William's One Decision Could've Cost Him His Marriage to Kate — But Thankfully Charles Intervened

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s love story was a whirlwind romance that began on the grounds of St. Andrews University. The couple dated for a decade before tying the knot at Westminster Abbey in 2011. However, a royal author has revealed that if William had stuck with a decision he had arrived at after finding St. Andrews 'daunting', his love story with Middleton may have never begun. The author claimed, William had King Charles to thank, as he reportedly intervened to help his son.

Following his schooling, William enrolled at St. Andrews in 2001, where he met Middleton, who had reportedly taken a gap year to start college at the same time as the Prince. As first-year students, the pair lived in the same dormitory and became friends early on. Commenting on William's uni days, royal author Robert Lacey in his book, Battle of Brothers, alleged that the Prince initially felt he wasn't fitting in. According to Hello! magazine, Lacey added that William was ‘unsteady’ during his first term and wished to change the university. He penned, “As the term progressed, the winter weather soon grew cold, grey, and austere, and he found it difficult to make new friends.” Moreover, as per the author, William also missed his brother, Prince Harry.

Charles’s former press secretary, Colleen Harris, chimed in to explain how the young Prince was ‘nervous’ upon his arrival at the university, given the immense press coverage. “I think he was really nervous when he arrived. All the press were there...cameras from all over the world, and it suddenly hit him. He was very unsteady for a while after that.” William allegedly as such reached out to his father over Christmas break and expressed his desire to join the University of Edinburgh. The author claimed that Charles’s team, however, discouraged the move, fearing that he would be seen as a ‘quitter’ among the Scottish. Charles, being understanding of his situation, allegedly helped his son in choosing the right path.

According to the author, William, later reflecting on his initial years at the college, claimed he was not ‘homesick’ but rather ‘daunted’ when he first joined. He said, “My father was very understanding about it and realized I had the same problem as he had probably had.” The father-son duo had long conversations that helped William. William shared, “We chatted a lot and in the end we both realized—I definitely realized—that I had to come back.”

When William returned to St. Andrews, he changed his major from art history to geography and graduated in 2005. Middleton’s major was history of art, yet her paths crossed with William, allegedly during a fashion show. The two began dating in 2002. A former housemate of the couple once told the Daily Mail how they had an instant chemistry and were seemingly falling for each other from the get-go. William also once bid a huge sum of money to win a date with Middleton during an auction for a charity.