Prince William reportedly told his then-girlfriend Catherine Middleton he could not "guarantee" her marriage after five years of dating. Photo / Pool, Tim Graham Picture Library, Getty Images
Prince William reportedly told his then-girlfriend Catherine Middleton he could not "guarantee" her marriage after five years of dating. Photo / Pool, Tim Graham Picture Library, Getty Images
Prince William allegedly told Catherine Middleton he could not guarantee her marriage five years into their relationship, prompting a short-lived split that was resolved with Queen Elizabeth’s assistance.
According to a new book by Russell Myers, William and Catherine, The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, the pair had adifficult discussion during their April 2007 breakup.
Meeting at the University of St Andrews in Scotland as art history majors, they dated for five years amidst fervent attention from the media and public.
The pressure on 25-year-old Catherine was immense, leaving Prince William feeling “helpless” as their relationship reportedly “soured beyond repair”.
A source told Myers the future Princess of Wales gave William an ultimatum about the future of their romance shortly after the Cheltenham Festival.
“Catherine was distressed. She was miserable, but certainly wasn’t desperate. She felt as though she had nothing to lose, and for the first time she probably relayed her true feelings to William.
“She wasn’t demanding an engagement, but she wanted a commitment, and if he couldn’t deliver that, well, then she left him in no doubt that it was best they go their separate ways.”
Prince William and Catherine Middleton broke up shortly after the 2007 Cheltenham Festival Race Meeting. Photo / Mark Cuthbert, UK Press via Getty Images
Prince William was reportedly “completely broken” after their breakup, prompting his grandmother to invite the 24-year-old for a Sunday lunch, People reported.
Seeing that Catherine “had all the qualities of a future Queen”, Myers alleges that Queen Elizabeth II told her grandson: “The only certain path is the one supported by faith.”
He said the late monarch was the “catalyst for William changing course” and realising that “if he had faith in the relationship and his love for her, then that would be enough to carry them through”.
The couple had reconciled by the summer and married three years later in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
“Catherine, of course, knew she still loved William deeply. That was why she had been so explicit in her demands. She was willing to agree to a future, if only he would stop allowing outside factors to affect his judgment.”
William and Catherine married at Westminster Abbey in 2011. Photo / Peter Slane, Papixs via Getty Images
They now share three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
The future King and Queen have faced their fair share of tribulations since they married, from Prince Harry’s departure in 2020 to the ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Catherine was forced to take a step back from royal duties in 2024 after she was diagnosed with cancer, around the same time as King Charles III announced his own cancer diagnosis.
According to the Mirror, the mother of three leaned on her husband as she underwent chemotherapy, strengthening the pair’s bond as they set out to protect their children together.
William and Catherine, The Monarchy’s New Era, set to release on March 10, will further detail their love story and envision their plans for the future of the royal family.
“Now was the right time to provide a definitive account of William and Catherine’s life together”, Myers told People. “They are pillars of the modern monarchy.”
