The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced their engagement 10 years ago and set off to a high-end resort in Seychelles. They reportedly cemented their relationship with a secret “marriage pact”, according to a royal expert.
Katie Nicholl wrote in her book Kate: The Future Queen, that the Cambridges made the pact soon after they got back together.
The Cambridges are believed to have broken up twice during their 10-year romance.
Prince William reportedly suffered from cold feet after feeling pressure to marry the Duchess earlier in the summer of 2007.
It is said to have left the Duchess heartbroken at her family’s Berkshire home and could have seen an end to the Cambridges’ romance.
But the couple rekindled their relationship weeks before Prince William was photographed partying with a blonde girl in a Fulham club.
The Duchess had told Prince William to “let off some steam” after they enjoyed their Seychelles trip, according to the Mail on Sunday.
As part of their “marriage pact”, the Cambridges reportedly agreed to wait until after Prince William had finished his Army training and his Navy and RAF duties.
After the couple announced their engagement, the Cambridges took part in a TV interview.
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He said: “I’d been planning it for a while but as any guy knows, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going.”
But the Duchess had started getting ready for royal life before the couple become engaged, according to a royal expert.
Tom Quinn, a royal author, told Channel 5’s documentary William & Kate: Too Good To Be True about how the Duchess started to adapt her fashion.
He said: “Her clothing almost began to reflect what people saw in her character, a kind of restraint, kind of modesty almost.
“I think that did come about because William and Kate were coming towards the point where they would announce their engagement.
“It was Kate starting to behave in ways which would be seen more appropriate for a future Queen.”
During their joint TV interview, the couple reflected on their time apart.
Prince William said: “We were both very young. It was at university, we were sort of both finding ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff.
“It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up.”
The Duchess added: “I think I at the time wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person.
“You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realised, or I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn’t think it at the time.”
