‘Palace aides had brokered a deal with the media that they believed would guarantee William privacy while he was in higher education.’
THE PRIVACY DEAL
William and Kate’s love affair was able to thrive at St Andrews because of a deal between Clarence House, Lord Wakeham of the Press Complaints Commission, and the media.
The young Prince had completed his school days at Eton and his gap year abroad free from photographers’ lenses. His first ever official engagement with his father was to attend the PCC’s 10th anniversary party as a way of showing his appreciation to Fleet Street editors. But he feared that all bets were off at St Andrews and worried that his life could turn into a free-for-all.
The subject was a particularly sensitive one after the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death. A drunken driver may have been to blame for the Paris crash, but William would understandably never forget that she was being pursued by paparazzi.
In fact, another gentlemen’s agreement was reached that seemed to keep both sides happy. William would give occasional carefully managed interviews at landmark moments in his life – such as his 21st birthday – in which limited photo opportunities were granted. In return, news teams would stay away from the halls of residence, the campus and the town.Two days before William arrived at the university, the PCC and Andrew Neil – former editor of The Sunday Times and now rector of St Andrews – held a meeting with 400 students. They were informed that they would also be protected from any prying eyes. Students were later warned that anyone found leaking information about William would be kicked out. Newspapers and broadcasters were told they could cover William’s arrival at the university as long as they were out of town by nightfall.
The agreement got off to a shaky start – William was late after lunch with the Queen Mother at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate. Incredibly, Prince Edward’s Ardent Productions team hung around, only to be humiliatingly booted off site days later.
But that was the sole – albeit extraordinary – blip in a media deal which William later hailed as a success. ‘There’s lots of people saying it’s impossible to lead a normal life really,’ he said. ‘But actually up here, and with the media out of it, it’s amazing how folk just get on with their lives and will not bother you.’
The one bright spot in an apparently downbeat existence was that he had made some new chums. And it was Kate, the pretty brunette he saw regularly on his course and in his halls, who was very much a key player in this developing set.
Overcoming their shared natural shyness, they gravitated towards each other through a number of other mutual interests.
Over a coffee in the halls of residence - or perhaps something stronger at local bars such as Ma Bells or The Gin House - they would excitedly recount their respective gap-year experiences of Chile. They both a shared love of sport - he played rugby, polo, water polo and enjoyed skiing - and their burgeoning friendship strengthened across the tennis net. But it was nothing more than that - a platonic relationship - in those early days at St Andrews.
Kate dated charming older law student Rupert Finch for some months, while William briefly stepped out with fellow fresher Carley Massy-Birch. William’s views on potential university girlfriends became clear more than 18 months later, when he gave an interview to mark his 21st birthday at the end of his second year in June 2003.
He said that he didn’t have a ‘steady girlfriend’ but insisted that it wasn’t through a lack of confidence. ‘If I fancy a girl and I really like her and she fancies me back, which is rare, I ask her out,’ he said. ‘But, at the same time, I don’t want to put them in an awkward situation because a lot of people don’t quite understand what comes with knowing me, for one, and secondly, if they were my girlfriend, the excitement it would probably cause.’
He also expressed his frustration and bewilderment at the level of intense scrutiny that surrounded his love life. ‘There’s been a lot of speculation about every single girl I’m with and it actually does quite irritate me after a while, more so because it’s a complete pain for the girls,’ he admitted. ‘These poor girls, you know, whom I’ve either just met and get photographed with, or they’re friends of mine, suddenly get thrown into the limelight and their parents get rung up and so on. I think it’s a little unfair on them really. I’m used to it because it happens quite a lot now. But it’s very difficult for them and I don’t like that at all.’ And he joked:
‘Only the mad girls chase me. No, I’ve never been aware of anyone chasing me but if there were, could they please leave their telephone number.’
Kate was neither mad nor chasing William, but she had his mobile number.
She was close enough to the future King by the end of the first term to act as a valued confidante when he hit his lowest ebb at St Andrews. He was unsettled and making regular 900-mile round trips to Prince Charles’s Highgrove estate near Tetbury in Gloucestershire.
Over the Christmas holidays, he told his father that enough was enough and he wanted to quit the university.
This presented a potential PR disaster for the Royal Family and would draw unflattering comparisons with Prince Edward’s failure to stick with the Royal Marines 15 years earlier. After consulting with aides, Prince Charles took a tough line with his elder son. He sat him down and told him quitting was not an option.
‘ He didn’t think that watching his attractive new friend would prove to be much of a chore – and he was right.’
William returned in January, under no illusion that he must show his mettle. His spirits were given a massive boost in March of his second term when he heard that Kate was to model in a college fashion show. William bought a £200 VIP front-row seat to lend his support at the event, which was called ‘Don’t Walk’ and sponsored by Yves St Laurent.
He didn’t think that watching his attractive new friend would prove to be much of a chore - and he was right. Kate was the shining star of the show. She drew gasps of admiration as she sashayed along the catwalk wearing a sheer black lace dress over a strapless bra and black bikini bottoms. The daring outfit showed off Kate’s toned frame to perfection and William watched agog as he saw her in a completely new light. Just four years on from the Eton vs Marlborough hockey match, a total role reversal had taken place. It was now William who couldn’t take his eyes off Kate.
He respected her judgment, too. Following chats with Kate and his tutors, he decided to switch courses to geography after struggling to get to grips with history of art. With the academic cloud that had been hanging over his head lifting, a high-spirited William set about looking for a flat to rent for his second year. He would share with old Etonian pal Fergus Boyd and - of course - his very good friend Kate Middleton.
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