She'd waited years for him to make up his mind, and suddenly he had. Prince William, then the world's most eligible bachelor, had decided it was just too soon to be tied down to Catherine Middleton.
ReadIn the concluding extract from an authoritative new biography of the Princess of Wales, ROBERT JOBSON recounts the ups and downs of Kate's romance with university sweetheart William, why he got cold feet — and the 'Freakin Naughty' fancy dress party where their 'chemistry' was rekindled.
Naturally, Catherine got to hear about these juvenile antics. They seemed to mark a humiliating end to the romance that had begun when they were both students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.The gossip columnists had a field day. Some claimed William 'had his head turned' by another young woman — the beautiful socialite Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe.
There's always been far more to the current Princess of Wales than the smiling rather placid image she has sometimes projected in public. For one thing, she's very bright, has an inquiring mind and has always been mature for her age. At Christmas, Ms al Nabulsi would pretend to be Father Christmas, while Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, was enlivened with the sound of drumming.After three years in Jordan, the Middletons returned in 1986 to their home in West Berkshire. Shortly afterwards, Catherine was enrolled at the fee-paying St Andrew's preparatory school in Pangbourne, where her teachers described her as very conscientious, a hard worker and a natural athlete — all traits that still apply.
Thanks to her mother, Carole, who launched a highly successful business selling items for children's parties, the Middleton children were sent to expensive independent schools. However, Catherine failed to settle after starting aged 13 as a day-pupil at Downe House, still known for its pupils' high academic attainments.
They also say she was a 'perfect pupil' — and indeed she achieved 11 GCSEs followed by three A-levels, with A grades in Maths and Art and a B in English. As William's girlfriend, Kate danced at the trendiest clubs and enjoyed the VIP treatment that came with dating a royal Initially, Catherine set her sights on Edinburgh University to do a History of Art degree, even confirming her place. But doubts crept in at the eleventh hour, and she decided to take a gap year first, which she largely spent abroad.
A country girl from Devon, Carly clicked with the Prince straight away. They talked about literature, played board games together and attended dinner parties with pals or drank pints of cider at The Castle pub. At St Andrews, he was cautious about whom he'd admit into his friendship group. 'People who try to take advantage of me and get a piece of me, I spot it quickly and soon go off them. I'm not stupid,' he said.
Catherine's infectious energy set her apart. He found himself smiling every time she laughed and admired the way that — unlike him — she threw herself into all aspects of student life. Then, famously, he started seeing her in a different light in March 2002 when she strutted down the catwalk in a student charity show, wearing a daring black sheer ensemble that showed off her figure.
By August, the romance was back on, and they'd decided to move to a cottage on a private country estate. This served as their sanctuary for their final two years of undergraduate life, though they also went out to bars and attended student balls. By the time she turned 24, William had embarked on a year's military training at Sandhurst. He nevertheless met up with Catherine every Friday evening at the Middletons' five-bedroom home in Berkshire.
Catherine knew William wasn't in any hurry to propose, and the truth is she was prepared to wait until he was ready. After all, they were in love — weren't they? It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone. Though it wasn't the first time William had called time on their relationship, it felt final.Although she was distraught, Catherine resolved to hide her pain from the outside world. Carole Middleton acted swiftly, taking her heartbroken daughter for a break in Dublin — a welcome respite from media scrutiny.
Predictably, the gossip columns chronicled her every move, making it difficult for William to put her out of his mind. He didn't have to wait long, thanks to a mutual friend. Sam Waley-Cohen, an amateur jockey, invited them individually to a 'Freakin Naughty' themed fancy-dress party at his family's 17th-century manor house. The chemistry between William and Catherine did the rest.
That September, the couple enjoyed a romantic holiday together in the Seychelles, where they made a secret pact to marry at some point in the future. They found a four-bedroom farmhouse house near his base and moved in together. Catherine, now working remotely as a web designer and photographer for her family's firm, shopped at the local Waitrose and Morrisons and did most of the cooking.
William later described their first real home together as an 'immensely special place for us both'. His partner, however, admitted she sometimes felt a bit lonely. 'It was so isolated, so cut off. I didn't have my family around me, he was doing night shifts.'
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