NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Before they became the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William left Kate Middleton only to “crawl back.”
The announcement was made by Christopher Andersen, author of the book Kate!, which tells the story of how the once commoner became the universally adored face of the British monarchy.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. A Fox News Digital spokesperson previously said it does not comment on books.
PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON READY TO ESTABLISH A MONARCHY, SOURCES SAY ‘THANK GOD THEY HAVE EACH OTHER’
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales stroll through the orchards during a visit to Long Meadow Cider on October 14, 2025 in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. Their love story is revisited in a new book by Christopher Andersen. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
“Kate Middleton certainly played a strategic role in bringing Prince William back,” Andersen told Fox News Digital. “And she had (her mother) Carole Middleton as her general, or field marshal, or strategist, we call it. But Kate was crushed at first. (It) was completely unexpected. I was in London when they split in 2007 and it was shocking. Everyone thought they were about to announce their engagement.”
William and Kate met in 2001 while they were students at the University of St Andrews. At first the couple were friends, but over time they began dating. William reportedly broke up with Kate over the phone a few years later.
Kate Middleton and Prince William attend the first day of the Cheltenham Racing Festival on March 13, 2007 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Indigo/Getty Images)
According to Andersen’s book, Kate “pressed her cell phone to her ear” behind a closed door at Jigsaw, where she worked as a children’s accessories salesperson. In the conference room, Kate “listened as the man she’d loved for five years told her they were done.” Colleagues tried to hear what was happening on the other side of the door.
WATCH: HOW KATE MIDDLETON BROUGHT PRINCE WILLIAM BACK AFTER THEIR SEPARATION
William “mumbled” that he didn’t want to commit, claiming he was “only 25” and “too young.” He stressed that the press would make her life “unbearable” as long as they remained a couple. He feared that her life was in danger and she had no right to royal protection when he was not around.
Christopher Andersen’s Kate!: The Courage, Grace and Strength of the Woman Who Would Be Queen is available now. (Gallery Books)
Kate “begged” William to reconsider his decision. She suggested asking his parents to hire private bodyguards if he wanted one. William didn’t move. Instead, he said he was under so much pressure now as he took over duties as a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry. He made his decision.
“What happened was that Camilla and (former Prince) Charles basically convinced William to either ask for her hand or cut her off and not let the poor girl suffer anymore,” Andersen told Fox News Digital.
From left: Former Prince Charles, Kate Middleton and Prince William joke while visiting Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland on March 5, 2013. (Danny Lawson/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“Charles always loved Kate incredibly. He never doubted that she would make an excellent wife for his eldest son, and she had all the qualities needed to become a future queen. But, according to Charles, it was unfair to keep the poor girl in limbo. And so (William) decided to cut it off.”
“Her colleagues heard Kate on the phone asking her to explain what was going on, asking her to explain why this was happening, and crying,” Andersen said. “Kate was understandably devastated. Her colleagues heard Kate pleading with William, asking: “Why?” It all came as a real shock.”
Kate Middleton is said to have been heartbroken after Prince William broke up with her. They were soon reunited. (Mel Bouzad/FilmMagic)
The book describes how Kate “gently pressed William for commitment, but was careful not to overdo it.” However, it was all over.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Kate Middleton (pictured) and Prince William announced their separation in April 2007. (Jules Annan/Avalon/Getty Images)
That evening, Andersen said, Kate returned home to her mother, who encouraged her daughter to leave the house and embrace her independence.
“Carole Middleton, a very smart woman, told her, ‘Just go out there and show him what he’s missing,'” Andersen said. “So she returned to society.”
Kate Middleton and her mother Carole Middleton attend the British Eventing Festival at Gatcombe Park in Stroud, England. (Indigo/Getty Images)
Kate refused to remain heartbroken. The book claimed that she adopted a new diet and exercise regime and began “wearing micro-miniskirts” and “painted designer jeans.”
Kate Middleton’s dramatic breakup has caught the attention of her ex-boyfriend, Prince William. (Fiona Hanson – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
She returned to London nightclubs with her “shotgun-riding” sister Pippa Middleton. In between having fun with “several young men,” local newspapers reported, she also signed up for Sisterhood, a women’s rowing team. She was far from moping.
“Carole Middleton came to her daughter’s aid,” Andersen said. “She convinced Kate not to show her resentment, to go out with other young people in their circle and join the women’s rowing team, making it look like she was having a great time. Kate and her sister Pippa walked around the city almost every night, making sure they were photographed in the company of handsome young aristocrats.”
