Prince William Joked After Addressing 2007 Kate Middleton Breakup in Engagement Interview — ‘Phew!’
TL;DR:
- Prince William and Kate Middleton briefly split in 2007 before getting back together and eventually marrying in 2011.
- Both Prince William and Kate Middleton discussed the breakup in their 2010 engagement interview.
- “Phew! We’re over that one,” Prince William joked after answering a question about the breakup.
Discussing an awkward moment and diffusing it with a joke. That’s what Prince William did when talking about his and Kate Middleton’s 2007 breakup during their engagement interview. Ahead, how the now-Prince and Princess of Wales explained the split.
Prince William called his and Kate Middleton’s 2007 breakup a ‘bit of space’ in their engagement interview
Sitting down for their first-ever joint interview following their engagement announcement on Nov. 16, 2010, William and Kate discussed the early days of their relationship and, of course, the proposal. In addition to sharing how they became engaged while vacationing in Kenya with friends, the pair revisited their 2007 breakup.
“People are bound to ask, you leave university, you have been going out a bit, and you split up, famously, all over the papers,” journalist Tom Bradby said before asking, “What was all that about? People are bound to want to know.”
William, now 40 and first in the line of succession, said they did indeed “split up for a bit.” He and Kate had started dating when they were students at Scotland’s University of St. Andrew’s. Their relationship continued after graduating college in 2005 until they broke up for a few months two years later.
“We both were very young, it was at university,” William said of his and Kate’s 2007 breakup (via ABC News). “We were sort of both finding ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff.”
“It was very much trying to find our own way,” he explained. “We were growing up, and so it was just sort of a bit of space and a bit of things like that.”
“It worked out for the better,” William added before later joking, “Phew! We’re over that one.”
The breakup ‘wasn’t all bad’ for Kate Middleton
Kate, now 40, also opened up about the 2007 split. She admitted while she didn’t like it, it turned out to be a good experience.
“I think at the time wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person,” she said in the engagement interview. “You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized.”
Kate, who was often seen smiling while out and about in London during the split, continued, saying she ultimately appreciated the break.
“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.”
“It was a chance to re-center yourself,” Bradby replied, to which Kate said, “Yes, definitely, yeah. It wasn’t all bad.”
Prince William gave timing as the reason why he waited so long to propose to Kate Middleton
William and Kate also talked about getting engaged after eight years of dating. Kate called the proposal a “shock” despite having had “conversations” about marriage.
Meanwhile, William said the timing had finally been right to propose to Kate. “We were planning it for at least a year if not longer, it was just finding the right time and that’s what most people say about couples, it’s all about timing,” he explained.
“I had my military career and I really wanted to concentrate on my flying and I couldn’t have done this if I was still doing my training,” he continued. With it “out of the way” and Kate “in a good place,” they “decided now was a really good time.”
Today, William and Kate have been married for going on 13 years. They’re now parents of three to Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
