The Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers has written the first joint biography of the Prince and Princess of Wales in over a decade. William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story draws on exclusive access to numerous palace insiders and features never-before-told context about the biggest stories to have followed the Prince and Princess of Wales in recent years
Here the final part of the Mirror’s exclusive serialisation, it is revealed how Queen Elizabeth II played a key role in bringing the Prince and Princess of Wales back together following their heartbreaking split…
In March 2007, William and Catherine who had barely seen each other since Christmas, were pictured decked out in matching tweed, appearing frosty with each other at the Cheltenham horse racing festival.
Sources claimed the relationship had ‘soured beyond repair’. Days later, William heaped further embarrassment on Catherine when he was pictured appearing to grope an 18-year-old Brazilian student he met on the dancefloor of Elements nightclub in Bournemouth. Looking wide-eyed, sweaty and clutching a pint of beer as he stood between two young women, William seemed to have temporarily abandoned his senses. Was this the normality he craved?
Or was he simply a young man letting off some steam after finishing a tank commander course, while continuing to exist in a pressure-cooker situation? Catherine was upset and admonished him for his behaviour, questioning whether the light of their four-year relationship was about to be extinguished forever.
In the days after the Cheltenham Festival, deeply unhappy and at a loss to describe how their relationship had faltered, Catherine delivered an ultimatum to William. While she did not explicitly demand an engagement or even a promise of marriage, she did break free from the gentle and arguably submissive persona that had typified her relationship with the future king.
A long-standing friend who she confided in at the time said, ‘Catherine was distressed. She was miserable, but she certainly wasn’t desperate. She felt as though she had nothing to lose and for the first time she probably relayed her true feelings to William. She wasn’t demanding an engagement, but she wanted a commitment, and if he couldn’t deliver that, well, then she left him in no doubt that it was best they go their separate ways.’
On many levels, the conversation was the clearest sign of the changing dynamic of their relationship. Catherine was no longer a shy student finding her way in the world, nor was she willing to be portrayed as the long-suffering girlfriend of a prince who had other priorities. Either they were a team, or they weren’t.
‘At least now she is free’
In a shock move, William personally instructed Clarence House to confirm the news that he and Catherine were no longer together. But, behind the scenes, there was much going on that suggested this was more than just a difference of opinion. It’s telling that William confided to one senior courtier that, ‘at least she is free.’
This was perhaps the most significant moment in his life since his mother had passed. William revealed a deep distress and anxiety over what a relationship with him represented in the real world.
The attention, the constant pressure and expectation. He held these things responsible for contributing to the breakdown of his previous relationships, but now, when it mattered the most, he wondered if he was taking the right course of action, for Catherine or himself.
William’s conversations with the Queen – follow your heart
The Queen had witnessed at first hand the toxicity that spilled over from Charles and Diana’s relationship and the devastating effect of the Princess of Wales ’s tragic death on both William and Harry. And she knew that William was hurting from the attempt to reconcile so many competing expectations, demands and desires.
During those initial days of hopelessness after the tragedy of Diana’s death, Elizabeth’s first reaction had been that of a grandmother, not a monarch. She refused to bow to pressure from the press and instead dedicated herself to comforting her suffering grandchildren. Now she would do the same.
Sensing William was struggling, the Queen invited him to Sunday lunch to judge his mood. William was more than just crestfallen and worried about whether he was throwing away the one constant in his life. He was, according to one well-placed source, ‘completely broken’.
‘In that moment the Queen advised her grandson that the only certain path is the one supported by faith. It was all she had to say,’ they said.
William realised Catherine was the one
William and Catherine knew full well the pressures that lay ahead. Getting back together would only intensify the questions over the future of their relationship.
Whether that meant marriage or just a commitment that they were both in it for the long haul didn’t particularly matter at that stage to Catherine, but William had to at least let her in. A source close to the couple said: ‘They came back clear that they would face the future together. That’s all Catherine had ever wanted and now that William was fully on board and recognised that it was not solely about him, everything seemed to fall into place.’
Catherine’s intimate meeting with the Queen ahead of her wedding and Elizabeth’s advice on “headstrong husbands”
In December 2010, Queen Elizabeth invited Catherine to Buckingham Palace. Although billed as an informal catch-up, it was the first time Catherine had met the monarch on her own and she was understandably nervous.
Even though Catherine had by now met the Queen on several occasions, she sought advice from aides on what to wear and say during the meeting. In the car on the way over to Buckingham Palace, she adjusted her hair and touched up her makeup before being met by the Queen’s private secretary and taken to a room where afternoon tea had been laid out.
Her Majesty had requested to be kept up to date with the preparations of the wedding committee. During the light buffet of tea and finger sandwiches, the Queen eschewed questions about the finer details of the production and instead looked to comfort the young woman she hoped would successfully shape the institution for the next generation.
According to one former courtier, the Queen offered words of encouragement to Catherine regarding her future role as a senior member of the family, as well as guidance in how to deal with ‘headstrong’ husbands.
In a lighter moment, the Queen also advised Catherine to not get too bogged down with the details of the guest list, telling her not to worry about how many people would be there. There were many she wouldn’t know and many she wouldn’t see again. In a startling gesture to the young bride, the Queen also generously offered Catherine the opportunity to consult with royal jewellers over borrowing an item from her personal, priceless jewellery collection. The source said, ‘It was a lovely gesture and typical of the Queen to think of how Catherine would be feeling.’
Queen Elizabeth gives her blessing for William to delay starting a full time royal role
There was an undeniable feeling inside palace walls that while William and Catherine were hugely significant to the future of the institution, they would need to be guided through the complexities of royal life.
While courtiers were au fait with William’s hankering for a ‘normal’ existence, which most recently had been a deciding factor in choosing to study in Scotland and later to live in Wales, there was a distinct feeling in the palace that whatever he and Catherine did next would break the royal mould.
In a one-on-one meeting with his grandmother before his wedding, William had reiterated his desire to take advantage of the freedom of living in Wales after marriage, while also giving.
Catherine the opportunity to make her first tentative steps into a world that was almost completely alien to her. In response, the Queen shared her own profoundly personal experiences as a newlywed with Prince Philip.
Between 1949 and 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh’s service with the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet had provided the couple the opportunity of a lifetime. The Queen felt there were deep parallels between her cherished time in Malta and William’s determination to live in Wales for longer. ‘The Queen certainly had sympathy with his
[William’s] situation. Her direction was very much “go and live your life”, but also to have one eye on the future, as you never know when things will change,’ one former courtier said. William drew much comfort from his grandmother’s words and felt emboldened to make the most of the opportunity that lay in front of him and Catherine, for as long as they could make it last.
Extracted from WILLIAM AND CATHERINE by RUSSELL MYERS, published by Ebury Spotlight on 26th February at £22. Copyright © Russell Myers 2025.
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