The Prince and Princess of Wales, who famously fell in love at St Andrews University, had a deeper connection than previously thought, according to a mutual friend. Laura Warshauer, who met the couple when she arrived at the Scotland college in 2001, revealed that their chemistry was evident long before Kate Middleton caught Prince William's eye at a charity fashion show.
She told the Daily Mail: "We went to a party at a castle. It was a Harry Potter theme and they did an auction for charity where people were bidding to win a date. Will bid £200 to win a date with Kate."
While the details of their date remain unknown, Warshauer remembered Kate's cool reaction. She also recalled another instance where Kate helped William escape an awkward conversation, further highlighting their early connection.
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Laura fondly recalls witnessing the early sparks of romance between Kate and William, including a moment that left an impression: "All of a sudden Kate walks up from across the room, puts her arms around him and enables him to turn to this other girl and be like 'I'm sorry, I have a girlfriend'. And then he turned to Kate and silently mouthed the words 'Thank you'. I remember thinking at that moment that no one but Kate could have done that. They had just met each other but it was clear they had a connection."
She cherishes memories of the couple's humble beginnings—from the prince assisting with her luggage, Kate learning guitar chords from him, to shared meals and road trip laughter. "I wound up getting a front row seat to the very beginning of what would become one of the greatest and most iconic love stories of our time," she expressed, reports the Mirror.
"It's great to see Will and Kate, the same people they were then, on the world stage."
During their 2010 engagement interview, Kate confessed her initial bashfulness: "I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you."
William added how it took time to kindle their relationship due to his absences: "William wasn't there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn't there from Fresher's Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other. But we did become very close friends from quite early on."
During that interview, the couple discussed their temporary breakup in 2007, before reuniting soon after. William reflected: " We did split up for a bit. We were both very young, it was at university and we were both finding ourselves and being different characters and stuff. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up. It was just a bit of space. It worked out for the better."
Kate shared her thoughts, saying: "At the time I wasn't very happy about it but actually it made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realized."
She also noted, "I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you're younger. I really valued that time, for me as well, although I didn't think it at the time."
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