Prince William Said the Most Awkward Thing to Kate Middleton When They First Met
Nearly 10 years into their marriage, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge seem to have a relationship out of a fairytale. The duo met when they were students at St. Andrews University and embarked on a whirlwind romance that has led them down a beautiful path.
However, just like everyone else the pair have had ups and downs. Before they got married they had a major breakup, there has always been a ton of pressure on them due to their royal status, and they’ve even dealt with cheating rumors.
In fact, the Cambridges have never had a picture-perfect relationship. Thir very first meeting back in 2001 was riddled with awkward moments, a weird curtsy, and an awkward introduction.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were never supposed to meet
Kate and Prince William met in 2001 during their first year at St. Andrews University, but that was never supposed to happen. The duchess, who is a year older than her husband, had her heart set on the University of Edinburgh. However, at the last minute, she decided to take a gap year to spend time in Chile and at the British Institute of Florence in Palazzo Dello Strozzino in Florence, Italy.
When she returned, Kate set her sights on a different school, St. Andrews, where she would cross paths with a certain British prince very early on.
Kate Middleton embarrassed herself in front of Prince William when they first met
Sparks didn’t exactly fly when Kate and Prince William were introduced during that first year at St. Andrews. In fact, the pair were dating other people at the time. However, the duchess knew who the prince was and wanted to be friendly.
“Well, I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you,” she said in their 2010 BBC interview with Tom Bradby. “Actually, William wasn’t there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn’t there for Freshers Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other but we did become very close friends from quite early on.”
In his 2010 biography, William and Kate: A Royal Love Story, royal author Christopher Andersen claims that Kate curtsied when meeting William in their first-year dormitories. In shock, William spilled his drink all over himself and Kate ran away.
Prince William said the most awkward thing to Kate Middleton when they first met
The duchess wasn’t the only awkward one during that first encounter. According to royal memoirist Tom Quinn, before the curtsy and the drink spilling, the prince made the first awkward snafu.
Prince William reportedly tripped as he walked toward Kate, before saying, “Oh that’s a terrible start, you’re going to think I’m a complete clot.” Thankfully things worked out well in the end. The pair remained friends before the duke spotted the duchess in a school fashion show before he decided he wanted to embark on something more with her.
The rest will go down in royal history.
