How Kate Middleton secured her role as 'future Queen' during her split from Prince William

Prince William and Kate Middleton are one of the most famous couples in the world, and royal fans love to know what life is like for the Cambridges behind closed doors - whether it's what they order when they fancy a takeaway, or sweet anecdotes about their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Considering that the Duke and Duchess celebrated their eleventh wedding anniversary recently, it's easy to forget that the pair actually split briefly in 2007.

William and Kate met at university, and while they started out as friends they eventually started dating with Kate later becoming the first royal girlfriend to be invited to Christmas lunch with the family at Sandringham.

However, the couple called time on their relationship with William later saying they were 'trying to find their own way'.

According to founder and creator of ToDiForDaily.com Kinsey Schofield, the break-up actually cemented Kate's future role as Queen in the eyes of the Palace.

She told the Express: 'Kate was probably a sure thing because, despite being considered a commoner, they were together for such a significant amount of time.

'[The royal family] knew she was a good girl, they knew she wasn’t talking to the media, because in between those breakups, she was so stoic and kept her mouth shut and in all of the photographs of her during the breakup, she’s looking ahead.

'She just handled herself so well throughout the rollercoaster that was her and Prince William’s dating history leading up to their inevitable marriage. It made Kate a no-brainer—she was the future Queen.'

Although Kate admits she 'wasn't very happy about it' at the time, after a few months apart they reunited and got engaged in 2010 during a trip to Kenya.

And the rest, as they say, is history!