Prince William was linked to many women before he found love and settled down with his other half, Kate Middleton.
The 42-year-old Prince of Wales met the Princess of Wales in 2001 while they were students in residence at St Salvator’s Hall, at the University of St Andrews, and they became close friends. They enjoyed an on-off relationship until they got engaged in October 2010, with the royal couple tying the knot in April 2011.
When he was younger, he was constantly asked about his love life. He famously responded: “Look, I’m only 22 for God’s sake. I’m too young to marry at my age. I don’t want to get married until I am at least 28 or maybe 30.” The royal had a lot of attention from women while he was at school and university.
He dated many gorgeous and intelligent women before proposing to Kate – with who he shares three children. He ended on good terms with most of the ladies and invited a number of his former flames to his wedding to Kate in 2011. Who has William dated over the years?
Jecca Craig
( Image: Getty Images)
( Image: Getty Images)
It was reported that William dated Jecca Craig when they were teenagers and that he spent some time on her family’s estate in Kenya during his gap year. Jecca was said to be his first love and the couple even had a “pretend engagement” during the trip, reports Mail Online.
Courtiers have also insisted they were just friends, but that didn’t stop the rumours from circulating about the nature of their relationship. For his 21st birthday party, she travelled to the UK to attend the bash that also had Kate in attendance. He and Kate were secretly dating at that point, but he lied in an interview and claimed he was single.
He invited Kate to the party as a friend but insiders say he didn’t spend any time with her at the event – instead putting his focus on Jecca. Kate was seated far away from the action while Jecca was sitting close by. Thankfully, there was no bad blood between them and she attended Kate and William’s wedding.
Meanwhile, Jecca married Zoological Society expert Professor Jonathan Baillie.
Olivia Hunt
( Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ladbroke Hall)
The prince also dated Olivia Hunt, who is the sister-in-law of TV presenter Ben Fogle, while he was at St Andrew’s. However, things quickly fizzled out when William realised his feelings for Kate. He stayed good friends with Olivia, with her joining Kate and William on holiday.
Olivia, who married Nichola Wilkinson, was even invited to their wedding. In 2013, Olivia’s husband Nicholas once joked: “I’m trying not to be intimidated by having a girlfriend who used to be with Prince William.”
Rose Farquhar
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Insiders claimed William and Rose Farquhar, who is the daughter of Captain Ian Farquhar, had a blossoming romance after they finished college. Although the romance didn’t work out, the pair stayed close and she’s become good friends with Kate, with them reuniting at several events.
Rose appeared on the BBC talent show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria before going on The Voice in 2016.
Arabella Musgrave
( Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
( Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Before he left for Scotland to attend university, William was keen on Arabella Musgrave. She was part of William and Harry’s inner circle of friends and was always at the same events and parties. They were friends since childhood but he never noticed her in a romantic way until they were older.
It was reported that William even talked to King Charles about their romance and got his blessing. When he started university, he missed Arabella so much that he thought about dropping out of school to be closer to her. He even drove home on Friday nights to see her.
According to Katie Nicholl, William did a ‘double-take’ when he saw her walk through a friend’s party. It was written: “Arabella had blossomed into a gorgeous-looking girl, and he wondered why he hadn’t noticed her properly until now.” They danced and drank into the early hours, and when Arabella said her goodnights, the prince quietly slipped out of the room to follow her upstairs.
“It was the beginning of a passionate romance and the two spent as much time together that summer as possible.”
Carly Massy-Birch
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Fellow St Andrew’s pupil Carly was one of William’s many romances, with the two having a fling during their first semester. It was her parents who confirmed they dated for under two months and even enjoyed dinner parties together.
Speaking about their time together, she later said: “We got on well, but I think we would have got on well even if nothing had been going on romantically. It was very much a university thing, just a regular university romance. There wasn’t really a club at St. Andrews, so we tended to go to pubs and bars, and there was always a good dinner party going on.”
However, there was reportedly an awkward moment during a night out with William and his then-new girlfriend Kate. During a game of Never Have I Ever, Carly reportedly said: “I’ve never dated two people in this room.”
In her book The Making of a Royal Romance, expert Katie Nicholl claimed: “When it was Carly’s turn to play she announced, ‘I’ve never dated two people in this room,’ knowing full well that William was the only one who had because Kate was sitting next to him.
The source continued: “We knew they were together but it was the first time William confirmed his and Kate’s relationship in public.” Katie claims that William shot her a “thunderous look” and said “I can’t believe you just said that” under his breath.
Isabelle Calthorpe
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Isabelle Calthorpe is an actress and the daughter of John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and banking heiress Lady Mary-Gaye Georgiana Lorna Curzon. William and Isabelle, who is also friends with William’s cousin Prince Eugenie and the half-sister of Prince Harry’s ex Cressida Bonas, met at an event in 2001
It was claimed he had a thing for her but their relationship never developed into anything serious. She went on to marry Richard Branson’s son, Sam, in 2013.