It’s been well over two decades since Prince William and Princess Catherine first got together as students at the University of St. Andrews way back in the fall of 2001, but we’re only just now learning about some of the most awkward moments that came with their young, budding love!
That fall at college, the two first-year students initially forged a friendship before eventually transitioning into becoming a full-blown romantic couple. Royal biographer Robert Jobson detailed as much in his new book, Catherine, Princess of Wales, which we have been covering quite a bit recently. But this new revelation from way back when really takes the cake!!
Related: Prince William & Prince Harry’s Rift Is ‘Very Bad,’ But Not ‘Irreparable’… Yet!
Flash back to the fall of ’01, when Wills and Kate Middleton were hanging out so often that pretty much everybody on campus knew they were a couple. Jobson writes in his new book about how the duo always walked to class together, browsed the local grocery store, and spent countless nights listening to music as a twosome. So, it was not exactly a secret to other students that the pair was an item, per Jobson:
“Among the student community, it was an open secret that they were a couple.”
Except Wills and Kate hadn’t admitted that to themselves — or anybody else! Jobson recalled how the duo’s chemistry “remained shrouded in secrecy” for some time that fall. Until a dinner party hosted by one of the prince’s ex-girlfriends threw the whole thing out into the open, that is!
The “revealing moment,” as Jobson writes, was a party hosted by Will’s ex Carly Massy-Birch. During the party, the attendees played a round of “Never Have I Ever,” the famous drinking game which encourages participants to confess salacious and/or funny previous experiences from their lives. Jobson wrote:
“Perhaps unwittingly, Carly exposed William’s secret love affair with Catherine, much to the prince’s chagrin.”
Uh-oh!
Per another royal biographer, Katie Nicholl in her book The Making Of A Royal Romance, another partygoer at that long-ago night’s shindig recalled how Carly chose to stir the pot when it was her turn to deliver the next round of “Never Have I Ever” drama:
“[Carly] announced, ‘I’ve never dated two people in this room,’ knowing full well that William was the only one who had because Kate was sitting next to him.”
OMG! Savage!!! Nicholl reported how the entire room was “in shock” following Massy-Birch’s move. And no one was more shocked than Prince William himself, who “shot a thunderous look” at his ex-girlfriend before whispering under his breath:
“I can’t believe you just said that.”
Nicholl’s party insider explained how that was a watershed moment for the then-new couple, too:
“We knew they were together, but it was the first time William confirmed his and Kate’s relationship in public.”
Going official before the era of being Facebook official and Instagram official! LOLz!
Thankfully for Massy-Birch, the tension between her and Wills over that party foul didn’t last long. The two remained chummy ever since, and Carly was even invited to Prince William and Princess Catherine’s wedding in 2011. So, that’s nice! Still, what a wild way to be forced to reveal your relationship to the world! Reactions, y’all?? Share ’em (below)!
[Image via Euan Cherry/WENN]