Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Kate Middleton Was "Deeply Hurt" by Prince William's Behavior During Their Split

    During a trial separation in 2004, Prince William flirted with American heiress Anna Sloan. The behavior is said to have "deeply hurt" his eventual wife Kate Middleton.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 19 January 2019 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Suit, Purple, Formal wear, White-collar worker, Event, Gesture, Businessperson, Outerwear, Tuxedo, Electric blue,
    (Image credit: getty image)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Even the best and strongest couples have their share of problems. For Prince William and Kate Middleton, most of those problems happened early in their relationship, when Will was infamously on the fence about staying with Kate.

    Before their well-known 2007 breakup, the couple took a brief "trial separation" in 2004, during their final year at St. Andrews University, where they first met while both attending school.

    Express reports that royal author Katie Nicholl, wrote about the mini-split in her 2010 book, William and Harry. According to Nicholl, Will knew he wanted to take a break from the relationship and planned a boys-only yachting holiday in Greece as a chance to spend some time away from Kate.

    "Kate was beginning to question William’s commitment to their relationship, and she also had her own creeping doubts about their future after St. Andrews," Nicholl wrote, according to Express.

    So, why was Kate questioning the relationship? According to Nicholl:

    You may like
    • Prince William Princess Kate dating Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    • Princess Kate wears a green blazer a Breton striped top and Prince William has a bald head and wears a navy suit William and Kate's "True Feelings" Were on Full Display
    • Prince William Princess Kate summer rewind On One Issue, Prince William and Princess Kate Couldn’t See Eye to Eye

    Apparently, Will and Anna had a lot in common and Kate was worried that their connection might include some romantic feelings, at least on Will's part. Express quotes Nicholl as writing:

    Nicholl reports that nothing romantic ever happened between Will and Anna, who eventually married Eddie Smith and attended Will and Kate's wedding as a guest.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    "Anna was not the least bit romantically interested in William, and the friendship was never anything more than just that," Nicholl wrote.

    Photo caption, Movie, Poster, Font, Photography,

    (Image credit: amazon prime)

    BUY IT

    RELATED STORIES

    Event, Suit, Ceremony, White-collar worker, Conversation, Formal wear, Wedding,

    (Image credit: Sean Gallup)

    Prince William Says He and Kate Are "Naughty"

    Royal Wedding - The Gold Package

    (Image credit: Ian Gavan/GP)

    Will and Kate Broke a Royal Wedding Tradition

    Explore More
    Princess Catherine Prince William
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Prince William Princess Kate dating
    Royals Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    By Christine Ross
    Prince Harry,  Meghan Markle, Princess Kate and Prince William walking in a row
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Have a "Very Difficult Hill to Climb" With Harry and Meghan
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
    Prince William and Prince Harry standing back to back
    Royals Prince Harry's Move Will Make it Hard for William to "Duck a Reconciliation"
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
     
     
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival
    Celebrity Style TIFF 2026's Best-Dressed Stars Are Bringing Their Fashion A-Game to Toronto
     
     
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.