Prince William and Princess Kate’s love story has already been likened to a fairytale after they met and fell in love as students, before their extravagant wedding ceremony on April 29, 2011.
They now have three children and have stepped up admirably into their roles as future King and Queen with more senior responsibilities in the Firm.
But before they started studying at St Andrews in September 2001, William and Kate undertook a gap year, with both choosing to embark on expeditions with Raleigh International, and almost had a chance encounter.
As teenagers they travelled to Patagonia in Chile for a ten-week expedition just months apart, with William departing for South America in October 2000 and Kate just a few months behind in January 2001.
Expedition leader Malcolm Sutherland was in charge of leading both their groups and shared the details of his time with the Prince and Princess with the Evening Standard.
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He said: “With the expedition that William was on, there was a clear understanding of who he was, while Kate was like you and I. She was like everyone else; she didn’t have a profile.
“She was by herself, like most people. She was definitely one of the fitter and stronger members of her group, which assisted her for sure. At times it was physically demanding. She was pretty easygoing.
“There are no hair dryers, and there are very few showers to be seen. Even if you are a princess, it’s very hard to operate as a princess.”
Raleigh International expeditions can be a very gruelling undertaking, with William and Kate having full-on itineraries during their respective trips.
Kate’s schedule for the 10-week stint included wilderness trekking, a three-week marine survey assisting scientists, and helping with the construction of a fire station.
William meanwhile helped to renovate a fire station and repair a wooden walkway used by villagers, either sleeping in tents outside or crammed in with 15 other people.
After starting at St Andrews the future couple moved into St Salvator’s Hall residence, but their romantic relationship did not begin until the following year, 2002.
The pair shared a flat in their second year, but Kate supposedly first caught William’s eye after she took part in a charity fashion show, with the Prince paying £200 for a front row ticket.
However William had to wait for his date, as Kate was seeing another student at the time, putting their romance on the backburner for a little while.
