Prince William once left the Queen “disappointed” by his doubts over Kate Middleton

It seems the Prince listened to his grandmother's advice in the end

All relationships go through their ups and downs, and royal couples are no different. Prince William and Kate Middleton have discussed their brief split in 2007 before, and now a royal expert has revealed more about what happened.

Five years into their relationship William was having doubts about his future with Kate, royal expert and author Katie Nicholl explains in her new book, The Making of a Royal Romance. 

The rocky patch started in 2006, when William had become so "anxious" about their future that he confided in his father Prince Charles and his grandmother the Queen. Nicholl claims that, despite being "disappointed" by William’s concerns, they "both advised him not to hurry into anything."

William had made plans with Kate to spend New Year together, but reportedly phoned her on Boxing Day to cancel. Kate was apparently "left in tears".

Not long after this, William officially called off the relationship via a phone call while Kate was at work. 

The couple previously spoke about the split during an ITV interview following their engagement. Kate said: "At the time, I wasn’t very happy about [the break up], but it made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realised.”

She continued: "I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger. I really valued that time for me as well, although I didn’t think it at the time."

Echoing his partner, Prince William said that the break made them stronger. 

"We were both very young," he said. "We were both finding ourselves and being dif ferent characters. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up, it was a bit of space and a bit of thing like that and it worked out for the better."

William had proposed with his late mother Diana’s 18-carat blue sapphire and diamond engagement ring while the couple were on holiday in Kenya. The Prince announced their engagement on November 16, 2010. He said: “It is my mother’s engagement ring. It is very special to me and Kate is very special to me now as well. It is only right the two are put together.”

He added: "The timing is right. As any guy knows, it takes an amount of motivation to get yourself going."

Now, with their three adorable kids, George, Charlotte and Louis, the couple seem happier than ever — suggesting the Queen’s instincts were right all along.