The sweet thing Prince William said to Kate Middleton when they first met

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married for nine years and have three beautiful children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

But the pair actually started dating long before, meeting at St Andrew's University in 2001. They were initially just good friends after being placed in the same dormitory during their first year, and at that time they were both seeing other people. However, things soon took a romantic turn shortly after the now Duchess of Cambridge appeared in a fashion show at the university in 2002.

In the early days of their relationship, they reportedly used a number of decoys to distract paparazzi, and often used a codename to keep their names out of the newspapers. William even set up a support hotline for Kate so that she could adjust to life as a royal.

So just how did their very first meeting happen?

It's actually quite a sweet story.

According to the Channel 5 documentary, William & Kate: Too Good To Be True?, their first meeting was a little embarrassing for the future king.

Royal author Tom Quinn explained: 'One of the funny stories is he was so desperate to meet her that as he walked towards her, he apparently tripped and said, "Oh that's a terrible start, you're going to think I'm a complete clot."'

Kate reportedly laughed off the fall, and they became good friends, attending the same classes and spending more time together.

And the rest, as they say, is history!