The couple during their time at university ( Image: WireImage)
Prince William very nearly quit St Andrews after just one term, which would have meant he never met Princess Kate – but a chat with his dad, Charles, changed everything
Prince William and Princess Kate’s love story, which began at St Andrews University, almost didn’t happen – if it wasn’t for the intervention of Prince Charles.
William enrolled at the university in September 2001, but was having second thoughts after just one term. Royal author Robert Lacey suggests that university life wasn’t quite what William had envisioned.
The Prince “had not anticipated quite how ‘boring’ – his word – life in a small Scottish seaside town could be”, according to Lacey’s book, Battle of Brothers. Highlights included “shopping in the local Tesco”, while William’s social life was overshadowed by the fascination of his fellow students.
He also wasn’t particularly enjoying his history of art course.
Feeling discontented, he spent all but two weekends of his first term at home – and by Christmas, he was considering leaving the university altogether. Upon returning to London for the festive break in 2001, William discussed his plans to quit with his father, reports the Mirror.
As per Lacey, William asked Charles to help him devise a plan to leave St Andrews and transfer to another university, with Edinburgh being his preferred choice.
Charles consulted with his closest advisors, realising that it would look bad for William to drop out after such a brief period. According to Lacey, one aide remarked: “It would have been a personal disaster for William, he would have been seen as a quitter.”
Moreover, there was worry that it might negatively impact Scottish relations, considering the buzz around William’s choice to study there.
Prince Philip, upon learning of the situation, is said to have bluntly put forth: “William needs to knuckle down and not wimp out”. To this, Charles’s media manager, Mark Bolland, contributed: “It was no different from what many first-year students go through. We approached the whole thing as a wobble, which was entirely normal.”
“St Andrews had a flexible course structure and when they heard that William might be happier majoring in geography, they made sure there were no roadblocks.”
Post figuring out an alternative approach, the advisors returned to Charles proposing he show “demonstrate a more fatherly backbone”. In response, over the festive period, Charles did exactly that, engaging in a sincere discussion with his son.
The result was positive William decided to return to St Andrews.
The decision had far-reaching consequences beyond his education. William’s return to Scotland brought him closer to Kate, and they eventually fell in love, tying the knot in April 2011.
Reflecting on the “wobble”, William said: “I don’t think I was homesick, I was more daunted. “My father was very understanding about it and realised I had the same problem he probably had. We chatted a lot, and in the end we both realised – I definitely realised – that I had to come back.”
