Kate Middleton and Prince William's love story in 15 sweet photos

Royal fans will see the blossoming romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton depicted on the screen with the release of the final installment of The Crown on Thursday.

William and Kate first met at the University of St Andrews in 2001, and after years of speculation and a brief split, the couple announced their engagement in November 2010.

What followed was a fairytale wedding at Westminster Abbey watched by millions around the world and two years later the arrival of their first child, Prince George, in 2013.

Princess Charlotte was born in 2015, and three years later, the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their third child, Prince Louis.

2021 marked the couple's tenth wedding anniversary with the release of a very special family video…

Following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, William and Kate became the Prince and Princess of Wales.

MORE ABOUT THE CROWN

As The Crown takes a look back at the beginnings of their relationship, HELLO! shares some of their key moments in their love story in the gallery below…

Kate catches William's attention at a student fashion show

William and Kate first met when they enrolled at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in September 2001. 

At first, the Prince was on the same course as his future wife (Art History) but he later switched to Geography. 

The pair were friends at first but it's widely believed that Kate caught William's eye when she took part in a student charity fashion show in 2002, where she wore a sheer dress on the catwalk. 

The Prince reportedly paid £200 for a front-row seat!

Romance confirmed on royal ski trip

William and Kate began dating in 2003 but it wasn't until a year later that their romance was confirmed when she joined the royals on a family ski trip. 

Just a few months before their graduation from St Andrews, Kate (pictured above) was once again a guest on Charles, William and Harry's skiing holiday. 

Kate attends William's military graduation

The rumours about an impending royal engagement went into overdrive when Kate attended William's passing-out parade at the Royal Military Sandhurst in 2006. 

She was also joined by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who are said to share a close relationship with their son-in-law. 

It was a major moment in William and Kate's relationship, as Queen Elizabeth II was also present at her grandson's graduation ceremony. 

Their brief break-up

In April 2007, there were reports that William and Kate - pictured at Cheltenham races just one month earlier - had parted ways. 

It was a brief split and shortly after Kate was spotted sitting two rows behind William at the Concert for Diana that July, they reconciled their relationship. 

Touching on their break-up in their engagement interview, William said:  "We were both very young, it was at university, we were 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, it was a bit of space and a bit of things like that and it worked out for the better."

Kate added: "I think at the time I 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, 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."

William gets his RAF wings

Kate was by her boyfriend's side in 2008, when William received his wings for completing his RAF training. 

It marked their first appearance together at a formal event since William's passing-out parade two years previous. 

And although it sparked rumours that a proposal was imminent, royal fans would have to wait two more years...

Engagement

The moment we'd all been waiting for! The palace announced the couple's engagement on 16 November 2010. 

William proposed to Kate with his late mother Princess Diana's sapphire and diamond ring while they were on holiday in Kenya a few weeks before they publicly announced their happy news to the world.  

Royal wedding

William and Kate tied the knot on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. 

The beautiful royal bride wore a satin and lace dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, with the Cartier Halo tiara. 

Queen Elizabeth II made the couple the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following their marriage. 

First royal tour

William and Kate have carried out hundreds of engagements and overseas visits, but their very first tour as a married couple was to Canada in summer 2011. 

Royal baby news

On 3 December 2012, the palace announced that the Duke and Duchess were expecting their first baby. 

As Kate was less than two months into her pregnancy, the couple had hoped to keep the news quiet for a little longer, but decided they needed to make the announcement early as the Duchess was admitted to hospital for severe morning sickness.

First royal baby Prince George is born

After the great royal baby wait, Prince George Alexander Louis, was born on 22 July 2013 at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. 

Future king George is second-in-line to the throne behind his father, William. 

Second royal baby Princess Charlotte is born

William and Kate's second child Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diane was born on 2 May 2015 at the Lindo Wing. 

Charlotte made history at the age of two as she was the first female royal to benefit from The Succession to the Crown Act (2013), which states that girls will not be overtaken by any future younger brothers.

She kept her place in the line of succession above her younger brother, Prince Louis, when he was born in April 2018.

Third royal baby Prince Louis is born

The couple's third child Prince Louis Arthur Charles arrived on 23 April 2018. 

Louis carried out his first official public engagement with his parents and siblings, helping out the Scouts over the coronation weekend. 

Tenth wedding anniversary

The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in April 2021. 

The couple visited Durham two days before their milestone celebration (as pictured above) and Kensington Palace also shared two stunning portraits of the couple taken by photographer Chris Floyd. 

New royal titles

Following the death of the Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles made William and Kate the Prince and Princess of Wales. 

Later in September 2022, the couple made their first official visit to Wales with their new royal titles. 

King Charles's coronation

The Prince and Princess of Wales supported the King and Queen at the historic ceremony on 6 May 2023. 

William played a prominent role at his father's coronation, pledging his allegiance to the King during the service. 

LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast: Saying goodbye to The Crown

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