It’s been 13 years since the magical wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate, and a new book has now revealed the ups and downs of their marriage.

The couple, who married in April 2011, appeared to be in marital bliss and have since welcomed three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Their love story began at St Andrews University, but a new royal biography delves into the turbulent times of their relationship, including their brief separation in 2007 before reuniting at a rather risque party, leading to their engagement in 2010.

In ‘Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography’, serialized in the Daily Mail, author Robert Jobson explores the early stages of their university romance, the volatile post-graduation period, Kate’s heartbreak and William’s eventual return…

Secret first meeting

As widely reported, William first took a liking to Kate when she modeled a daring sheer dress at a charity fashion show at the university, an event that took place after both began their studies at the same institution. But contrary to popular belief that St Andrews marked their first meeting, royal author Robert Jobson reveals in his book that their paths crossed much earlier, while William was at Eton and Kate was at Marlborough College, reports the mirror.

A source close to the Middleton family revealed to him: “There was plenty of socializing (between students at both schools) back then, and they were known to each other.”

Initially, upon their arrival at university, William and Kate had different romantic partners. William found a connection with classmate Carly Massey-Birch, while Kate met Rupert Finch, a fourth-year law student. Yet it was after the fashion show that William and Kate’s relationship blossomed, leading to them sharing a student house in their second and third years and enjoying intimate weekends at royal residences such as Highgrove and Balmoral.

In 2005, the couple graduated together, with the late Queen attending the ceremony and formally meeting Kate’s parents for the first time.

“Waity Kate”

The period after their university days saw Kate work part-time at Jigsaw as a buyer, while William enrolled at Sandhurst Military Academy. As marriage speculation intensified without an engagement announcement, the media unfairly dubbed Kate “Waity Katie.”

However, the book claims some royals were not impressed by Kate’s frequent trips to Mustique, with the author writing: “Her boss at Jigsaw had given Catherine the use of her luxury villa on the island for private romantic getaways with the prince – hardly a perk for most staff .”

Brutal phone call

By late 2006, there was no sign of William popping the question, and the book claims that in January 2007, the prince broke things off in a painful phone call.

According to the book, William had already canceled plans to spend New Year with the Middletons, before a 30-minute conversation saw the pair part ways.

Speaking during their engagement interview, Kate admitted: “At the time I wasn’t very happy about it, but it made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that you might not have realized. I think you can get pretty busy with a relationship when you’re younger, I really appreciated that time for me too, even if I didn’t think so at the time.

While William admitted: “We were both very young… we were both finding ourselves and were different characters. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up, so there was just a little space and it worked out to that better.”

Williams’ wild two-word dig

After their breakup, both Prince William and Kate Middleton were seen living it up on the social scene. The book claims that during a wild night at Mahiki nightclub in London, William reportedly declared to his friends: “I’m free.”

On the other hand, Kate was out and about with her sister Pippa, embracing her newfound single status.

The story suggests that while William returned to his military duties, spending time in army barracks, Kate enjoyed her independence, donning bolder fashion choices and even catching the eye of shipping magnate Sir Henry Ropner. This reportedly led to William having second thoughts about their separation and a desire to win Kate back.

“Naughty Party”

But as fate would have it, they didn’t have to wait long for a romantic reunion, all thanks to their mutual friend and Grand National champion jockey Sam Waley-Cohen. The new book fills in the details of how he orchestrated their meeting at a “Freakin’ Naughty” themed costume party, where Kate, dressed as a nurse, rekindled William’s affections.

According to the author: “She had arrived dressed as a nurse and William had made a quick beeline for her. They then spent the first part of the evening deep in conversation before taking to the dance floor, where they ended up kissing. When friends joked they should get a room, they sloped together.”

Despite efforts to keep their rekindled romance low-key, the cat was out of the bag when Kate was spotted attending a charity pop concert to mark the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, just rows behind William, revealing they were indeed an item again.

Cheryl routine

Kate Middleton, now with a ring on her finger, reportedly enjoyed a private hen party organized by her sister Pippa at a friend’s house, to keep the guest list to a minimum. The book reveals Kate let loose by wearing a tight bodysuit and performing a flawless impersonation of pop star Cheryl’s hit song, Fight For This Love.

The author further shares that when Prince William later meeting Cheryl at the Diamond Jubilee concert, he cheekily told her: “Did you know you’ve got some competition?”