I went on wild night with Kate after William dumped her… it was a reality star's advice over cocktails that won him back

Scottish Sun

29-04-2025

There would be several secret meet-ups - and an invite to a 'Freakin' Naughty' party - before the pair finally reunited
GREAT KATE I went on wild night with Kate after William dumped her… it was a reality star's advice over cocktails that won him back
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PRINCE William and Kate Middleton are celebrating 14 years of marriage today but if a reality star hadn't got involved and offered her some dating advice, the pair might not have reunited after their split in 2007 - and I witnessed it first hand.
It was like a real life fairytale when Kate, 43 first met William, 42, at the University of St Andrew's in 2001.
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Kate Middleton was left heartbroken by her split from Prince William in 2007
Credit: Getty
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Pippa and Kate at a luxury bash for a book launch in 2007 - where Kelly Allen happened to bump into the future princess
Credit: Rex
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Kate was given a week compassionate leave from her job following their split
Credit: Rex
Ten years later, she was walking down the aisle at Westminster Abbey to marry her prince in the wedding that was watched by 2.5 billion people worldwide.
But back in 2007 it had looked like their courtship was over after a rocky period led to the future king ending things over fears they were getting too serious.
There was talk of courtiers starting to look for a suitable date for a wedding and china cups being made ahead of a royal engagement- and William who was only 25 at the time had seen first hand the effect a painful divorce had on his parents and was understandably a bit panicked and got cold feet.
As a newly single man, William 'celebrated' being back on the market with a trip to his favourite nightclub Mahiki, a Polynesian themed bar in Mayfair where he apparently leapt up on a table, shouting: 'I'm free!'
While heartbroken Kate was given a week of compassionate leave from her job as a children's accessories buyer for high-street brand Jigsaw.
But rather than eating ice cream on her sofa in her pyjamas watching Bridget Jones' Diary, she kept herself busy.
She was whisked to Ireland by her mother Carole Middleton to attend a family friend's private exhibition. The mother and daughter saw the paintings, attended the champagne reception and then completed a cultural day with a tour of the National Gallery of Ireland.
Without the constraints of dating the future king, Kate was free to let her hair down and accept invites to the numerous events that were sent to her every week.
She had the perfect wing woman in her sister, Pippa, who was relatively unknown at the time.
Pippa had just finished her undergraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh and moved into Kate's Chelsea flat.
Prince William and Kate will NEVER let Prince Andrew return to public duty - nobody wants him
They went out so much that they topped Tatler's Most Invited list that year.
The pair would hit the town immaculately turned out with spray tans and blow dries.
As well as partying in Mahiki, where Wills had been a few days earlier, the two appeared together at a series of upmarket social events - one of which was where I spotted her.
We were both at the launch of the book Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore at luxury jeweller Asprey on 14 May 2007.
Of course being a young plucky journalist, I went over to ask the prince's then ex about the split but Kate, who was even more beautiful in the flesh, was diplomatic in her responses.
She told me: 'I'm here for Simon, I don't really want to talk about anything else because it will take away from his special day. I'm looking forward to reading his book because I studied History of Art at university so anything historical interests me."
At the time, she had been offered a huge payday of £1m by ITV to go into the jungle and compete on I'm A Celebrity but simply smiled when I asked if she was interested in eating kangaroo testicles on live TV.
She also told me that she was planning 'to book a holiday somewhere hot' but added 'I'm sure you understand why I don't want to tell you where I'm thinking of going'.
But while she didn't want to open up to a journalist, she was keen to speak to Tara Palmer Tomkinson, who sadly passed away in 2017.
WILLS 'MISSING OUT'
They had a serious tete a tete in the corner while both sipping on Margaritas. Luckily I remained in earshot of their conversation so was privy to Tara doling out the advice.
While socialite Tara, was famous for appearing on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Celebrity Fame Academy, she was also connected as the then Prince Charles' god-daughter so she understood how the Royal Family worked.
Tara cornered Kate at the bash and immediately asked her: 'Do you want him back?' Kate of course said: 'Yes. I love him.'
Tara told her: 'Keep your chin up. Say nothing, do nothing and you'll be fine and he'll come back.'
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Socialite Tara Palmer Tomkinson gave Kate advice on how to get back with William while they sipped on cocktails
Credit: Rex Features
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Tara sadly passed away in 2017
Credit: EPA
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Kate and Pippa would hit the town immaculately turned out with spray tans and blow dries
Credit: Getty
At the time, William Hill was giving odds of 8-1 that Tara would be William's next girlfriend.
On hearing that people were betting on this, the party girl exclaimed, "That is ridiculous, honestly I've never heard anything like it."
She told me: 'I think William will be back as soon as he realises what he's missing out on.'
Of course, she had known Princes William and Harry since they were children.
'William, Harry and me – we grew up together,' Tara once said. 'They are lovely, naughty boys. There is a complete code of trust there, a code that says, 'Zip it and treasure it'. I have a thing about trust: it is priceless.'
Keep your chin up. Say nothing, do nothing and you'll be fine and he'll come back
Tara Palmer Tomkinson
Kate was hanging on her every word and the rest is history.
Shortly after that event William and Kate had a secret meet up at Clarence House and then a pub in Highgrove where the prince confessed he missed her and wanted to get back together.
But Kate had told him that she needed more time as she had been badly hurt by the break up.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's affectionate nicknames for each other
ROYAL editor Ingrid Seward told The Sun's Royal Show that the Prince and Princess of Wales have some rather informal pet names for one another.
Speaking to The Sun's Royal Correspondent Matt Wilkinson, she said: 'Prince William was Big Willie, I think.
'Kate was Babykins, But people change their nicknames every time.'
Ingrid added that King Charles often refers to Queen Camilla as 'darling' or 'beloved."
In June 2007, mutual friend Sam Waley-Cohen invited both Kate and William to a party at his family's 17th century manor house and according to one guest, they spent hours in deep conversation.
Speaking at the time Sam said: 'There's an idea that I was like Cupid with a bow and arrow. People love the idea that somebody put them back together but they put themselves together far more.'
She was then invited to a party with the theme 'Freakin' Naughty' at The Prince's army barracks in Dorset.
William wore hot pants and a policeman's helmet which must have impressed Kate as she stayed over. They were officially back together but kept their rekindled relationship under wraps.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton on a skiing holiday on March 19, 2008 in Klosters
Credit: Getty
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Kate told William that she needed more time as she had been badly hurt by the break up at a secret meet-up
Credit: Getty
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Kate and William at a charity gala in 2008
Credit: Shutterstock
In July 2007, Kate helped William make last minute edits to a speech he was giving at a tribute concert at Wembley to honour his mother Princess Diana and mark the ten-year anniversary of her death on what would have been her 46th birthday.
While William sat next to his best friend Thomas van Straubenzee alongside Harry and his girlfriend in the Royal box, two rows back Kate was seated alongside her brother James.
Then two weeks later she was in attendance at Camilla's 60th birthday party at Highgrove.
William and Kate opened up about an earlier split while they were at St Andrew's together during their interview by Tom Bradby to celebrate their engagement in 2010.
"We were both very young," William explained.
"It was at university, and we were both sort of finding ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff, it was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up.
"It was just sort of a bit of space and a bit of things like that, and it worked out for the better."
INSIDE THE SPLIT
Kate added: "I think I... at the time wasn't very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realised, or I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn't think it at the time. Looking back on it."
Kate never forgot the advice Tara gave her that fateful night. Regular ski trips to Klosters followed and Tara and Kate went on to become good friends. The socialite was there when the pair tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in 2011.
In 2012 - a year after the couple's wedding - Tara praised Kate for doing 'such a good job'.
'She is beautiful and capable, sort of super-grounded, but really fun too,' she said. 'I think she has done something amazing – I am really proud of her. Whenever I see her on the cover of another magazine I smile."
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Socialite Tara socialite was there when the pair tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in 2011
Credit: Getty
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Kate never forgot the advice Tara gave her that fateful night
Credit: Getty
She also said that Kate made her think of William's late mother, Princess Diana. 'She reminds me of his mother – something about her eyes.'
Of course the pair have gone on to have a happy marriage and three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
It's not been all easy as they coped with the news that the Princess of Wales had been diagnosed with cancer in March 2023 but now she is in remission it seems there is plenty to celebrate.
I hope the pair toast their 14th wedding anniversary today and there are many more to come.