Christopher Andersen, author of Kate!, told Fox News Digital that Prince William quickly realized he made a huge mistake by breaking up with Kate Middleton. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
William was reportedly hurt by the headlines. The book claimed that when it became known that Kate and Sir Henry Ropner, “the dashing heir to a shipping fortune”, were “in each other’s arms on the dance floor”, William knew he had made a huge mistake.
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Kate Middleton and Guy Pelly dance at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour pre-Wimbledon party hosted by Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson at The Roof Gardens in London. (Dave M. Bennett/Getty Images)
“William went on a couple of drunken sprees,” Andersen said. “In fact, at one point he was in a London nightclub shouting, ‘I’m free!’ But six weeks after the breakup, he returned to Kate with his tail between his legs.”
Kate Middleton is here training on the River Thames for the Cross Channel Challenge. (Photo by Justin Goff/Getty Images)
“The separation was a wake-up call for William,” Andersen continued. “After all his years with Kate, he somehow felt it was his responsibility to sow some more oats. After all, that’s what most male royals did. But pretty quickly he realized that Kate was the love of his life and someone with whom he could build a future.”
And there was one party that changed everything.
Kate Middleton, her sister Pippa Middleton and friends arrive at the Renaissance Rooms in South London for the Day-Glo Midnight Roller Disco. (Anthony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images)
In the book William and Catherine by Russell Myers, royal editor of the Daily Mirror, he wrote that one of their mutual friends, Sam Whaley-Cohen, was hosting a party at his family’s home, a 17th-century manor in Oxfordshire. The theme for the evening was “Freakin’ Naughty.”
WATCH: KATE MIDDLETON’S FUTURE AT THE PARTY THAT CHANGED PRINCE WILLIAM
William, who “missed” Kate, approached her and asked if she would go to the party they had been writing about in their diary for months. Kate, who didn’t want to commit to a phone call, said she’d think about it.
Kate Middleton watches from the crowd during a Wimbledon lawn tennis championship match at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. (Ryan Pierce/Getty Images)
“Eager to impress and perhaps help break the ice when he saw Catherine for the first time in months, William dressed in tight black shorts and a plastic police helmet,” Myers wrote. “Catherine also turned heads when she arrived in a striking ‘naughty nurse’ outfit, complete with fishnet tights and a short dress.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Kate Middleton (right) enjoys a fabulous evening with her sister Pippa Middleton. (Niki Nikolova/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
“Other guests said that as soon as William and Catherine saw each other, it was clear that their love was not extinguished,” he wrote. “The couple separated from the rest of the group and spent hours in deep conversation. “Catherine listened intently as William tried to break the impasse by laying out the reasons why he doubted what they had.”
During the couple’s engagement interview with ITV News in 2010, Prince William said he “realized there was something special about Kate Middleton” from the moment they met. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
“He talked about his fear of letting someone really experience the world he lived in, as well as his fear of being rejected if he allowed himself to get too close,” Myers continued. “Catherine knew, of course, that she was still deeply in love with William.”
“As the cocktails flowed and the dance floor filled, they only had eyes for each other,” Myers wrote.
Kate Middleton here in London circa 2007. (Mark Milan/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
In the summer of 2007, William and Kate resumed their romance.
“Kate kindly made it clear that she understood the pressure he was under,” Andersen said.
Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital that Prince William was also deeply concerned about Kate Middleton’s safety, which contributed to the split. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
“Finally, William no longer doubted the role she was destined to play in his life. Kate was in love with William, and vice versa. This had been the case for five years by the time they separated.
Kate Middleton leaving her Chelsea apartment in London on her 25th birthday, circa 2007. British tabloids became fixated on the future Princess of Wales when she began dating Prince William. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“She never doubted William’s love for her, and he never doubted her devotion to him. But you have to understand that there are so many expectations placed on the future king that at some point he will break. That’s exactly what happened when he initiated the breakup.”
“Fortunately, William soon came to his senses,” Andersen added.
Prince William and Catherine smile after their wedding at Westminster Abbey in London. Thousands of well-wishers also flocked to the city to witness the royal wedding. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Three years later, in 2010, William and Kate announced their engagement. The following year they married in London’s Westminster Abbey. Today they are the proud parents of three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment for Foxnews.com.