Kate Middleton's adorable prediction about Prince William as she believed 'there's no one quite like' him even before they met

The Prince and Princess of Wales marked their 14th wedding anniversary in April during their trip to the Isles of Mull and Iona and they looked as much in love now as when they said "I do". Prince William has been full of praise for Kate’s "remarkable strength" after what he’s described as the "hardest" year of his life in 2024, following her cancer diagnosis.

In a loving birthday tribute in January, he wrote a special message to the "most incredible wife and mother". His devotion and care for her couldn’t have been clearer and Kate apparently always believed he was "kind", even before they met at St Andrews University.

According to The Telegraph, her friend Jessica Hay claimed back in 2010 that when they were at school the Princess was already smitten with the future King.

Jessica, who previously dated Prince William’s mentor at Eton, Nicholas Knatchbull, supposedly explained, "We would sit around talking about all the boys at school we fancied. But Catherine would always say, 'I don't like any of them.’"

She alleged that Kate remarked, "There's no one quite like William. I bet he's really kind. You can just tell by looking at him.'"

It’s been suggested that the senior royal, who took on the prestigious title Princess of Wales in 2022, had a picture of Prince William on her wall at Marlborough College. Because of this, she was reportedly called a "Princess in waiting" by her school friends.

Her predictions about the Prince of Wales’s kindness turned out to be correct, though despite the supposed picture on her wall, Kate was left in a fluster after meeting him in person in Scotland. The Princess was asked about her first impression of her now-husband in their engagement interview in 2010, and she revealed she went "bright red".

"Well, actually, I think I actually went bright red when I met you," she said, glancing adoringly towards Prince William. "And sort of scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you."

The Prince missed Freshers’ Week and so it "did take quite a bit of time" for him and Kate to "get to know each other". This late and "shy" meeting didn’t stand in their way, though, and the Princess of Wales said they became "very close friends from quite early on".

This firm friendship later blossomed into romance and he proposed to the Princess during a holiday in Kenya in 2010 before they tied the knot the following April. In every message Kate shared last year, she spoke of how her husband had been there for her during this unimaginably difficult time.

"Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both," she declared in a video which made her diagnosis public.

In September 2024 she shared another video, this time filmed by Will Warr and announcing that she had completed her treatment. The Princess of Wales reflected that the cancer journey is "complex, scary and unpredictable", especially for "those closest to you".

"This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved," she added.