Prince William Reportedly Didn't Think of Kate Middleton as 'The One' Years Into Their Relationship

Julia Teti
·3 min read
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Nowadays, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage and enduring romance seems like the stuff of fairy tales and happily ever afters. But longtime royal fans will dutifully recall this was not always the case for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The couple’s early on-again, off-again relationship is just one of many subjects covered in Tina Brown’s new royal book, and one chapter details a pivotal moment in their relationship when William wasn’t even sure Kate was “the one” for him.

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In The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — The Truth and the Turmoil, Brown recalls how “bored with each other” Kate and William looked at the races at Cheltenham in the late aughts. Kate had been patiently waiting for William to finally propose after years of dating, but William wasn’t so sure he was ready to settle down. “A William-circle source let the mortifying nugget drop that while the Prince was extremely fond of Kate, he never thought of her as ‘the one,'” Brown writes.

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“He was ‘too young to settle down and wanted to throw himself into his career as an army officer,'” she continued. “‘All the fun has gone,’ William allegedly complained. ‘I don’t want to be nailed down.'” While this new insight illuminates how William strung Kate along before finally proposing to her, it’s really not that surprising. After all, we already new, based on revelations from royal biographer Andrew Morton, that William didn’t exactly treat Kate with the respect she deserved when they initially got together.

When it finally came down to it, William’s father Prince Charles and younger brother Prince Harry got involved in William’s love life, telling the future Duke of Cambridge to stop casually seeing another woman while still stringing Kate along. When William finally proposed to Kate in 2010, it was the culmination of years of scrutiny on the young couple’s relationship. But 11 years after their beautiful nuptials, Kate and William have wholly matured into their responsibilities as senior members of the royal family and supportive spouses. They’re dedicated parents, passionate about their respective causes, and more. William has clearly come a long way since those days when he didn’t want to be “nailed down.”

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown

Image: Crown - Credit: Crown.
Image: Crown - Credit: Crown.

Crown.

Even as casual British royal family observers, there’s still so much we don’t know about what happens in the House of Windsor. 2022 is poised to be a memorable year for the royal family. But with historic highs come lows and pitfalls. Royal biographer Tina Brown takes readers from the troubling years following Princess Diana’s death, to the rift between Princes William and Harry, the scandals of Prince Andrew, and Queen Elizabeth’s steady resolve through it all in The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil. Brown’s book features new, intimate details about the royal family, and contemplates how the House of Windsor moves into a new era.

Buy: ‘The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil’ by Tina Brown $22.66

Before you go, click here to see more photos of Prince William & Kate Middleton through the years.

Launch Gallery: These Photos Prove That Prince William & Kate Middleton Are the Cutest Couple Ever

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