Prince William reportedly once left Kate Middleton "tearful" at Christmas

Prince William and Kate Middleton attend day 1 of the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2007
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Wales family is undoubtedly the most talked about in the world, and from their Christmas card photograph and Prince Louis' royal debut to the sweet video of the Wales children donating to baby banks, this holiday has been no exception.

It is the Prince and Princess of Wales who tend to make the most headlines, particularly given the release of The Crown's final season on Netflix, airing the first depiction of the royal couple in the early days of their courtship.

The couple met at St Andrews university in 2001, kickstarting their famous on and off again relationship that spanned almost a decade. 

"We were friends for over a year first," Prince William explained of their relationship in their 2010 engagement interview. "We moved in together as friends. We were living together with a couple of others as well, and it just sort of blossomed from there really."

The Netflix release has resurfaced a multitude of anecdotes from the royal couple's dating days, with one report, involving Prince William upsetting Kate over their 2006 holiday plans, going particularly viral. 

Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy in The Crown

(Image credit: Netflix)

According to a biography by royal expert Katie Nicholl, Prince William once left Kate, his girlfriend at the time, "tearful" back in 2006 when he cancelled his plans to visit her family for Christmas.

The now Prince of Wales reportedly cancelled their festive plans together short notice, with Nicholl explaining: "At the last minute William had a change of heart and decided to stay with his own family instead."

She went on to explain how he "informed a tearful Kate during a late-night conversation on Boxing Day."

Apparently Kate didn’t take the news well, seeing it as a "sign of something more sinister to come", but to William it was reportedly "no big deal".

The couple temporarily split over a year later in April 2007, before ultimately getting engaged.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.