A pal told Kate she’d be Queen Catherine of England... she just shrieked in disbelief

 

The look of love ... Prince William and Kate Middleton at a wedding together last month

 

THE marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton next year will crown the royal romance of the decade.
The Sun's Royal Correspondent, James Clench, has witnessed the couple's love blossoming. And in a new book, William And Kate: A Royal Love Story - with pictures by legendary photographer Arthur Edwards - he tells how the couple met and fell in love.
In Day One of our serialisation of the book we reveal Kate's girlhood crush on Wills - and how she first caught the young Prince's eye.

Out Nov 26th ... William & Kate

ASKED during her engagement interview whether it was true she had a photo of Prince William on her wall at university, a laughing Kate Middleton said: "He wishes!"
She went on to reveal she had instead had a poster of a hunky Levi's jeans model on her student bedroom wall.
But The Sun can reveal that as a sweet 16-year-old schoolgirl Kate DID have a picture of the Prince - on the wall of her dormitory.
A former friend of Kate's revealed how she had pinned a photo of William dressed in polo gear alongside pictures of pop stars.
The Prince had just paid a visit to her school, Marlborough College in Wiltshire, to play a hockey match. Kate was in the throes of a huge schoolgirl crush on him.

School pal ... Jessica Hay

Middi, as Kate was known to her schoolmates, was among dozens of starstruck young girls who rushed to the school sports field to watch the dashing young prince that day in 1998.
Jessica Hay, a close school friend of Kate's, revealed: "Another girl would tell Catherine that one day she'll be Queen of England - and she would shriek in disbelief."
After that hockey match Kate probably thought she would never get the chance to meet the Prince properly. But just a few years later fate threw them together, at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Kate was voted the prettiest girl in her uni house so it was no surprise William picked her out to join his small circle of friends during his first year there, 2001.
Kate and William were often seen having coffee, studying in the library and watching rugby together.
But their relationship, despite Kate's stunning looks, was firmly platonic for their first and second years at St Andrews.
Kate was seeing law student Rupert Finch, while William romanced several students, none of whom hung around very long.
He was later to complain that it was difficult for him to get a date, saying: "If I fancy a girl and I really like her and she fancies me back, which is rare, I ask her out. But, at the same time, I don't want to put them in an awkward situation because a lot of people don't quite understand what comes from knowing me, for one, and secondly the excitement it would probably cause. Only the mad girls chase me!"

Study buddies ... Kate and Prince William at St Andrews University together in 2003

PETER KELLY

At the start of their third year at university the couple, along with two close pals, moved into a house together.
Then, in March 2004 The Sun was the first newspaper to reveal that the couple had been dating since shortly before Christmas 2003. Kate, we told the nation, had been to Prince Charles's Gloucestershire home, Highgrove, at least three times and had even enjoyed a weekend tryst in a romantic cottage on the Queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Tender moment ... first public kiss on skiing trip to Klosters

Scott Hornby

Prince Charles had met Kate - and thoroughly approved. In fact, when our story broke Kate and William were skiing with Charles in Klosters, Switzerland.
The royal media pack were beside themselves - and Kate found herself the focus of every camera lens. But she was the model of discretion, refusing to say a word about her and William's romance.
Prince William's next gesture was to prove to Kate just how serious he was feeling about her.
Instead of going on a planned break to Africa, where he would have been reunited with old flame Jecca Craig, he instead took Kate on a holiday to the idyllic island of Rodrigues, near Mauritius.
They enjoyed a blissful time and on their return seemed as strong a couple as ever.
On William's second trip with Kate to Klosters, in 2005, our then royal reporter asked the Prince - during an informal chat in a nightclub - about the possibility of the pair getting married.
A surprised William told Duncan Larcombe: "Look, I'm only 22 for God's sake! I am too young to marry at my age. I don't want to get married until I am at least 28, or maybe 30."
But at their graduation ceremony in June that year Kate and William looked very much a couple. And the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla were there to see it.
Shortly after leaving university, William signed up for Army officer training at Sandhurst, Berkshire, to begin in January 2006. The tough course lasted 44 weeks and meant frequent, long periods apart.

Swooning ... Kate Middleton in a school play

Perhaps to reassure an anxious Kate, the Prince whisked her away for a second holiday to Kenya before he started his career in the forces. This again started frenzied rumours, with the bookies offering odds of 3-1 on the couple soon tying the knot.
By now Kate was frequently spending evenings at Highgrove with William, staying overnight. She had also, most significantly, been invited to dine with the Queen and Prince Philip for the first time.
The dinner at Balmoral was daunting for Kate but she sailed through. A source later revealed: "The Queen and Prince Philip think a lot of Kate.
"They admire the way she has conducted herself while being such a part of William's life over the past few years."
That year, 2005, William and Kate spent Boxing Day together at Sandringham House in Norfolk.
To be invited to the royal estate at a time when the Queen's family are gathered together for Christmas was seen by many as further evidence of the royal seal of approval for the romance. Just days before his officer training was to start, William took Kate back to Klosters.
It was here, perhaps mindful of the fact that he would not see her for the first five weeks of his time at Sandhurst, William gave Kate his first ever kiss in public. Caught on camera by The Sun, the tender gesture showed how in love the couple were.
He also referred to her as "adorable Kate" at a farewell party thrown for him back at Clarence House in London.
From Sandhurst William sent Kate long, heartfelt love notes calling her by the nickname Babykins.

Hugs ... Prince William and Kate Middleton at a polo match last year

Alpha Press

She replied with the name she had for him - Big Willie.
Their love survived his time at Sandhurst and Kate was guest of honour at his passing-out parade.
Joined by her mum and dad, her presence at what was an official royal occasion drove engagement speculation to fever pitch.
Everything seemed rosy but after William returned to Sandhurst, Kate - still jobless a year after graduating - found herself dubbed Waity Katie.

Critics said she was just hanging around poised for William to propose.
Stung by the comments, Kate joined fashion firm Jigsaw as an accessories buyer.
She proved popular at the company's HQ in Kew, west London, and by now many thought an engagement was in the air.
Woolworths became so convinced wedding bells would soon be ringing that they rushed out a souvenir cup.
But it was a rash move. Just weeks later the first cracks in the relationship began to appear. Rocked by a series of rows, the couple began to grow apart.
And as the year grew to a close it seemed to Kate - and the nation - that the fairytale romance might be ending...
Additional reporting: ANTONELLA LAZZERI