While it’s always been common knowledge when Prince William and Kate Middleton met—their first semester of college at the University of St. Andrews in 2001—it’s always been a bit more ambiguous as to when they started dating.
It has been said that the two were friends first, then roommates, eventually becoming romantic around 2002 or 2003. The accepted narrative of the early days of the current Prince and Princess of Wales’ romance states that it was after William saw Kate walking in a charity fashion show in a sheer dress and black underwear that he declared, “Wow, Kate’s hot!”—and the rest is history.
Kate Middleton walking in the famous 2002 fashion show.
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That fashion show happened in early 2002, but according to Sean Smith’s new book Sophie: Saving the Royal Family, William and Kate were already quietly dating by the spring of 2002.
“Kate had been introduced to William because they were on the same course, History of Art, and in the same student block, but had yet to have a chat,” Smith wrote in an excerpt shared by The Daily Mail. “That changed when he discovered she knew about rugby and could have a decent conversation about it.”
Kate Middleton and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrew’s on June 23, 2005.
Photo: The Middleton Family / Clarence House / Getty Images
“She became the only girl in his set of well-to-do public school types who always sat together at lunch and dinner,” Smith continued, adding that “They started dating at the Christmas holidays and were already a discreet item by the time William publicly commented on how fit she was at the now-famous charity fashion show in which she sashayed down the runway in a transparent dress revealing black underwear.”
Per The Daily Mail, “this goes against previous reports that both Kate and William were dating other people at the time.” William was said to have made “a clumsy pass” at Kate at the fashion show’s after party, “to which he was rebuffed,” the outlet wrote—but this new account by Smith shakes that up a bit.
Prince William and Kate Middleton on February 10, 2007.
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The reason why the timeline of William and Kate’s early days is a little fuzzy is because Buckingham Palace struck a deal with the media to help William have as much of a normal college experience as possible, despite being the future king. William gave the media a brief interview and photocall the day he arrived at St. Andrews—and then, privacy.
William and Kate originally met as first-year students in September 2001, after they moved into the same dorm. “William relied on Kate’s advice when he was going through a difficult period personally and debating whether or not to drop out of university,” The Daily Mail reported. Though William later switched to a geography major, they were also initially in the same aforementioned art history classes.
Kate Middleton and Prince William in 2008.
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Of their first meeting, Kate later said in their 2010 engagement interview that she “turned bright red and sort of scuttled off” when they first encountered one another, noting that she was “feeling very shy about meeting him.” They’d later move in together along with two other roommates, and Kate said in 2019 that William liked to “impress” her with his cooking skills.
“In university days, he used to cook all sorts of meals,” she said. Adding that he made “things like Bolognese sauce and things like that,” Kate added, “I think that’s when he was trying to impress me.”
As to whether he still cooked for her, the royal said, “He sometimes does, actually—he’s very good at breakfast.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton on May 4, 2023.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton on June 16, 2025.
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One of William and Kate’s college friends, Michael Choong, said that the couple “never showed any affection in public. Kate was good for him. She was very loyal and did not gossip. William was naturally gregarious—he’d always get a round of beers in at the pub—but Kate was less so and hated having her picture taken.”
Of the famous charity fashion show, actress Meg Bellamy later depicted Kate in Netflix’s The Crown and, true to the lockdown nature of William’s college days, found it difficult to capture that moment because there was “no footage” of Kate walking or talking in her college days.
Kate Middleton on June 17, 2006.
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“I could bring home an outfit of Kate that really felt like her, so I just kind of walked around the house and felt her,” Bellamy said.
As for the shifting timeline of when the Prince and Princess of Wales’ romance actually began, “the fact that much of their early romance is shrouded in mystery for the general public makes their love story even more special,” The Daily Mail reported.