Kate Middleton Cemented Role as Future Queen During Her Breakup from Prince William

Many moons ago, the now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge—who marked 11 years of marriage this weekend—went through a very public breakup in 2007, roughly five years into their relationship.

Kate, who later admitted after her and William’s engagement that she “wasn’t very happy about it” at the time, admitted later that the brief split—around three months—turned out to be for the best.

“Actually, it made me a stronger person,” she said. “You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realized. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger. I really valued that time, for me as well, although I didn’t think it at the time.”

Though Kate was unhappy, she didn’t show it—and her stoicism during that rocky patch in 2007 might have just cemented her role as future Queen in the eyes of not just William but the entire royal family, The Daily Express reports. Kate utilized that time to not only fill her calendar with social events, but—even more importantly—kept completely silent about her relationship with William. This behavior made her a “no brainer” for the role of “future Queen,” Kinsey Schofield, founder and creator of ToDiForDaily.com, told the Express.

“Kate was probably a sure thing because, despite being considered a commoner, [Kate and William] were together for such a significant amount of time,” Schofield says. “[The royal family] knew she was a good girl, they knew she wasn’t talking to the media, because in between those breakups, she was so stoic and kept her mouth shut and in all of the photographs of her during the breakup, she’s looking ahead. She just handled herself so well throughout the rollercoaster that was her and Prince William’s dating history leading up to their inevitable marriage. It made Kate a no-brainer—she was the future Queen.”

William too has acknowledged their 2007 breakup, saying he and Kate were “trying to find their own way.” Eventually, the two found their way back to one another, and the rest, as they say, is history…in the making. Since their 2011 wedding, they’ve welcomed three children and are widely deemed the future of the monarchy.

“It was just a bit of space,” William said of the split. “It worked out for the better.”