By Marisa Laudadio
12:29pm PST, Feb 25, 2026
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In the new book
William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, author
Russell Myers writes that Kate Middleton and
Prince William were at a crossroads in early 2007 after more than four years of dating. "Deeply unhappy and at a loss to describe how their relationship had faltered, Catherine delivered an ultimatum to William," an excerpt reveals. "While she did not explicitly demand an engagement or even a promise of marriage, she did break free from the gentle and arguably submissive persona that had typified her relationship with the future king."
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Tension in Kate Middleton and
Prince William's relationship had been building for months. "In March 2007, William and Catherine, who had barely seen each other since Christmas, were pictured decked out in matching tweed, appearing frosty with each other at the Cheltenham horse racing festival. Sources claimed the relationship had 'soured beyond repair,'" author Russell Myers, who's also the royal editor for U.K. outlet the
Daily Mirror, writes.
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Prince William's behavior in the days that followed the horse racing festival only added to their problems, the book claims, explaining that the Prince of Wales "heaped further embarrassment" on Kate Middleton after he was photographed getting close to a Brazilian student he'd met on the dance floor of a nightclub in Bournemouth, England. "Looking wide-eyed, sweaty and clutching a pint of beer as he stood between two young women, William seemed to have temporarily abandoned his senses," author Russell Myers writes. "Was this the normality he craved? Or was he simply a young man letting off some steam after finishing a tank commander course, while continuing to exist in a pressure-cooker situation? Catherine was upset and admonished him for his behavior, questioning whether the light of their four-year relationship was about to be extinguished forever."
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Kate Middleton was "distressed," a friend she'd confided in at the time told author Russell Myers. "She was miserable, but she certainly wasn't desperate. She felt as though she had nothing to lose and for the first time she probably relayed her true feelings to William," the friend explained. The future Princess of Wales, who met and started dating the heir to the throne when both were students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, "wasn't demanding an engagement," the friend explained, "but she wanted a commitment, and if he couldn't deliver that, well, then she left him in no doubt that it was best they go their separate ways." So they did — but only for a few months.
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Her demand marked a turning point for the couple, who split as
Prince William wrestled with what he really wanted. But in the summer of 2007, he and Kate Middleton had reconciled. An engagement followed in 2010 and they married in 2011. "On many levels, the conversation [Middleton initiated that spring] was the clearest sign of the changing dynamic of their relationship," author Russell Myers writes. "Catherine was no longer a shy student finding her way in the world, nor was she willing to be portrayed as the long-suffering girlfriend of a prince who had other priorities. Either they were a team, or they weren't."
