They met in 2001 when they were both students at St Andrews University in Scotland, both studying art history. William is said to have been attracted to Kate from the start, but for about a year they were just student friends, though they did live in the same shared house for a while (with others). They started dating at some point in 2002, but there was no official announcement. Soon the media started paying Kate Middleton a lot of attention; she objected to this, as the relationship was kept very private and she had done nothing to attract attention. For some of their student life they lived together.

In 2007 the couple broke up; this was officially announced. The reason was probably the press and media intrusion into their lives. However, they were soon seen together again, and later were known to be living together in a house in Anglesey. In 2010 they announced their engagement.