William, now 44, and Catherine, also 44, had completed their first term at St Andrews University when, during the Christmas holidays of 2001, he collected her from her family’s home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Seward writes in the tome, extracts from which have been published by the Daily Mail: “In the snug surroundings of a country pub with dark wood furnishings and a fire going, there was a crucial shift in their fledgling relationship. Catherine was relishing their art history course, but William was unhappy.”
William had discovered studying art history held little appeal despite growing up surrounded by great works at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
But he was reluctant to abandon the course because he feared being viewed as a failure, and Catherine already knew through their university conversations he was fascinated by the natural world following a trip to Kenya.
During their evening together, she encouraged William to consider alternatives and helped him explore his options.
Seward writes: “Surrounded as he was by people who almost always said ‘yes,’ it was difficult for William in those days to form concrete opinions, but here was someone genuinely interested in his dilemma, coming up with a solution.”
