Want to read about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s romance?  — from their beginnings from University of St. Andrews, through the “Aha” moment that turned friendship into romance, and onward to the breakups, the makeups, Middleton’s Palace crash course, and the expectation of a 2011 wedding.

Wills & the Real Girl (from Katie Nicholl’s book William & Harry)

While members of the royal family have traditionally gone to Oxford or Cambridge, Prince William was set on breaking 150 years of tradition by going to St. Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university, 50 miles north of Edinburgh. His father, his uncle Edward, and his great-grandfather King George VI had all attended Cambridge, but the four-year history-of-art course at St. Andrews, which is considered one of the best in the United Kingdom, appealed to the prince, who was keen to postpone royal engagements for as long as possible….

The prince soon set about making friends. Nicknamed “Sally’s,” St. Salvator’s is one of the university’s 11 halls of residence and is split into male and female living quarters. As he bounded down the stairwell with his folders in his hands, William would often bump into the same brunette, who happened to have the same major. He had noticed her as soon as he arrived. It was hard not to. Kate Middleton had been crowned the prettiest girl at Sally’s by the end of freshman week. She was shy and quieter than the other girls, which William liked, and he looked forward to their meetings. Often Kate would go running before breakfast and arrive at the dining hall just before breakfast was over. Within weeks William was bold enough to invite her to join him. They quickly discovered they had plenty in common. Kate was a country girl who loved playing sports and was a keen swimmer, like William. She was also a good skier and, just like William, had enjoyed a gap year traveling around the world before going to St. Andrews.

Read the rest: Vanity Fair
Book from Amazon: William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls

Katie Nicholl Interview with Vanity Fair

Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl is busy promoting her book entitled William & Harry. Other than the excerpt above, she’s given Vanity Fair an interview on her job as a royal writer, and her impressions about the royals. Furthermore, she predicts a likely engagement between William & Kate in 2011.

On Prince Harry: Very cheeky, very playful, not afraid to speak his mind, and very likable.

On Prince William: More cautious than his brother, less playful with the press but thoroughly charming, and polite. Prince William has never been rude to me. You often get a flash of a smile, but not much else.

On Zara Phillips: You wouldn’t know Zara is a royal on meeting her. She is thoroughly normal. She dresses normally; she speaks normally; she gets terribly embarrassed if she’s recognized. She’s an absolutely lovely, very funny, and very genuine, nice girl.

On Chelsy Davy: She’s very sweet, Chelsy. She’s happy to give you a cheers over the bar, but she’s very loyal to Harry. She won’t ever speak about him to journalists. Even though she’s quite a wild child in many respects I think she’s really earned her respect, amongst the other members of the royal family, because she’s always been so discreet, which counts for a lot in that family.

Interview: Vanity Fair

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