{"id":416,"date":"2026-07-22T10:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/?p=416"},"modified":"2026-07-22T10:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:55:11","slug":"prince-william-broke-kate-middletons-heart-with-one-phone-call-before-coming-crawling-back-author-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/2026\/07\/prince-william-broke-kate-middletons-heart-with-one-phone-call-before-coming-crawling-back-author-claims.html","title":{"rendered":"Prince William Broke Kate Middleton’s Heart With One Phone Call Before Coming ‘Crawling Back’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Euan Cherry \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Long before they became the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Kate Middleton experienced a painful breakup that, according to one royal biographer, nearly ended their love story for good.<\/p>\n

In his book Kate!, royal author Christopher Andersen claims William shocked Kate in 2007 by ending their five-year relationship during a phone call, leaving the future princess heartbroken and blindsided.<\/p>\n

At the time, the couple had been together since meeting as students at the University of St. Andrews in 2001. Many royal watchers believed an engagement announcement was just around the corner, making the split all the more surprising.<\/p>\n

According to Andersen, William explained during the call that he wasn’t ready for marriage. At just 25 years old, he reportedly felt overwhelmed by the expectations placed on him as the future king. He also worried about the intense media attention surrounding Kate and feared for her safety without official royal protection.<\/p>\n

The author claims Kate pleaded with William to reconsider, but he had already made up his mind.<\/p>\n

Andersen also alleges that William’s father, then-Prince Charles, and Queen Camilla encouraged him to either commit to Kate or end the relationship rather than leave her waiting indefinitely.<\/p>\n

“Charles was always incredibly fond of Kate,” Andersen told Fox News Digital. “He never doubted that she would make an excellent wife for his eldest son… But it wasn’t fair, in Charles’ view, to keep the poor girl hanging.”<\/p>\n

Rather than retreat from public life after the breakup, Kate reportedly followed the advice of her mother, Carole Middleton.<\/p>\n

According to Andersen, Carole urged her daughter to stay active, spend time with friends, and show William exactly what he was missing. Kate embraced London’s social scene with her sister, Pippa Middleton, joined an all-female rowing team, and was frequently photographed enjoying life with friends.<\/p>\n

Those images, Andersen claims, had the desired effect.<\/p>\n

As headlines linked Kate to other eligible young men, William reportedly began to regret his decision. Andersen said the breakup served as a wake-up call, forcing the prince to recognize that Kate was the person he wanted to build his future with.<\/p>\n

The turning point reportedly came at a themed party hosted by mutual friend Sam Waley-Cohen. Royal editor Russell Myers wrote in William and Catherine that both attended the event in costume\u2014William wearing black hot pants and a toy police helmet, while Kate arrived dressed as a nurse.<\/p>\n

According to Myers, it quickly became obvious that their feelings for one another had never disappeared. The pair spent much of the evening talking privately as William explained his fears about commitment and the pressures of royal life.<\/p>\n

That summer, the couple quietly reconciled.<\/p>\n

“William soon came to his senses,” Andersen said, adding that Kate understood the unique pressures he faced as the future monarch.<\/p>\n

Their relationship continued to grow stronger after their reunion. In 2010, William proposed during a trip to Kenya, and the couple married the following year in a globally watched ceremony at Westminster Abbey.<\/p>\n

Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales are among the most recognizable members of the royal family and are raising their three children\u2014Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis\u2014while continuing their public duties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long before they became the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Kate Middleton experienced a painful breakup that, according to one royal biographer, nearly ended their love story for good. In his book Kate!, royal author Christopher Andersen claims William shocked Kate in 2007 by ending their five-year relationship during a phone call,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPrince William Broke Kate Middleton's Heart With One Phone Call Before Coming 'Crawling Back'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Royal author claims Prince William ended things with Kate by phone in 2007 before realizing she was the love of his life, author claims.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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