At the time in 2007, Prince William and Kate Middleton had been dating for about five years after meeting as students at the University of St. Andrews. William and Kate were both 25 years old, and the public was increasing pressure on William to propose. However, according to the Mirror, William began to break out in a cold sweat.

His nerves had been on edge for some time, and according to the magazine, William was so anxious about the pressure that he confided in both his father, Prince Charles, and his grandmother, the Queen, at Christmas 2006.

"William reconsidered and sat down with his father and grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate," says royal expert Katie Nicole. 'Both advised him not to rush into anything.'

A few months later, William called Kate at work to break things off, and she was devastated. She later recalled in an interview about their engagement (which eventually came true in 2010), "I wasn't very happy at the time, but it made me stronger. I found out things about myself that maybe I hadn't realized. I think that when you are young, you are sometimes preoccupied with love. I didn't think about it at the time, but that time was really important to me as well.

William, on the other hand, said, "We were both very young... We were both finding ourselves and becoming different characters. We were trying to find our own way and grow up, so there was a bit of a gap, and it worked out for the best."

According to the Mirror, "the queen was disappointed by the breakup. However, Kate spent those months away polishing herself: she was seen carrying a copy of Love Is Not Enough: A Smart Woman's Guide to Keeping (and Making) Money in her handbag, she was spotted at a children's hospice in Kate's teammate, Erika, is also a member of a women-only dragon boat racing team that rows across the English Channel to raise funds for a children's hospice. According to Kate's teammate Emma Sayre, Kate "kept in touch with William all the time," and it only took about two months for William to miss her.

William "got the message before he or anyone else," says royal historian Robert Lacey.

About three months later, they became a couple again, and in 2008, when William's cousin Peter Phillips (son of Princess Anne) married Autumn Kelly, Kate attended the family wedding on William's behalf. (William was in Africa at the time attending a friend's wedding.)

"It is believed that the pair agreed to a marriage proposal during a secret vacation in the Seychelles," the Mirror reported. (The Seychelles is where William and Kate would eventually go on their honeymoon in 2011.) The plan is for William to complete his military training before the wedding, and Kate is said to have advised him to "take a breather" before the wedding"

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In October 2010, William took a secret motorcycle trip to speak with the Queen again. This time it was to receive his late mother, Princess Diana's 18-carat sapphire and diamond engagement ring. Later that month, on an African safari, "he carried it in a backpack, fearing he might lose it," and "proposed to Kate in a secluded spot near Mount Kenya," the Mirror reported. The engagement was publicly announced on November 16, 2010.

"It's my mother's engagement ring," William said at the announcement. He stated, "It's special to me, and Kate is special to me, and it's only right that they be together." He added, "The timing is right." As any man knows, you need the right motivation to get yourself going."

The couple married on April 29, 2011 and have been married for over 11 years.