Royal Fans Convinced ‘Kate Didn’t Win William, He Won Her' as Video of Her Iconic Moment Resurfaces

Kate Middleton and Prince William at St. Andrews University in 2005. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images| The Middleton Family)

Jul. 15 2025, Updated 09:45 AM. ET

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married since 2011 and are blessed with three beautiful children. The Prince and Princess of Wales first started dating in 2002, when they were 19 and students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Though they initially bonded as friends and roommates, Middleton caught William's eye during a fashion show appearance, where she walked the ramp wearing a sheer dress. Resurfaced images of the outfit have royal fans convinced that William is the lucky chap to have won Middleton, not the other way around.

Middleton wore the classic sheer lace dress at a charity fashion show in college. Her bold outfit at the event is famously known for sparking the Prince's interest in her. As reported by SheFinds, she wore a tiny bandeau bikini beneath the dress, while her brunette hair was styled in loose, cascading curls. The dress was the creation of fashion design student Charlotte Todd and has since been auctioned off in 2011 for over $100,000. A viral TikTok clip from The Crown, a Netflix series based on the royal family, depicts the scene in question. It then cuts to photos of Middleton wearing the same outfit, followed by other clips highlighting her college beauty. The caption cleverly reads, "How to make a Prince fall in love with you in 1 second," alluding to her iconic ramp moment.

Kate Middleton wears her iconic sheer dress at a charity fashion show. Image Source: Getty Images| M Neilson — Kate Middleton wears her iconic sheer dress at a charity fashion show. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by M Neilson)

As the video went viral, fans couldn't help but say the same thing. A royal watcher quipped, "Kate didn’t win William, William won Kate." In a similar vein, another said, "Catherine definitely got him head over heels for her😍😍😍." A netizen gushed, "She can literally be whatever she wants! And I love her for that. Everything she does is with intention and grace ♥️" As the comments poured in, a fan opined, "Kate is so beautiful and that's why Prince William loves her and married her😭"

Kate Middleton's sheer dress at the Passion For Fashion Auction at La Galleria. Image Source: Getty Images| Ferdaus Shamim — Kate Middleton's sheer dress at the Passion For Fashion Auction at La Galleria. (Image Source: Getty Images| Ferdaus Shamim)

William's close friends from uni have also spoken about the moment the Prince fell head over heels for his future wife. According to Vanity Fair, one of his friends claimed, "It was clear to us that William was smitten with Kate." Another of the couple's mutual friends said, "He actually told her she was a knockout that night, which caused her to blush." According to reports, William told his friend Fergus Boyd, who was sitting beside him in the audience at the time, "Wow, Fergus, Kate's hot!" The rest is history as the pair officially began their fairytale romance a year later!

As per Newsweek, Robert Jobson, author of Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography, also explained, "Though they were good friends, Catherine surely stirred stronger feelings in William after she strutted down the catwalk as a model in the now-infamous charity fashion show, held at the Fairmont Hotel, on March 27, 2002."