Prince William and Kate Middleton's Relationship Pictures Go Viral

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Prince William and Kate Middleton's transformation from student lovers to senior royals has been tracked by fans on TikTok.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met at the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, and lived together as students before becoming official.

A TikTok video chronicled how their relationship formed and blossomed over time with a montage containing a picture from every year, starting in 2003.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Early Relationship
Kate Middleton and Prince William are seen at Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival on March 13, 2007, three years before they got engaged. The couple's relationship through the years was chronicled by fans on TikTok. Indigo/Getty Images

The video was posted with the caption, "Thats 21years," and was liked almost 35,000 times and viewed 637,000 times.

William and Kate first met during their university years, with the prince's head famously turned when Kate wore a see-through dress at the "Don't Walk" fashion show, when they were residents at St. Salvator's Hall, on March 27, 2002.

Biography William at 40, by Robert Jobson, read: "As she sashayed down the catwalk in St. Andrew's Bay Hotel, William turned to his friend Fergus Boyd and said, 'Wow, Fergus, Kate's hot.'

"Ten days later, Catherine entered public consciousness as the lithe, brunette, catwalk model watched by a clearly mesmerised William."

However, it was only after a year of friendship that the future king and queen became a couple.

During their 2010 engagement interview, William told journalist Tom Bradby: "We obviously met at university, at St. Andrew's we were friends for over a year first and it just sort of blossomed from then on.

"We just spent more time with each other, had a good giggle, had lots of fun and realized we shared the same interests and just had a really good time."

In fact, Kate's father Michael Middleton at one stage issued a denial to the press, remarking on how unlikely it was he would end up an in-law of William's.

Quoted in William at 40, Middleton said in May 2003: "I spoke to her just a few days ago and can categorically confirm they are no more than just good friends.

"They are together all the time because they are the best of pals and, yes, cameramen are going to get photos of them together.

"But there's nothing more to it than that. We're very amused at the thought of being in-laws to Prince William, but I don't think it's going to happen."

Needless to say, William and Kate eventually did become official and got engaged, before marrying at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.

About the writer

Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles III, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—and hosts The Royal Report podcast. Jack joined Newsweek in 2020; he previously worked at The Sun, INS News and the Harrow Times. Jack has also appeared as a royal expert on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ITV and commentated on King Charles III's coronation for Sky News. He reported on Prince Harry and Meghan's royal wedding from inside Windsor Castle. He graduated from the University of East Anglia. Languages: English. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. You can get in touch with Jack by emailing j.royston@newsweek.com.


Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more