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Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, met her husband Prince of Wales, William in 2001 when they were both studying at the University of St. Andrews. They got married in April 2011 after announcing their engagement in 2010. The couple, who have been married for 13 years, have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
When the couple met, they were both studying at St. Andrews University in Scotland. According to an old report by Hello! magazine, in their sophomore year, Prince William moved from his dorm room into a flat with three of his college friends. One of these friends was Kate Middleton, who was described as a "pretty 20-year-old brunette."
The two were reportedly friends before they began dating each other, which Prince William said set a strong foundation for their relationship. He also discussed how living together had strengthened their bond during his official engagement interview.
"We moved in together as friends because we were living together, we lived with a couple of others as well, and it just sort of blossomed from there really," the Prince said.
Their relationship was made public when a photograph of William and Kate was published by The Sun in 2004. However, it was confirmed by the Crown until 2010 when the Prince proposed to Kate.
The couple also broke up in 2007 for a few months but got back together a few months later. As per Town and Country Magazine, Prince William proposed to Kate in 2010 during a trip to Kenya. Their engagement was announced officially by the Royal family the month after the proposal.
However, since their engagement announcement in 2010, people have been curious about Kate's life before she became a member of the Royal family. Before marrying Prince William, Kate Middleton worked as an assistant accessories buyer for fashion chain Jigsaw. She also worked for her parents' company Party Pieces.
Before Prince William, Kate was in a relationship with her senior Rupert Finch but ended that relationship sometime in 2001 as things didn't work out for them. While details of the relationship aren't revealed to the public, people have been curious about Kate Middleton's previous relationships and the man she dated.
Kate Middleton's dating history explored
1) Harry Blakelock
According to Cosmopolitan, Kate Middleton's first boyfriend was Harry Blakelock, who studied at Marlborough College with her. The Princess studied at the boarding school between 1995 and 2000. As per Marie Claire, Harry was the hockey captain of the College.
Harry is currently married to Kate's high school friend and is a partner at Lockton, an insurance firm.
2) Willem Marx
Willem Marx was another person Kate Middleton met while she was at Marlborough College but not a lot is known about their relationship. William is a journalist with CNBC and lives in London. He is married to TV presenter Johanna Botta, according to Honey9.
It is also worth noting that Willem was a part of Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.
3) Rupert Finch
After Kate Middleton began studying at St. Andrews University, she dated Rupert Finch, her senior, according to Vogue. The couple reportedly dated for less than a year before ending things as the relationship didn't seem to work out for them.
When they began dating, Kate was in her first year of University, studying Art History while Rupert was in his fourth year of studying History. Following that, he went on to study Law at the University of Law in Guildford, England.
Over the years, while Rupert has been asked about his relationship with Kate, he hasn't said a word about the same. In an interview with Daily Mail in 2006, Rupert said that it isn't something he will "ever talk about."
"It's not something I'll ever talk about. It's between Kate and me and was a long time ago," he told the Daily Mail.
Rupert was invited to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 with Willem Marx. He currently works as General Counsel at Williams Advanced Engineering and is married to one of Prince William's friends Natasha Rufus Isaacs.
Town and Country Magazine noted that Natasha is the co-founder of the fashion brand Beulah, a brand that Kate Middleton often wears. In a 2020 interview with Tatler, Natasha said that it was "always lovely to see the Duchess in Beulah.
"She’s a wonderful ambassador for British brands and that is more important than ever at the moment," Natasha added.
4) Henry Ropner
According to Elle Magazine in 2007, Kate Middleton and Prince William broke up briefly. The publication added that in 2010, Kate stated that the break was healthy for them. After they took a break, Kate began seeing Henry Ropner, a friend of William's, according to Hello! Magazine.
Henry is the son of Sir John Ropner, owner of Thorp Perrow, and a businessman. He is the Chairman of SFG20 and an investor in EviFile. SFG20 has been the industry standard for building maintenance and ensuring legal compliance across various sectors since 1990.
Final Thoughts
Kate Middleton and William have been married for 13 years now and share three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
After her marriage, Kate Middleton was given the official title of Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge. She was also named Princess of Wales after the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.
