It was the first time Prince William and Kate Middleton had been completely alone since their breakup in the spring and William told islanders it was the best holiday he had ever had.
Secluded on the paradise island of Desroches in the Seychelles, Kate and William filled their days with kayaking and snorkeling in the coral reefs at the five-star resort.
The two reportedly checked in under the names Martin and Rosemary Middleton to avoid the prying eyes of the public and press.
Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl wrote in her book The Making of a Royal Romance, ‘With a population of just 50 and three miles long, the paradise island was the perfect escape.’
After rekindling the flame of their six-year relationship, ‘both of them knew that at some point they had to discuss the future’.
‘For a young man who has an inherent fear of tomorrow this was not easy for William, but the tranquil backdrop of the island was as good place as any to discuss it.’
For the first time, on their trip in August 2007, they discussed quite seriously the subject of marriage and ‘William assured Kate she was the one’, according to the author.
‘William, who had inherited something of his father’s fear of commitment, knew he would lose Kate if he could not give her some form of guarantee.’
Kate Middleton and Prince William – pictured November 2010 – made a pact on their first trip away together since their breakup
After rekindling the flame of their six-year relationship, ‘both of them knew that at some point they had to discuss the future’, wrote royal author Katie Nicholl
The university sweethearts are pictured on their wedding day in 2011
‘They didn’t agree to get married there and then; what they made was a pact,’ a member of their inner circle explained.
‘William told Kate she was the one, but he was not ready to get married. He promised her his commitment and said he would not let her down, and in turn she agreed to wait for him.’
Their breakup came after it was reported that William had been flirting and dancing with another woman on a night out in March 2007 at the exclusive Boujis nightclub in South Kensington.
The strain between Kate and William was apparent as they attended Cheltenham Festival dressed in matching tweed outfits. Kate hid behind dark glasses while William sped ahead of her.
Turning to his family for advice, Prince Phillip told William to ‘make up his mind about marriage’, while Charles, who had ‘endured the pain of a very public divorce’, suggested he should not hurry into it, according to Nicholl.
But the final nail in the coffin came when tabloids ran pictures of William’s ‘drunken antics’ at the Elements nightclub in Bournemouth with two local girls.
Lisa Angar, a 19-year-old student, claimed the prince was ‘touchy, feely and quite p*****’, wrote Nicholl.
Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl wrote about the pact made between Kate and William in her book, The Making of a Royal Romance
The strain between Kate and William was apparent as they attended Cheltenham Festival dressed in matching tweed outfits. Kate hid behind dark glasses while William sped ahead of her
Kate – pictured in May 2007 – was heartbroken over their breakup and given a week of compassionate leave from her job as a children’s accessories buyer for high-street brand Jigsaw
If they were to stay together, she wanted his full commitment. Otherwise, the relationship was over.
William, then 24, was reportedly spooked. He loved his army lifestyle and had already said he did not want to be married ‘until I’m 28, or maybe 30’.
When there was talk of courtiers looking for a suitable date for a wedding and china cups being made ahead of a royal engagement, William’s cold feet turned to ice.
So the couple decided to go their separate ways in April 2007.
Kate was heartbroken and given a week of compassionate leave from her job as a children’s accessories buyer for high-street brand Jigsaw.
William decided to celebrate the end of his relationship rather differently – with a trip to his favourite nightclub Mahiki, a Polynesian-themed bar in Mayfair.
There, he leapt up on a table, shouting: ‘I’m free!’ News of their split broke the following day.
William – pictured in April 2007 – decided to celebrate the end of his relationship with a trip to his favourite nightclub Mahiki, a Polynesian-themed bar in Mayfair
Kate is pictured at Boujis nightclub in May 2007 – a month before getting back together with William
But by 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.
‘There’s an idea that I was like Cupid with a bow and arrow,’ Sam told The Mail on Sunday.
‘People love the idea that somebody put them back together, but they put themselves together far more.’
William then invited Kate to a party at his barracks in Dorset where the theme was ‘Freakin’ Naughty’.
