Prince William and Kate Middleton Had a Very, Very Awkward First Date

Sometimes, the most beautiful love stories begin—well, a bit awkwardly. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who by now you surely know met as first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in 2001, were friends first, then roommates, then a couple. But royal though William is, he too experienced the awkwardness of the early stages of dating, The Mirror reports.

Before they started dating, Kate recalled the very first time she met the man who would become her future husband: “I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy,” she said. But even when they were still just friends, William said he knew there was something there when it came to Kate Middleton. “When I first met Kate, I knew there was something very special about her,” he said. “I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there.”

When the two were roommates—and still not dating—“I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners,” William told Press Association of meals in their shared house. “[But] what would happen was I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire. She would be sitting in the background trying to help and basically taking control of the whole situation.”

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When it finally came time for their first official date (around 2002 or 2003), Kate reportedly tried to play a little joke on William, but it didn’t end well. According to Heart Radio, Kate attempted to curtsy to William as a joke, but she ended up falling over and making William spill a drink all over himself. (Amazing anecdote. Absolutely amazing.)

Now, the pair have been married for over 12 years, are parents to three kids, and are next in line to the throne. “William and Kate are more in sync than ever,” a Palace source told Us Weekly. “They cherish what they have with each other. For them, family comes first, and it always will.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Earthshot Prize Awards

Their ever-evolving relationship includes more PDA than ever before, and “William used to be quite awkward about showing too much affection, but Kate’s helped him relax,” they said. Far from their awkward first date now (20 years later!), “They’re in awe of each other,” they said. “William tells anyone who will listen that he couldn’t do it without Kate, and she echoes that right back.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.