One Element of Dating Prince William "Spooked" Princess Kate, According to a Former Royal Courtier

"Things felt incredibly different."

Prince William wears a suit and Kate Middleton wears a pale pink suit and matching hat
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Prince William and Princess Kate have been happily married since April 29, 2011, but the couple encountered some issues early in their relationship. While William was initially "concerned" Kate would be "overawed" by his royal lifestyle, the Princess of Wales allegedly got "spooked" by one element of the romance.

In the new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, royal expert Russell Myers shared, "Having grown up under the media glare his entire life, William was clearly aware of what lay on the horizon. For Catherine, however, it was entirely new territory."

Myers continued, "William had done his best to inform her about how the media operated, but now she was the subject of their pursuit things felt incredibly different."

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Describing the Princess of Wales's reaction, a former royal courtier told Myers, "She was spooked by the attention." They continued, "No matter how much you're told about what can happen, you literally can't have any idea about it until you're on the other side, and now she was very much on the other side."

Unsurprisingly, interest in the couple's relationship continued to grow, which must have felt quite overwhelming at times. "William and Catherine found themselves at the centre of a media storm," Myers explained.

Kate Middleton and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge hold hands

"William had done his best to inform her about how the media operated."

(Image credit:  John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Defending the media's interest in William's romance, a former editor told Myers, "The world had been waiting for the news that William had a proper love interest and once it was all but confirmed by him or the palace, it marked a turning point for sure."

They continued, "The public were desperate to know if the future King had found his Queen and what that would mean for the future of the monarchy in an ever-changing world."

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 12: The Prince of Wales, Prince William, (not seen) and the Princess of Wales, Catherine (R), depart from the RNLI Tower Lifeboat Station in London, United Kingdom on March 12, 2026. The royal couple met with the RNLI lifeboat crew and volunteers operating on the River Thames and received information about their life-saving work. (Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"Now she was the subject of their pursuit things felt incredibly different."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In 2026, Kate and William appear united in their confidence as a unit, and the world is seemingly ready for their future tenure on the throne. Still, dealing with such a huge amount of pressure early in their relationship can't have been easy.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.