Prince William Dumped Kate in 2007 — But Her Outfit At a Costume Party Changed His Mind
Prince William and Kate Middleton are one of the world’s most-loved couples. These two have been married since 2011, but they first started dating way back in 2002 — giving them nearly two decades of history together.
Though a lot of their relationship has been blissful, William and Kate hit a major speed bump back in 2007 when William broke up with the now-duchess. But it was Kate’s costume at a summer party that made William even more determined to win her back.
William and Kate’s relationship struggled for a few months before their split
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge first met when they both attended school at University of St. Andrews, but there were no sparks in the beginning. The two were just friends, but once William saw Kate walk in a fashion show in 2002, he knew he wanted to be more. The couple started dating shortly after, and though things were great at first, they went through a brief breakup in 2004.
The two were back together shortly, and for a while, everything was good. But in late 2006, William declined an invitation to spend the holidays with Kate’s family, and it was clear things were starting to fall apart. By early 2007, William and Kate were living several hours apart, and his late nights out with other women, plus the pressure of proposing, resulted in the couple’s official breakup.
William reportedly wanted Kate back right away
Though William had been having second thoughts, once he actually broke up with Kate, he reportedly regretted it. It took less than two months for William to reach out to Kate and say he wanted her back.
The breakup was hard on Kate, though, and she wasn’t so quick to forgive him. Kate had been spending a lot of time with her sister, Pippa, during her time apart from William, and Pippa helped get Kate back on her feet and prompted her to go out and enjoy herself despite going through heartbreak. Though Kate was still in love with William, she wanted to take things slowly.
Kate’s outfit at a costume party made William realize he wanted her more than ever
William and Kate didn’t rush back into things; she made sure he knew that she wasn’t going to take him back with the snap of a finger. Instead, the two spent time together, but they weren’t officially back together. That was, supposedly, until Kate showed up at a costume party wearing a “sexy nurse” costume.
According to Marie Claire, the party took place at William’s barracks in Dorset — and he invited Kate. And when Will saw her, he knew he couldn’t go another minute without making things official between the two once more. “Will pleaded with Kate to give their relationship another go,” Katie Nicholl, a royal biographer, wrote in her book “Kate: The Future Queen.” Kate agreed, and the two have been together ever since.
Kate has since said she learned a lot from the breakup
William and Kate were engaged in 2010, and during their engagement interview, they were asked about their 2007 breakup. Kate noted that she was very unhappy with it at the time but that she now believes it has made her stronger. And it clearly worked for them, since they were married in 2011 and have been seemingly very happy ever since. These days, the two are preparing for their roles as future rulers of the monarchy.
