Royal family
Here’s the back story behind the very first pictures taken of the now-Prince and Princess of Wales together more than two decades ago.
Prince William and the Princess of Wales’ (formerly known as Kate Middleton) love story began in the early 2000s when they were introduced while attending St. Andrew’s University in Scotland.
They were friends before they started dating in 2003 and the couple initially kept their romantic relationship under wraps until they were photographed together for the first time in 2004. That photo sparked fury from the Palace and gave Kate a taste of what the rest of her life would be like in the royal spotlight with paparazzi always around.
Here’s more on that photo and the other snap of Kate that William was very upset about.
Where the first photo of Prince William and Kate was taken
The first picture published of the pair together was taken by a photog in April 2004 on the Swiss ski slopes when Kate joined William’s family in the Klosters.
The Sun published the exclusive shot of the now-Prince and Princess of Wales on the front page and ran the headline: “Finally, Wills gets a girl.”
Despite the headline, the future king did have at least four girlfriends the public knew about in high school and college. They included Jecca Craig, who dated William when they were teenagers; Rose Farquhar, with whom he had a summertime fling in 2000; Olivia Hunt whom the prince dated while at St. Andrews University (before Kate); and Arabella Musgrave, who he was in a relationship prior to heading off to college.
Buckingham Palace was furious about the pictures and accused the newspaper of breaching a media agreement to leave William alone following an official photocall with his father earlier that day. However, that snap was taken by someone who did not work for The Sun, therefore the paper defended its decision and in response claimed: “There is a strong public interest in publishing these delightful photographs.”
Other photo of Kate that William was unhappy about
While the Palace wasn’t happy at all about the ski trip photo being leaked, there was another photo of Kate later taken that Prince William was particularly upset about.
The Daily Telegraph reported that William became “angry” and “frustrated” with how the press started treating his then-girlfriend whenever she would be out and about by herself. Express noted that in the book Kate: A Biography, author Marcia Moody detailed an incident in 2005 that prompted the prince to send a legal letter to the press about harassing Kate.
Moody wrote: “She was photographed on a bus while going for a job interview. It was argued that there was no difference being photographed on a bus than from being photographed walking down the street or shopping with her mother. But the big difference this time was that Kate had been followed by the photographer all day. On instructions from William, who had discussed the matter with Kate and her father, a legal letter to newspaper editors was issued requesting that details of Kate’s private life remain private. William had a life-long mistrust of the paparazzi and even began to do his own research into complex privacy laws to work out how best to protect his girlfriend.”
Prince William and Kate got engaged in 2010. They tied the knot on April 29, 2011, and today are parents to their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
