 2,000 guests and 2.6billion people around the world watching on television
At the time, People called it the ‘greatest and grandest royal affair’ since Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s 1981 wedding.
There were plenty of captivating moments on the day, including Kate’s Alexander McQueen wedding dress and the Aston Martin which William drove through the gates of Buckingham Palace.
Starting a family was incredibly important to the couple, who have had three children since getting married: Prince Louis, 7, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince George, 11.
Kate regularly speaks about her love for nature and the outdoors, as well as spending time together as a family with their Cocker Spaniel, Orla.
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Kate and Wills still enjoy skiing together. Here they are in the Alps in 2016
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Princess Anne, Prince George, Prince Louis, Kate, William and Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour in 2023
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The Waleses during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at Buckingham Palace in August 2022
The couple have passed on their love of skiing to their children, taking family holidays to luxurious resorts.
The Waleses were absent from the Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle, instead choosing to spend the weekend with their children in Norfolk.
From their dining hall days at St Andrews to their fairytale wedding, the couple have plenty to remember as they celebrate their ivory anniversary and more than two decades of friendship.
