2001: Prince William and Kate Middleton met as students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
In their first interview together after their engagement in 2010, Middleton said she “went bright red” and “scuttled off, feeling very shy” when she met the young prince for the first time.
While William didn’t join in many of the university’s first-week festivities, known as Freshers’ Week, the two eventually became good friends.
“William wasn’t there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn’t there from 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,” she said.
2002: They reportedly went from friends to something more after Middleton caught William’s eye with a sheer outfit during a student fashion show.
As Insider previously reported, Middleton wore the $40 sheer skirt as a dress during a fashion show in 2002, and Prince William was in the audience.
According to a documentary, “The Day Will and Kate Got Married,” which aired in the UK in April 2021, it was this appearance that changed their relationship.
“A switch had been flicked, he suddenly saw her in a different light, and I really believe that was the turning point in their relationship,” Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent, said in the documentary.
For his part, William has said their relationship changed after they spent more time together.
“We were friends for over a year first and it just sort of blossomed from then on,” William told The Telegraph in 2010. “We just spent more time with each other and had a good giggle […] and realized we shared the same interests.”
2005: The pair graduated in 2005. Middleton got her degree in art history, and Prince William got his in geography.
By the time they graduated, the pair had already lived together with other friends and were publicly dating.
2006: Middleton made her first public appearances with the royal family, and she showed her support for her boyfriend.
In December 2006, the Middleton family attended the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, in which Prince William appeared.
She was already the subject of intense media fascination.
2007: She was frequently accosted by paparazzi.
At the time, a royal family spokesperson told The Telegraph that “Prince William wants more than anything for the paparazzi to stop harassing her.”
2007: Tabloid newspapers reported that the couple had split up.
Some of the reports were downright salacious.
“He broke up with Kate because he’s met someone else who’s turned his head,” an anonymous source told The Observer at the time. “She’s from a decent background but is very naughty and he finds her much more exciting.”
But at least one insider had the right idea: “I don’t think it’s really over,” an anonymous “pal” of Kate’s told People magazine. “I don’t think this is the last you’ll see of the two of them.”
2007: But by summer, the couple had gotten back together.
Years later, both William and Middleton acknowledged that their brief breakup was a good thing.
“We were both very young … and we were both finding ourselves,” William said in an interview with The Telegraph in 2010. “It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up.”
“I, at the time, wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person,” Middleton added. “You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger.”
October 2010: Prince William proposed to Middleton while they vacationed in Kenya. “I just decided that it was the right time really,” he later said.
William proposed with the same sapphire ring his mother wore when she got engaged. The ring was originally given to William’s brother, Prince Harry, but he asked for it before proposing to Middleton.
Giving it to her was “my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today,” William later said when they announced the engagement.
William also described the proposal in a surprisingly candid interview with The Telegraph.
“It was about three weeks ago on a holiday in Kenya. We had a little private time away together with some friends,” he said. “And I just decided that it was the right time really.”
“It was very romantic,” Middleton added.
November 2010: The couple announced their engagement to the public.
“The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton,” the royal family said in a statement.
It added, “Prince William has informed The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince William has also sought the permission of Miss Middleton’s father.
“Following the marriage, the couple will live in North Wales, where Prince William will continue to serve with the Royal Air Force.”
They appeared at a press conference and photo-call at St James’s Palace, London, after sharing the happy news.
“The timing is right now, we are both very, very happy,” William said at the time, according to The Guardian. “We both have a very good sense of humour and we take the mickey out of each other a lot.”
2011: They got married on April 29 in Westminster Abbey. That’s also the day they got the official titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Here’s what royal titles like “duchess” actually mean.
With a price tag of roughly $34 million and an estimated global audience of 3 billion, it was one of the most lavish weddings in history.
Here are 13 other noteworthy royal weddings.
June 2011: A few months later, William and Middleton embarked on their first international trip for the royal family.
They were all smiles as they traveled through Canada and later attended a red-carpet event in Los Angeles, California.
July 2012: Cameras caught the couple celebrating in the stands when London hosted the Summer Olympics.
They could be seen embracing after a British cyclist won a gold medal.
December 2012: The palace announced that Middleton was pregnant.
Three days later, she and William were spotted leaving the hospital. According to the BBC, Middleton was undergoing treatment for severe morning sickness at the time.
July 23, 2013: Prince George made his very first public appearance. He was one day old.
Journalists had been camped outside the hospital for three weeks waiting for a glimpse of Will, Kate, and their firstborn.
Before he was born, the couple didn’t know if they were having a boy or a girl, Middleton said in a 2020 interview on the “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” podcast.
“It was a surprise,” she said. “But also seeing … you know, your husband, William … seeing the pure joy of his face, it was really special.”
2013: The growing royal family posed for a portrait with their spaniel, Lupo, just after the prince’s birth.
Lupo was a wedding gift from Kate’s younger brother, James.
2014: William and Middleton brought Prince George along for a three-week royal tour of New Zealand and Australia.
It was their first royal tour as a family of three.
2014: The same year, the royal family announced Middleton’s second pregnancy.
She battled severe morning sickness with her second pregnancy, too, according to an official statement.
May 2, 2015: Princess Charlotte was born.
A group of diehard royals fans spent weeks sleeping in tents across the street from the hospital, waiting for a glimpse of the new royal baby.
The duke and duchess were so touched that they sent hot coffee and a box of pastries to the makeshift camp a few days before the birth, according to People.
2015: After Charlotte’s birth, Prince William and Middleton left London to settle in a remote country village.
Their 10-bedroom country home, Anmer Hall, was a wedding gift from the Queen, and it reportedly brought both normalcy and privacy to the family’s day-to-day life.
