Prince William Made Kate Wait 9 Whole Years Before Proposing — but It's Charles Who Is to Blame
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who met on the grounds of St. Andrew's University in 2001, had a whirlwind romance before the former proposed in November 2010, in Kenya. The two later tied the knot on 29 April 2011. William taking almost a decade to get down on one knee once earned Middleton the brutal nickname 'Waitie Katie' by the press. However, a royal expert claimed that it wasn't William's fault for keeping Middleton waiting, but rather King Charles was to blame.
William and Middleton met as freshmen at St. Andrews University. Despite finding it difficult to fit in, the Prince decided to continue his studies at the college, soon befriending and dating Middleton. However, it was not smooth sailing for the couple who dated on and off for about a decade. According to The Mirror, royal author Omid Scobie, in his bombshell book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, noted how Middleton’s lack of a proper career and her long wait to be engaged to the Prince made her an object of ridicule in the press. William, graduating in 2005 and unwilling to settle down, began military training at Sandhurst, followed by stints in the Navy and RAF, which lasted until 2010, making things worse for Middleton.
Reflecting on the same, royal expert Katie Nicholl argued that William's 'fear of commitment' at the time had to do with his father, Charles. According to Marie Claire, Nicholl in her book The Making of a Royal Romance: William, Kate, and Harry—A Look Behind the Palace Walls, detailed the couple’s 2007 trip to the island of Desroches in the Seychelles when William rekindled his romance with Middleton following a brief breakup. The author penned, “With a population of just 50 and 3 miles long, the paradise island was the perfect escape. Both of them knew that at some point, they had to discuss the future.”
Nicholl asserted, “William, who had inherited something of his father's fear of commitment, knew he would lose Kate if he could not give her some form of guarantee.” Therefore, an alleged pact of marriage was made during the trip that a friend of the couple confirmed. The author wrote, “They didn't agree to get married there, and then, what they made was a pact. William told Kate...he was not ready to get married. He promised her his commitment and said he would not let her down, and in turn, she agreed to wait for him.” Eventually, Middleton got her fairytale royal wedding and the two welcomed three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. As Middleton underwent a cancer scare last year, William stood by as her biggest support.