A royal photographer recalls a young Prince William telling him that Kate Middleton was 'the one'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are the definition of a happily married couple, celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary last April. The past ten years have seen the young couple turn into a family of five, welcoming their three little ones, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

It’s hard to imagine a time when Kate and William weren’t associated with marital bliss, but there was a time, however, when their future was a lot less certain.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met at university where they were both studying at St. Andrews, and according to Prince William the attraction was pretty instant. ‘When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her’, he explained.

After a happy few years of dating, aside from a short break during their final exams, everything seemed to be going well. They went to Kenya on safari, jetted off on a romantic ski trip to Klosters, and Kate was even invited to Sandringham for the royal family’s traditional Christmas lunch – the first royal girlfriend to have ever been invited.

The world was shocked, therefore, when in 2007, the couple split up. Rumours were circulating at the time that the two of them were in different places, with Kate ready to commit but Prince William wanting to make the most of his youth and freedom.

‘We were both very young’, William said of his decision. ‘We were finding ourselves. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up.’

‘I, at the time, wasn’t very happy about it’, explained Kate. ‘But actually it made me a stronger person.’

This week, royal photographer Arthur Edwards recalled meeting Prince William at a 2010 concert to honour Princess Diana just after the couple had got back together and his words about her are very sweet.

'Well, Arthur, I had to be sure this was the right woman for me because I want this marriage to last forever,' he reportedly said.

The royal photographer then went on to share a never-before-seen photograph of Kate Middleton from her pre-royal days. He had taken a snap of William's university friends visiting Sandringham, and lo and behold, it was Kate.

'I didn't know who on Earth she was,' Arthur Edwards admitted as he opened up about the lucky shot. 'Back then you would never have credited that the young woman who walked through those gates would turn out to be our future queen.'

Well, this is lovely.