Royal Biographer Reveals Why Princess Kate's Parents Initially Didn't Want Her to Attend the University of St Andrews With Prince William

Princess Kate and Prince William's fairytale romance started when they both attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After marrying on April 29, 2011, the Prince and Princess of Wales have expanded their family to welcome three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. But according to one royal biographer, Kate and William's relationship was almost thwarted before it had the chance to begin.

In his new book William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, royal expert Russell Myers shared (via Hello! magazine), "At first, [Kate's parents] Carole and Michael [Middleton] were dead set against the idea [of Kate attending St Andrews], with Carole in particular worried about her daughter losing academic momentum, but after listening to Catherine explain that she believed she would be suited to the quieter surroundings of St Andrews rather than the city life that Edinburgh would provide, they agreed to her decision."

Myers further explained, "The timing of Catherine's announcement to her parents would, years later, result in accusations that she changed her mind about Edinburgh because she wanted to follow the dashing young Prince William to St Andrews, where in August 2000 he had announced he would be studying."

However, the reason Princess Kate changed her mind was apparently unrelated to the eligible royal. "But the truth is...she had met a fellow student, an 18-year-old girl from Somerset who was set to go to the University of St Andrews," Myers shared. "The two hit it off so well that Catherine decided to explore the option of changing her course while she was still away [during her gap year]."

It's strange to think that, had Princess Kate attended college in Edinburgh, she might never have met Prince William.