Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Relationship Timeline: College Sweethearts Through Today

2001

Kate and William met during their first year of college at St Andrews University in Scotland. However, they were friends before things turned romantic.

“We obviously met at university. At St Andrews 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 had a really good time,” Wiliam shared in their 2010 engagement interview.

2003

The couple moved in together in their own off-campus apartment.

“When I was trying to impress Kate, I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners, and all that would happen was, I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire, and she’d be sitting in the background just trying to help and [then] taking control of the whole situation,” the future king described in their engagement interview.

2005

Kate and William graduated from St Andrews. She would go on to work at her parents’ company, Party Pieces, while the prince attended Sandhurst Military Academy. Although apart, ​they remained a couple.

2007

The duo split for three months before getting back together in July 2007. “At the time, I wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person,” Kate said in their engagement interview.

2010

On November 16, the couple announced their engagement, posing for photos at Buckingham Palace. William revealed he proposed to Kate during a vacation in Kenya several months prior and presented her with his mother Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring. “It’s beautiful … I just hope I look after it. It’s very, very special,” Kate said of the stunning ring.

2011

Kate and William married in a gorgeous royal wedding at Westminster Abbey. The bride wore a custom lace and satin gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen that has gone down as one of history’s most iconic wedding dresses.

With their marriage, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the newlyweds.

2013

One day after Kate gave birth to the couple’s first child, Prince George, on July 22, the new parents posed on the steps of St. Mary’s Hospital’s Lindo Wing along with their new arrival.

2015

Now a family of four! Kate gave birth to Princess Charlotte on May 2, and appeared with the infant and William in front of the Lindo Wing, with both new parents positively beaming.

“There’s wonderful highs and there’s wonderful lows. It’s been quite a change for me personally,” William revealed about parenthood in a 2016 interview with Vietnam TV.

“I’m very lucky in the support I have from Catherine. She’s an amazing mother and a fantastic wife. But I’ve struggled at times,” he said. “The alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing.”

The future monarch added, “I adore my children very much, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and about family just from having my own children. It’s amazing how much you pick up from just in those moments.”

2018

Kate and William rounded out their family with the April 23 birth of Prince Louis.

2021

Two days shy of their 10th wedding anniversary, the couple showed how in love they still were while enjoying a laugh during a joint visit to a children’s charity.

2022

Following the September 8 death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III, the new monarch announced new titles for his son and daughter-in-law.

In a September 9 address to the nation, Charles said, “Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty. With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given.”

2023

Kate and William looked so regal at King Charles III’s May 6 coronation.

2024

The princess shocked the nation and world when she revealed on March 22 that she had been diagnosed with cancer following a major abdominal surgery in January. She thanked William for his support throughout her health crisis.

“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said in a pretaped video address.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both,” Kate added.