Kate Middleton refused to be 'messed around' when she split with Prince William in 2007 - and The Firm was very impressed

When Kate Middleton and Prince William split up briefly in 2007, the future-Princess refused to be 'messed around' by her newly-ex-boyfriend - and The Firm was very impressed by her 'strength,' a royal expert has revealed. 

Kate Middleton and Prince William may have now been married for over a decade, sharing three young children together, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, four, but not all that long ago they were just two young university students trying to navigate a life in the public eye. 

Their relationship has always been a public affair, but when Kate and William's meeting was dramatised in the sixth and final season of Netflix's The Crown, more people than ever were wondering who Kate and William dated before meeting each other and wanted to know if Kate and William had met before they went to St Andrew's .

But as the drama closes off in the year 2005, there is one huge aspect of William and Kate's relationship that we didn't see - and it was the one that The Firm admired Kate for the most. 

The Making of a Royal Romance by Katie Nicholl | £8.88 at Amazon

Published in 2011, this provides a fascinating insight into the lives of Prince William and Kate. It reflects back on her childhood, her close family and her romance with the future King. The book goes up to the preparations for the couple's fairytale wedding and also focuses on their life in Wales together.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton briefly separated in 2007 when the former called off the relationship before quickly realising that it was a huge mistake. But when he went back to 'get his girl,' one royal expert has shared that she impressed members of The Firm by detailing a few conditions that he would have to agree to before she even thought about rekindling the romance.

“When they did break up on a more serious level, William quickly realised that he was completely wrong," royal author Robert Jobson told Hello! Magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast. 

"He was probably listening to outside sources or outside people. But then perhaps looked at his father's inability to marry or commit to Camilla early on, and realised he’d made a big error and tried to win her back.

“I think, in ways, she [Kate] laid out some guidelines, some rules, for how it had to go. She wasn’t going to be messed around and, in doing so, showed her strength.”

It was this strength that The Firm admired and Kate herself has even given herself a pat on the back for taking the breakup in stride. Sure, she has said that she 'wasn't very happy' about the breakup at the time, but she has realised now that it made her a stronger person. 

“At the time I wasn't very happy about it but actually it made me a stronger person," she said, as per The Express. "You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realised. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you're younger. I really valued that time, for me as well, although I didn't think it at the time.”

Following the split, instead of sitting at home, watching the best romantic movies and finding comfort in delicious desert recipes, Kate filled her calendar with social events, made sure to put on a brave face, and, most importantly, never spoke to the press about her time with William.

 “Kate was probably a sure thing because, despite being considered a commoner, they [Kate and William] were together for such a significant amount of time," royal journalist Kinsey Schofield told The Express. "They [the Royal Family] knew she was a good girl, they knew she wasn’t talking to the media, because in between those break-ups, she was so stoic and kept her mouth shut and in all of the photographs of her during her break up, she’s looking ahead.”