The royal who tried to break up Prince William and Kate Middleton

Any attempts to stop William from marrying Kate obviously failed. Photo / Getty Images

They're happily married with three children, but it almost didn't happen for Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, thanks to the alleged conspiring of someone from inside the royal circle.

An author has claimed that a young William was advised by Camilla to ditch Kate Middleton, describing her as "pretty but dim" and from a "lowly" lineage.

According to The Sun, Christopher Anderson's new book, Game Of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate And The Throne, details how Prince Charles's second wife disapproved of Middleton because she lacked aristocracy. She deemed her not good enough to marry into the royal family.

Did Camilla really try to derail William and Kate? Photo / Getty Images

While William and Kate did split for a time, and British media cruelly dubbed Middleton "Waity Katie", things came to a happy ending when the pair married in 2011.

The author also claims jealousy on Camilla's part, saying she feared William and his love interest would eclipse the popularity of the Charles and Camilla brand.

Anderson goes on to allege that Camilla was in Charles's ear to support pushing for William to dissolve the relationship.

Camilla and Catherine appear to be right royal chums these days. Photo / Getty Images

Despite the allegations, it looks as though Camilla and Catherine now get along well, often snapped engaging in genuine pleasantries at public events.

Wills and Kate: History of a royal romance

Prince William met a young Kate Middleton when they were students at St Andrews University in Scotland.

In 2002 the pair shared living quarters and started out as good friends, reportedly finding a connection in a mutually cheeky sense of humour.

Things became romantic, but in 2007 the pair split in what they initially said was a mutually agreed breakup. However Kate later admitted she wasn't very happy about it at the time.

Eventually, the pair reunited and were married in 2011.

In their engagement interview they agreed their time apart had been good for both of them.

While, unsurprisingly, there has never been mention of another royal being behind the split, according to William: "We were both very young, it was at university and we were both finding ourselves and being different characters and stuff.

"It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up."

Seven years on, the couple are still happily married and are parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.