A Royal Romance at St Andrews University
The Royal romance of Prince William (the future King of Britain) and Kate Middleton started when they were both students at St Andrews University. They graduated from the university in 2005, Prince William with an honours degree in geography and Miss Middleton with an honours degree in history of art. The pair, married in a ceremony seen around the world by millions of TV viewers on 29 April 2011.
Here is a short video clip of Prince William and Kate Middleton's return to St Andrews University on the 24th February 2011 just before they got married.
William and Kate Student Years:- For four years they enjoyed a cosy and largely anonymous life - blending in with their 7,500 fellow students as their romance quietly blossomed.
William and Kate first met as teenagers when they lived doors apart in digs at St Salvator's House in 2001 when they began socialising together and playing tennis.
It was during a student charity fashion show in 2002 that Kate wore "that see-through dress" made of knitted lace dress, while Prince William was an interested observer in the audience. They were not an item at the time and it is not known exactly when they became a couple, but it is rumoured to be around Christmas 2003.
At the start of their second year William and Kate shared a four-bedroom Edwardian townhouse with friends, and the following year they all moved into a cottage outside town.
They both initially studied history of art together, before Prince William switched to geography, and they both achieved 2:1 degrees.
There were fears when the heir to the throne, Prince William chose St Andrews that he would be hounded by paparazzi photographers, but following a gentleman's agreement between Buckingham Palace and Fleet Street editors, he was largely allowed to study in peace.
Dr John Walden, a senior lecturer in geography who taught the Prince William while he was at St Andrews University said, "He (the Prince) made life very easy for us. He tried as hard as he could to experience a normal student programme.
"He did a very good job of that. I'm amazed that he managed to stay focused with all the obvious attention. He managed to stay focused for four years and keep his head down and get some work done."
St Andrews University 600th Aniversary - On Thursday 24th February 2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton made their first visit to the medieval town of St Andrews, since graduating in 2005 to launch the univeristies 600th anniversary fundraising appeal. It was their first official engagement in Scotland and the second ever engagement together. The couple's first official engagement was on the previous Thursday, in Wales.
Prince William, as patron of the St Andrews University anniversary appeal, unveiled a plaque to launch three years of celebrations, and William and Kate saw the Papal Bull that conferred university status on the institution in 1413.
St Andrews claims to be Britain's top match-making university - one in ten students meets their future spouse there. Prince William said "St Andrews University is the best University in the World!"