EXCLUSIVE: Inside Prince William's Secret Pub Date With Catherine Before Famous Catwalk Moment
Prince William and his future bride had a secret date at a pub.
Sept. 27 2026, Updated 3:00 p.m. ET
Prince William secretly drove more than an hour to take Catherine Middleton on a country pub date months before the famous university catwalk appearance widely credited with transforming their friendship into romance, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to Ingrid Seward's new book, Catherine & Diana, they headed to the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, where Catherine helped the unhappy prince make a decision that would change his university life.
Prince William and Catherine Middleton's Secret Pub Date Revealed
Prince William secretly took Catherine Middleton on a pub date in 2001.
William, now 44, and Catherine, also 44, had completed their first term at St Andrews University when, during the Christmas holidays of 2001, he collected her from her family's home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Seward writes in the tome, extracts from which have been published by the Daily Mail: "In the snug surroundings of a country pub with dark wood furnishings and a fire going, there was a crucial shift in their fledgling relationship. Catherine was relishing their art history course, but William was unhappy."
William had discovered studying art history held little appeal despite growing up surrounded by great works at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
But he was reluctant to abandon the course because he feared being viewed as a failure, and Catherine already knew through their university conversations he was fascinated by the natural world following a trip to Kenya.
During their evening together, she encouraged William to consider alternatives and helped him explore his options.
Seward writes: "Surrounded as he was by people who almost always said 'yes,' it was difficult for William in those days to form concrete opinions, but here was someone genuinely interested in his dilemma, coming up with a solution."
Prince William's St Andrews Course Change
Middleton encouraged Prince William to follow his interests.
William returned to St Andrews in January and switched from art history to geography.
The revelation places his and Catherine's pub outing before the March 2002 Don't Walk charity fashion show that became one of the defining stories of their early relationship.
Catherine modeled a sheer gold-and-black creation with blue ribbon trim over a black bandeau bra and bikini bottoms.
According to the familiar account, William watched her walk the runway and told friends: "She's hot!"
But Seward argues Catherine had already secured something potentially more important than William's attraction – his trust.
St Andrews Friendship Blossoms Into Romance
Prince William and Middleton secretly shared a student home.
The pair had become close almost immediately after arriving at St Andrews, where they both lived at St Salvator's Hall and studied art history.
Fellow student Helen McArdle recalled: "She was the only girl allowed in their gang and you would see her with them, laughing and joking at every breakfast, lunch and dinner. It sealed their friendship."
Catherine lent William lecture notes when royal commitments kept him away from classes, while the pair went running and swimming together.
Their relationship subsequently developed privately, with Catherine and William moving into a Hope Street maisonette alongside fellow students Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale.
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Prince William proposed to Middleton in Kenya in 2010.
Seward writes that the arrangement provided useful cover.
She said: "Those who knew about the arrangement assumed that if there was any romance going on it had to be between Catherine and Fergus, so well had the new lovers managed to conceal their relationship."
Their romance became public in 2004 before a brief split in 2007. They reconciled within months.
William proposed in Kenya in 2010 using his mother Princess Diana's engagement ring, and he and Catherine married at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.
