Kate Middleton, Prince William’s brief breakup: Controversial details from couple’s split

Kate Middleton and Prince William got married to huge fanfare, in a televised ceremony on April 29, 2011.

However, in an oft-forgotten detail, the Prince and Princess of Wales did break up for a brief period of time before their eventual marriage.

In a book titled Catherine, The Princess of Wales, journalist and author Robert Jobson detailed the controversial affair which transpired in April 2007, before the fairytale 2011 wedding.

Here are all the juicy details:

The break-up

According to the British writer, it was the future king who initiated the split.

William reportedly informed his then-girlfriend about his intentions to break up in an “emotionally charged 30-minute conversation”.

The aftermath

The book further claimed that the Prince “celebrated their break-up with an alcohol-fuelled night at the Mahiki nightclub in Mayfair with his close pals”.

Reportedly breaking into the robot dance routine, the heir apparent is also believed to have shouted, “I’m free!”.

“He then told his friends that they should all ‘drink the menu’, which they more or less ended up doing,” wrote Jobson.

Kate’s choice

Amid William’s celebrations, Princess Kate is said to have indulged herself with  family outings, who supported their daughter and sister post her split.

The book stated that it was Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, who “acted swiftly, taking her heartbroken daughter for a break in Dublin - a welcome respite from media scrutiny.”

The rekindling

The Wales couple rekindled their relationship the same year as their break-up.

Confirmation of the reunion was observed when William and Kate accompanied each other to the Concert for Diana in 2007.

The engagement

William and Kate got engaged on October 20, 2010, after the Prince made his proposal.

However, the engagement was formally announced on November 16 the same year, which was also celebrated with the publishing of the couple’s official engagement shoot by Mario Testino.

The reflection

In their 2010 engagement interview with ITV, both Prince William and Kate Middleton addressed their short lived break-up.

“We did split up for a bit, but that was just, we were both very young, it was at university, and we were both sort of defining ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up,” revealed William.

Kate also echoed similar sentiments, despite claiming that she “wasn’t happy” about the split.

“I think I...at the time wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person,” she said.