The Prince wore hot pants and a policeman’s helmet which was seemingly enough for Kate to make up her mind.
That night, they stuck to the dancefloor, ‘couldn’t keep their hands off each other’ according to one guest and Kate stayed over at his barracks.
Nicholl wrote that Kate and William tried to keep their rekindled relationship under wraps.
‘Kate had not sat with William at Diana’s memorial concert at Wembley Stadium, nor did she attend the church service at the Guard’s Chapel.
Nicholl wrote that Kate and William tried to keep their rekindled relationship under wraps. Kate is pictured arriving at the Concert for Diana in July 2007
‘Kate had not sat with William at Diana’s memorial concert at Wembley Stadium, nor did she attend the church service at the Guard’s Chapel,’ wrote Nicholl
‘Behind the closed doors of Clarence House, however, William and Kate were seeing each other as often as possible.
‘It had taken just days for the prince to realise that ending their relationship was a mistake, but weeks before Kate agreed to give William a second chance,’ she wrote.
Before the start of the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007, on what would have been the princess’s 46th birthday, William was quizzed about his on-off relationship with Kate on the NBC Today Show.
‘What I do with my private life is really between me and myself basically,’ a stern William told a journalist.
As William didn’t want speculation about his relationship to eclipse his late mother’s concert, Kate agreed to sit two rows away in the Royal Box. As planned, William sat next to his best friend Thomas van Straubenzee; and Kate was accompanied by her brother James Middleton and sister Pippa.
But when Take That took to the stage, Kate allowed herself a momentary glance at William as she sang along to their hit song ‘Back For Good’.
‘Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it. I just want you back for good.’
Although she wanted to sit with William – much like Chelsy Davy was sitting with (and snogging) Prince Harry – Kate knew it would distract the media.
So she agreed to sit two rows behind William, and perhaps this was all the ‘space’ he needed.
William and Kate are pictured after his graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell on April 11, 2008 in Sleaford
William and Kate arrive to pose for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace on November 16, 2010
William is pictured training with the Royal Navy at Britannia Royal Naval college in June 2008 in Dartmouth, England
Writing in her book, Kate: The Future Queen, Nicholl revealed that William could not take his eyes off Kate, who wore a white coat-dress and knee-high boots.
Once again inspired by music, the loved-up pair danced to the Bodyrockers’ hit ‘I Like The Way (You Move)’, which, according to friends, was ‘their song’.
A few weeks after the concert, Kate and William were together again for Camilla’s 60th birthday party at Highgrove.
Kate had been smuggled in to avoid publicity but once inside, the pair enjoyed the glow of this new honeymoon period.
She wore a long cream dress and sipped champagne as William mouthed the words of Frank Sinatra’s ‘It Had To Be You’ to her, continuing the musical theme woven throughout their relationship.
As Nicholl noted in The Making of a Royal Romance, the pact they made that night in Desroches would ‘stand them in good stead’ for their future relationship and marriage.
In April the couple celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary and together for more than 20 years.
The pair tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in a beautiful, breathtaking ceremony that was watched by an estimated 163million viewers worldwide.
In April the couple celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary and together for more than 20 years
William and Kate have stuck together in sickness and health, welcoming three beautiful children, George, Charlotte and Louis. They are pictured during the military procession to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day in May
The pair exchanged their loving vows in a wholesome ceremony in front of their 2,000 guests, including David Beckham and Sir Elton John.
They have stuck together in sickness and health, welcoming three beautiful children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Kate’s uncle, Gary Goldsmith, also revealed a ‘tell tale’ sign that Kate and William were ‘genuinely compatible’ and soulmates.
In an interview with GB News in 2022, Gary said: ‘They are very comfortable with each other and they tease each other, which I think is a great tell-tale that people get on – when they can have fun at each other’s expense.
‘It’s done in a very tongue in cheek, very loving way. Touchy feely. It’s a very natural relationship.’
He also added that their ‘love story’ was born out of ‘friendship first’, something William has previously said he believed was an important factor in their future together.
