Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Uniqlo x Cecilie Bahnsen
    • Perfume Necklaces
    • The Board Whisperers
    • Choulie
    • Holiday Movies
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Prince William and Kate Middleton's First Meeting Was Intensely Awkward

    Kate Middleton and Prince William first met at university in Scotland. Their first encounter was adorably awkward.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 18 August 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    The Middleton Family Release Images Of Kate Middleton
    (Image credit: Handout)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    If you thought Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's love story was like something out of a romantic comedy, wait until you read about Prince William and Kate Middleton's first meeting, which was so adorably awkward it feels like it almost had to be scripted—but, of course, it wasn't.

    RELATED STORY

    Hair, Face, Nose, Lip, Hairstyle, Chin, Engagement ring, Skin, Beauty, Eyebrow,

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Kate Middleton's Engagement Ring Is Controversial

    The year: 2001.

    The place: St. Andrew's University in Scotland.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Will and Kate were both living in the same residence hall at university (which is a weirdly normal way for a prince to meet his future wife, right?) when they were introduced and had exactly zero chill between them.

    Prince William Graduates From St Andrews

    (Image credit: Anwar Hussein Collection)

    Kate immediately curtsied to Will, which is fair since that's technically how she was supposed to greet royalty. Will responded by spilling a drink all over himself, according to royal biographer Christopher Anderson. Seriously, plug in Julia Stiles and you have almost the exact plot of The Prince & Me.

    You may like
    • Princess Kate wears a navy blue satin dress as she announces her engagement to Prince William, who wears a suit Princess Kate "Had a Very Handsome Boyfriend" Before William
    • Prince William Princess Kate dating Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    • Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Taylor Swift attend the Winter Whites Gala In Aid Of Centrepoint on November 26, 2013 in London, England. Prince William Is "Cringing" About Meeting Taylor Swift

    Years later, Kate was more than willing to cop to being flustered when she met her future husband.

    Prince William and Kate Middleton Attend Harry Meade And Rosie Bradford's Wedding

    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

    "I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you," she admitted during their engagement interview in 2010. "William wasn't there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn't there from Fresher's Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other, but we did become very close friends from quite early on."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Will, on the other hand, played it much more cool during the engagement interview, claiming he had to "wrack his brains" to remember the first time he met Kate and not mentioning the alleged adorkable drink-spilling at all.

    K, Will. Whatever you say.

    Explore More
    Prince William
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Taylor Swift attend the Winter Whites Gala In Aid Of Centrepoint on November 26, 2013 in London, England.
    Royals Prince William Is "Cringing" About Meeting Taylor Swift
    By Amy Mackelden
    Princess Kate and Prince William in 2025 in an outdoors setting wearing country inspired clothing
    Royals One of Princess Kate's Hobbies Started as an Unexpected Gift
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Travis Kelce
    Royals Travis Kelce Reacts to Prince William's Recollection of Their First Meeting
    By Melody Rivera
    Prince William and Princess Kate stand behind King Charles while all three look serious and wear black
    Royals How Kate and William Are Ditching "Institutional Secrecy"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK - DECEMBER 25: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
    Royals Why George, Charlotte, and Louis Skipped Remembrance Sunday
    Princess Kate wearing a new coat dress for Remembrance Sunday 2026
    Royals Princess Kate's New Coat Dress Alludes to Princess Diana
     
     
    Princess Kate wears a polka dot dress and joins Prince William at The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance event at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, on November 7, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate Brings Back the Polka Dot Trend
    Prince George wears a white shirt and has blond hair while his dad, Prince William, wears a light blue shirt with a navy suit jacket and is bald
    Royals Prince George and Prince William Broke Royal Protocol
     
     
    Latest in News
    Emily Ratajkowski wears a revealing Gucci white gown with a prominent leg slit and side boob
    Celebrity Style Emily Ratajkowski Delivers a New Twist on the Naked Dress
    SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK - DECEMBER 25: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
    Royals Why George, Charlotte, and Louis Skipped Remembrance Sunday
     
     
    Princess Kate wearing a new coat dress for Remembrance Sunday 2026
    Royals Princess Kate's New Coat Dress Alludes to Princess Diana
    Princess Kate wears a polka dot dress and joins Prince William at The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance event at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, on November 7, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate Brings Back the Polka Dot Trend
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.