Prince William and Princess Kate have been together for over 21 years, with the first hints of their blossoming romance reaching newspapers in 2005. While students at the University of St Andrews, Prince William and then-Kate Middleton enjoyed the privacy and relative anonymity of student life while they established their relationship. Still, once their relationship became public knowledge, the journalists and photographers descended.
Kate Middleton skiing with Prince William in 2005.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Then-Kate Middleton always appeared polite towards paparazzi.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Writing for Woman & Home, royal editor Duncan Larcombe recalls those early years of Prince William and Princess Kate’s relationship. Even in those early days, long before she would marry into the Royal Family, the palace was guiding her and her public image. “I first met Kate in 2005, when little—if anything—was known about the beautiful St Andrews undergraduate who had caught the eye of our future king,” Larcombe wrote. “At the time, she had been told that if journalists or photographers approached her, she needed to simply smile and act as though she was pleased to see them.”
Looking back, it seems every photo of Kate Middleton features a polite, shy smile. There isn’t a single photograph where she looks anything less than pleasant and, save for a few hard-to-find videos, she always appears civil towards the paparazzi and press that plagued her during those early years of her relationship with Prince William.
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Kate was advised to smile politely.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“Simply smile and act as though she was pleased to see them.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prince William and the palace team were committed to protecting her private life for as long as possible, especially while she was still a private citizen and not the future Queen of England. “My conversation with Kate during a ski trip in Switzerland that year was brief, and instead I ended up speaking to Prince William as she quietly slipped away,” Larcombe said. “But in our encounter I was struck by how sincere she seemed to be, and someone who had her head well and truly on her shoulders.”
Even in those early days, the future Princess of Wales had a special ability to keep calm and carry on as she and Prince William established their relationship. “For some, a royal encounter is too much to contemplate, but Kate has always taken it in her stride,” wrote Larcombe. These down-to-earth moments, stemming from her solid, normal upbringing, has turned her into the most favored member of the Royal Fmaily. “She might have married into the Royal Family, with all the trappings that come with that, but her relatability is just what’s needed in this turbulent time for the Firm.”
