Obviously the royal marriage that makes the most headlines these days is that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
(Some say the Sussexes’ global popularity was the primary reason that they attracted so much enmity in London, but that’s a conversation for another time.)
But with change in the air at Buckingham Palace, Prince William and Kate Middleton are once again attracting the attention of royal-watchers.
These days, the focus is primarily on their family — two sons and a daughter — and their future, as barring some unforeseen tragedy, William will ascend to the throne some time within the next couple of decades.
(Realistically, his coronation probably isn’t 20 years off, but longevity seems to be a dominant trait in the Windsor clan.)
And with Will and Kate back in the spotlight, British tabloid journalists are once again turning their attention to the couple’s somewhat checkered past.
To be clear, neither party has been accused of any wrongdoing, but their relationship has seen many ups and downs, and often, the public wasn’t sure what to make of these two as a public.
It’s easy to forget that Kate was kept on the shelf for so long that ithe media dubbed her “Waity Katie.”
And many folks who only recently began keeping tabs on the royals might not even be aware that Will and Kate briefly broke up.
The split happened back in 2007, so it’s ancient history by celebrity gossip standards, but it’s back in the news thanks to new claims made by journalist and royal expert Katie Nicholl.
Nicholl says that around the time of his split with Kate, William was meeting frequently with his grandmother, the Queen.
It’s previously been reported that Elizabeth was quite vocal on the subject of her eldest grandson’s relationship, but until now, it was unclear which path she advised him to pursue.
So did the Queen order William to settle down and marry the eternally-patient Kate, as previous reports have claimed?
Well, not so much, according to Nicholl.
In fact, she claims the Queen might have nudged William in the opposite direction.
“William had been having second thoughts and sat down with his father and his grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate. Both advised him not to hurry into anything,” Nicholl told UK tabloid the Mirror this week.
Nicholl says that the Queen was “disappointed” by the breakup, but she had vowed not to interfere in the relationship (though she likely offered some adamant advice).
Nicholls’ comment doesn’t shed much new light on the situation, but it was enough to prompt the British media to delve back into the rockiest period in the history of the Cambridges.
At the time, the split was widely assumed to be permanent, and much was made of the fact that Kate was spotted carrying a book entitled Love Is Not Enough: A Smart Woman’s Guide To Keeping (And Making) Money.
The couple reconciled in July of 2017, and both Will and Kate have commented on the situation publicly — but for obvious reasons, it’s not their favorite topic of conversation.
“At the time, I wasn’t very happy about it, but it made me a stronger person,” Kate said of the split in an interview that took place shortly after Will popped the question in 2010.
“You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized,” the Duchess continued.
“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.”
“We were both very young… we were both finding ourselves and being different characters,” William chimed in.
So yeah, we might never know exactly how the breakup unfolded or what exact role the Queen played, but you can be sure the momarch is quite pleased with the way things turned out.