According to newly-resurfaced reports, Prince Philip is to thank after his intervention in Kate Middleton‘s relationship with Prince William – a move which ultimately kept the couple together.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s family life may seem idyllic right now, however, after just four years of dating, the couple’s relationship hit a rough patch.
William and Kate had met at St Andrew’s University in 2001 where they both studied art history, on gone on to date for a number of years.
They were even tipped to get engaged, but by early 2007 the trappings of the relationship were taking their toll on William, who just wasn’t ready to settle down.
By April of that year, they’d broken up.
Talking of the couple’s break up, a close friend told the Daily Mail at the time: “He is only 24 and simply wasn’t ready to settle down.
“He has always had a roving eye […] that’s something Kate had always known and accepted – it was part of the deal, if you like.”
The source also revealed that “Kate did everything she could to make him stay” by “playing a waiting game one minute and then hard-to-get the next.”
So when William was photographed partying with other girls in London nightclubs, Kate rebelled and punished the Prince in her own way.
The source said she told friends “she intended to be photographed at as many places as she could without William to punish him”.
As the couple played cat and mouse with one another, it was William’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who stepped in with some sage advice.
According to a Sunday Express article, the Duke warned that William he was playing with fire by messing Kate around.
“Prince Philip has told William he cannot keep stringing along Kate forever,” the source told The Sunday Express at the time.
Of course, the couple got back together after just a few months, and were first photographed after their breakup at the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007.
Eventually, William proposed to Kate in 2010.
William and Catherine were married in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, which was watched by millions around the world.
What a relief Philip stepped in!
