Prince William and Kate Middleton are the golden couple of the Royal family, arguably the most widely popular pairing the Windsors have had for decades. In contrast to the more divisive, scandalous marriages of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, William and Kate have a reputation for presenting a united and loving front that promises a strong foundation for their potential future reign as king and queen.
Those who are familiar with the early days of Wills and Kate, however, will know that their romance was struck with far more ups and downs than Harry and Meghan’s. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex often find themselves fielding accusations of having a toxic or unhappy marriage, it was actually the current Prince and Princess of Wales who didn’t have a smooth time of it while they were dating, with William treating Kate in a way that many these days would dub to be a massive red flag. Or, in this case, a red, white, and blue one.
Prince William dumped Kate Middleton for the “final” time with a drunken phone call
In author Robert Jobson’s new book, Catherine: Princess of Wales, it’s claimed that a serious low-point occurred in the love story of William and Kate when the former dumped his future wife out of the blue… and over the phone.
According to an extract from the upcoming biography (via The Daily Mail):
“Seemingly out of the blue, William — now a 2nd Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals — telephoned her to suggest that they split up,” Jobson writes. “He told her they both needed ‘a bit of space’ to ‘find our own way’, and he was unable to promise her marriage. In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on ‘different pages.'”
Having met as university students at St. Andrews, the couple had been together a few years at this point, with Kate about to turn 25. Nonetheless, they had been somewhat on-and-off-again and this wasn’t the first time William had tried to call it quits. With William keen to focus on his military service and seemingly resisting calls in the press for a Royal engagement, this time felt different for Kate as Jobson notes she believed this to be their “final” breakup.
“It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone,” Jobson continues. “Though it wasn’t the first time William had called time on their relationship, it felt final.”
Obviously, Catherine’s fears eventually proved to be unfounded. While this conversation took place in January 2007, a few months later the pair bumped into each other at a mutual friends’ party and hit it off once more. After a couple more years of dating, they finally became engaged in October 2010.
According to Jobson’s comments to Good Morning America, William was able to do some personal reflection during his time in the army that helped him realize he’d made a big mistake.
“I think at the time, he was fairly young, in his mid 20s, and she was too, and they probably were the right couple at the wrong time, and he felt he didn’t really want to get married at that time,” Jobson said. “I think soon afterwards, when she was seen out enjoying herself with her sister and enjoying dates and enjoying life, and he was stuck away on an Army barracks, he seemingly realized he’d made a big error and he had to woo her back.”
Breaking up with his long-term girlfriend over the phone is definitely one of the worst things Prince William has ever done, but somehow that might not even be the worst of it. Jobson also notes that William’s phone call came while he was out drinking with friends at Mayfair’s Mahiki nightclub, and he seems to have been left without a hint of remorse. “‘I’m free!’ he shouted as he slipped into a drunken version of the robot dance,” Jobson writes, painting a vivid image in our minds. “He then told his friends that they should all ‘drink the menu’, which they more or less ended up doing.”
Meanwhile, during Harry and Meghan’s courtship, he was buying her cute bracelets and sneaking into her hotel room for romantic rendezvous. Guys, be a Harry, not a William.