Prince William Admits He Can’t Remember the First Time He Met Kate Middleton: ‘Feeling Very Shy’

Prince William and Kate Middleton have somewhat of a fairytale love story; the two met in college and became close friends before their relationship eventually turned romantic. They began dating somewhere around 2002 or 2003, and while they did break up twice before William proposed, they certainly got their happily ever after.

While William remembers plenty of moments about his relationship with Kate, he admitted during the couple’s 2010 engagement interview that he doesn’t actually remember their very first meeting.

Prince William admitted that he doesn’t recall his first meeting with Kate Middleton

William and Kate both attended the University of St. Andrews, where they started out as friends before things turned romantic. The two met their freshman year, and they grew close prior to dating, but William later admitted during the couple’s engagement interview that he didn’t quite recall the first time he’d laid eyes on Kate. He said that he’d have to “rack” his brain to recall exactly when he and Kate were first introduced.

However, Kate had a perfect memory of the couple’s first meeting — probably because she was so scared to meet the man who would later become her husband. “I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you,” Kate said of her first interaction with William. “ … It did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other,” she continued. “But we did become very close friends from quite early on.”

William and Kate went on to live together during their sophomore year of college (along with other friends), and that’s where things shifted from friendship to romance. They recalled eventually telling the other friends in the house, who were surprised but supportive. The two kept their relationship under wraps — and even broke up once before even announcing their romance to the public.

Prince William and Kate Middleton made their public debut in 2004

William and Kate were dating for quite a while before they went public with their romance; there are even rumors that the two broke up once before getting back together and publicizing their relationship.

But the world first heard the name “Kate Middleton” when she went on vacation with William and his family; Kate joined their 2004 ski trip, where the press got their first glimpse at William’s new romance. Of course, it didn’t take long for Kate to grow on the public, and when the two split briefly in 2007, people were saddened at the thought of them not ending up together.

William and Kate were able to work through their problems and got back together a few months after the 2007 split; William proposed to Kate in 2010, and the two wed in 2011. They have since welcomed three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, and the public has grown to love Kate so much that she has nearly as high of an approval rating as her future-king husband. Both William and Kate’s approval ratings are substantially higher than King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles.