Princess Kate and Prince William's love story is well-documented, beginning as students in residence at St Salvator's Hall at the University of St Andrews back in 2001. Shortly after, in 2003, they began dating, and announced their engagement in 2010 after a shock break up in 2007.
Fast forward ten years and Kate Middleton is now the Duchess of Cambridge and the couple share three adorable children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
However, before bagging the prince of her dreams, there were some other handsome bachelors who caught her eye. Let's take a closer look at Her Royal Highness' love life before she met William.
Willem Marx
Prior to attending St Andrew's in Scotland, Kate had a boyfriend during her college years. While attending Marlborough College in Wiltshire, she dated Willem Marx, who is often referred to as her "first love."
Willem currently resides in London and serves as a special correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, having previously worked as a journalist for CNBC and Bloomberg. He is married to Italian TV presenter Johanna Botta and they have one child.
Harry Blakelock
Kate also dated Harry before going to University of St Andrews, while she was at Marlborough College. After Kate fell hard, Harry broke her heart to the point where she was still hung up on him during a three-month pre-college trip to Florence with friends in 2001.
"When Kate arrived in Florence, she was really hung up about Harry," a source toldThe Daily Mailback in 2020.
"She spoke about him all the time. He seemed to have blown hot and cold with her when they were at school, and she was always talking about how she could get him back. He was also in Florence at the same time but from what I can remember, nothing happened."
According to The Mirror, Harry ended up marrying a friend of Kate's, and he's now a partner at the world’s largest independent insurance broker.
Rupert Finch
Although Kate and William's love story is well-known, many are not aware that she dated another university boyfriend before him. During her time at St. Andrews, Kate dated Rupert Finch, a final-year law student who was a little older. They dated for almost a year in 2001, while William and Kate were just friends at the time.
According to a source: "Prince William, he kind of expressed a bit of interest but I think Kate was still playing hard to get. He wasn't terribly sure if she was interested."
Rupert, now a solicitor, and Kate ended their relationship amicably, and he even attended their wedding in 2011. The royal couple also attended Rupert's wedding to Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs in 2013.
Henry Ropner
Kate and William, like most couples, experienced some bumps in their relationship. They had two breakups – one during the early stage of their relationship and another one in 2007, which came as a shock to royal supporters who had hoped for an engagement after six years of dating.
During their time apart, Kate took the opportunity to explore the London dating scene. She was rumored to be dating Henry Ropner, a tall and wealthy man whose family owns a shipping management firm valued at £33.7million.
Henry is now married to Natasha Sinclair, and the couple resides in Somerset.
Prince William
Prince William and Kate's love story began long before their 2010 engagement. They first met in 2001 at university, where William was studying after his gap year following Eton.
They were both enrolled in the same course, moved into the same halls of residence, and even lived together with two friends in a private home in their second year, which is where their romance flourished. The rest is history.
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