How Kate Middleton Won Back Prince William After He Dumped Her Brutally on a Phone Call

The royal love story of Prince William and Kate Middleton is one for the ages, filled with twists, turns, and a fairytale ending. Yet, few know that their journey to becoming the future King and Queen of England was almost derailed by a brutal breakup in 2007. According to Robert Jobson’s biography, Catherine: Princess of Wales, William and Kate’s romance nearly ended in a heart-wrenching 30-minute phone call. In 2007, after four years of dating, Prince William, then 24, decided he wasn’t ready to settle down. The young prince felt they both needed ‘a bit of space’ to find their own paths and couldn’t promise marriage, leading to an emotionally charged breakup call. 

Jobson wrote, “In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on 'different pages.' It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone. Though it wasn't the first time William had called time on their relationship, it felt final." He further added, "Catherine knew William wasn't in any hurry to propose, and the truth is she was prepared to wait until he was ready. After all, they were in love — weren't they?" As per People magazine, while Kate was heartbroken, William celebrated his newfound freedom in a way only a prince could. He headed to Mahiki nightclub in Mayfair with his close friends, declaring “I'm free!” and performing a drunken robot dance. His antics didn’t stop there; he urged his friends to ‘drink the menu,’ and they happily obliged.

William’s attempt to move on included pursuing socialite Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, who reportedly did not reciprocate his advances. Meanwhile, Kate decided she wasn’t going to let the breakup define her. Jobson revealed, “(Kate) wasn’t going to sit around moping; what was good for the goose was good for the gander. She turned to old friends for support, going on holiday with a girlfriend to Ibiza…making it difficult for William to put her out of his mind…seemed to be enjoying herself without him…heels were higher, and the outfits she wore that sometimes bared her midriff or her spectacular legs were far racier,” as reported by The Independent.

The turning point came at a "Freakin' Naughty" themed party organized by a mutual friend. Kate arrived dressed as a nurse, and William couldn’t resist making a beeline for her. Jobson shared, "She'd arrived dressed as a nurse, and William had made a beeline for her. They then spent the first part of the evening deep in conversation before hitting the dance floor, where they ended up kissing." This reunion was initially kept secret, but it was clear that William realized his mistake. He said, “I'm trying to learn from lessons done in the past. I wanted to give her a chance to see in, and to back out if she needed to, before it all got too much.”

In 2010, during a holiday in Kenya, William proposed to Kate by the side of the turquoise waters of Lake Alice. Jobson exclaimed,  “He finally proposed formally during a holiday in Kenya in 2010, by the side of the turquoise waters of Lake Alice. The question wasn’t entirely unexpected, of course, but Catherine’s face lit up with a radiant smile as she said yes…It might have taken him eight years, but William had finally landed the one woman he truly wanted.”