“They are rarely bothered,” an anonymous local source told Vanity Fair in 2016. “We are used to having royals in this part of the world. We often see them out with George and Charlotte, but no one takes pictures or tries to talk to them. That’s why they love it here.”
March 2016: They took their first vacation as a family of four.
The skiing trip to the French Alps marked the first time George and Charlotte had ever played in the snow, according to Vanity Fair.
September 2016: Later that year, they made their first royal tour as a family of four, spending eight days in Canada.
Here are some of their best looks from the trip.
2017: They made a major announcement that they would be officially moving the family back to London to live in Kensington Palace.
Reports said that they were planning on building a massive basement extension to the historic property, which spans four floors and has over 20 rooms.
2017: They settled into life as busy city-dwelling parents.
However, they still knew how to relax. In April 2017, William and Middleton revealed they watch “Homeland” and “Game of Thrones” once the kids are asleep. They also order takeout when they watch TV, especially curry, Middleton told Radio 1.
April 23, 2018: The couple welcomed their third child, Prince Louis.
Prince Louis was born just a few weeks before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding.
May 2018: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
It was revealed in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2021 Oprah interview that there was drama between the Duchess of Cambridge and Markle leading up to the big day. Markle claimed in the interview that Middleton made her cry over a dispute over Princess Charlotte’s flower-girl dress.
March 2020: The royal couple took part in their last royal tour before the coronavirus pandemic.
The visit to Ireland was made at the request of Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
2020: While the UK was on lockdown due to the coronavirus, the royal couple made regular appearances on video call engagements.
For their first Zoom appearance, they video-called children of essential workers in April 2020.
The following month, they hosted a video call to mark the one-year anniversary of the charity they co-founded, Shout, the UK’s first 24/7 crisis text line, Insider reported at the time.
April 12, 2021: Three days after the death of Prince Philip, Prince William shared a tribute on behalf of himself and the Duchess of Cambridge.
“My grandfather’s century of life was defined by service – to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram. “I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days. I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her.”
“My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation,” he continued. “Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted and will support The Queen in the years ahead. I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job.”
April 17: Prince William and Kate Middleton attended Prince Philip’s funeral.
They were pictured sitting together during the funeral. Prince William also was seen speaking with Prince Harry after the service, showing that their relationship may be on the mend.
September 28, 2021: Prince William and Kate Middleton dazzled at the “No Time to Die” premiere in London.
Rami Malek, who said that he sat behind Prince William and Kate Middleton at the “No Time to Die” premiere, said he thought the royal couple looked to be enjoying the James Bond flick.
“You can see a lot from what someone’s body language was doing,” he told E News’ “Daily Pop.” “I think they loved the film.”
December 10, 2021: The couple shared their 2021 Christmas card featuring their three children.
The Christmas card featured a photo taken of the family during a visit to Jordan earlier in 2021.
The image was noticeably more casual and intimate than other photos of the royals, especially of Prince William, who will presumably become king in his lifetime. Middleton and Prince William showed a rare display of affection by placing their hands on each other’s knees.
March 2022: Prince William and Kate Middleton faced backlash on their first official overseas visit together since March 2020.
While touring the Caribbean to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks her 70th anniversary on the throne, the royal couple was met with backlash and criticism, a distinct turn from past royal tours.
William and Middleton canceled their first stop on the tour in Belize after locals organized protests around the couple’s arrival and criticized the monarchy’s colonial past. The couple was later met by protesters in Jamaica, who advocated for the United Kingdom to pay reparations as a result of the slave trade there. Jamaica is currently in the process of removing the Queen as its head of state.
Prince William alluded to the backlash at a dinner held by the governor-general of Jamaica on March 23, expressing his “profound sorrow” over the history of slavery in the country.
“Slavery was abhorrent and it never should have happened,” William said in the speech that was sent to Insider by Kensington Palace. “I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history.”
April 17, 2022: William and Kate attended Easter services with their two very grown-up-looking oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The royal family looked sharp in coordinating powder-blue outfits. It was their first time attending Easter services as a family unit. Prince Louis, the couple’s youngest child who turned 4 on April 23, was not in attendance.
April 29, 2022: Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary.
A few days before their anniversary, Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving commemorating Anzac Day at Westminster Abbey on April 25, 2022.
August 2022: Prince William, Duchess Catherine, and their three children move from London to Windsor.
On August 22, palace officials announced that the royal family would move from their home at Kensington Palace in west London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, allowing them to be closer to Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, who previously attended Thomas’s Battersea in southwest London, started at the private Lambrook School in Ascot in early September. Prince Louis, 4, will also be attending the school.
September 8, 2022: Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III, Prince William becomes heir to the throne.
Charles, the former Prince of Wales, became King Charles III on Thursday, September 8, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Prince William is now heir to the throne and is expected to ascend to the throne upon his father’s death.
Prince William and other royal family members traveled to Balmoral to be with the Queen in her final hours. The Duchess of Cambridge remained in Windsor to see Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis off to their first day of school.
September 9, 2022: King Charles III announced that Prince William and Catherine will become the Prince and Princess of Wales.
King Charles III announced in his first official address to the UK as reigning monarch that his son Prince William and Kate Middleton, formerly the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, would take on the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales.
“Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales,” the king said Prince William’s new title. “The country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear, during so much of my life.”
Charles has held the title for over six decades. When he married Princess Diana on July 29, 1981, she assumed the title of Princess of Wales. She is the most recent royal to hold the title. King Charles III’s second wife, Camilla, held the title of Duchess of Cornwall before becoming Queen Consort.
“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conservations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground, where vital help can be given,” the king said.
William and Kate’s Instagram handle changed to The Prince and Princess of Wales after the king’s speech aired.