How William and Kate went from uni mates to husband and wife

For many, university romances become nothing more than a relic of that life stage – like all-nighter study sessions or eating two-minute noodles for every meal.

For others, like Prince William and Kate Middleton, those on-campus relationships stick around long after the graduation ceremony wraps up.

The now-Prince and Princess of Wales met as students at Scotland's St Andrew's University, starting out as friends before the relationship became romantic.

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They tied the knot in 2011, with Kate becoming the first royal bride with a degree under her belt, and now have three children.

The couple's uni romance will be back in the headlines in a fortnight's time when the second half of The Crown's sixth season drops on Thursday, December 14.

The final episodes of Netflix's hit royal drama will feature Prince William's university years, including his first interactions with Kate and how their fledgling relationship endured the media spotlight.

So, let's take a look back at how it all unfolded.

Crossing paths

William and Kate met in 2001 at St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university, in Fife.

They were both enrolled as History of Art students – though William later switched to Geography – and lived in the St Salvator's hall of residence.

Various royal authors, most recently Robert Lacey, claim Kate had initially planned to attend the University of Edinburgh, but switched to St Andrews knowing the prince had enrolled there.

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In fact, Lacey notes there'd been a spike in applications to the university when it became public knowledge William would be attending.

For his part, the royal wasn't on the hunt for a wife, telling the BBC, "I'm only going to university. It's not like I'm getting married – though that's what it feels like sometimes."

Both had taken a gap year after high school, even making the same trip to Patagonia, Chile through Raleigh International, though their expeditions were three months apart.

'I went bright red when I met him'

The couple recalled their first encounters on campus in their 2010 engagement interview with ITV's Tom Bradby.

Kate explained William hadn't been at uni for "quite a bit" of the start of semester, including Fresher's Week, so it took a while for them to meet and get to know one another.

"I actually went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you," she recalled to her then-fiance.

"But we did become very close friends from quite early on."

William said they were friends for a year before things developed into something more romantic, and even moved into a flat together as mates with a couple of other friends.

However, a student who lived at the same dorm as the royal couple told People they "definitely had chemistry" from early on.

"Whenever Kate was in the room, Will was obviously paying attention to her," they said.

"When we'd be sitting at lunch in the dining hall and the two of them would be talking, it was amazing to see how natural it was, how they had so much to say to each other.

"Looking back, there were all these small moments – certainly moments where I was like, 'Wow, this could really be something.'"

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A fashionable turning point

According to various reports, William hadn't looked at Kate as more than a friend until she modelled in a student fashion show for charity in early 2002.

Famously, she wore a sheer strapless dress, and as she passed William, sitting in the front row, he turned to a friend and reportedly remarked, "Wow ... Kate's hot!"

Recalling the moment in an interview, a friend of the couple said William's eyes were "like stalks" as Kate walked down the runway in the "stocking-like" dress.

Though the outfit would undoubtedly clash with the royal family's fashion expectations, Kate seems to have a sense of humour about it.

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During a visit to St Andrew's years later, the princess joked to students, "I hope you weren't involved in the fashion show. You never know what you are going to be asked to wear!"

More than friends

"We just spent more time together and had a good giggle, and realised we shared the same interests and just had a really good time," William told Bradby of the transition from friends to partners.

"She's got a really naughty sense of humour, which kinda helps me because I've got a very dirty sense of humour."

William said their flatmates were surprised when the relationship blossomed, but that it didn't impact the dynamic of the flat.

They did, however, witness William's attempts to woo Kate by cooking for her, which didn't always turn out well.

"I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners, and what would happen was I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire," he recalled.

"She would be sitting in the background trying to help, and basically taking control of the whole situation."

In 2003, the couple moved out of the sharehouse into their own abode.

Out of the spotlight

Thanks to an agreement between the royal palace and the UK media, William was largely left alone during his years at uni, having given an interview the day he arrived.

This meant his relationship with Kate was granted a level of privacy it certainly doesn't have these days, even though it was an 'open secret' among their uni community.

Their romance only became public knowledge in 2004 when photos of them arm-in-arm on a skiing trip to Klosters in Switzerland hit the newspapers.

'Finally…Wills Gets a Girl', The Sun's cover declared.

Graduation and beyond

William and Kate graduated from St Andrew's in 2005.

In the ensuing years, paparazzi interest in their relationship intensified, as did speculation of when they would tie the knot. The couple broke up for three months in 2007, eventually reuniting.

In 2010 they announced their engagement, and we know how the rest of the story goes.

Roughly two months before their royal wedding in 2011, they returned to St Andrews to launch its 600th anniversary celebrations.

Kate admitted to a student she met, "It does feel a little weird coming back here, but it is very nice."

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