The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge dated for years before he finally got down on one knee and asked her to join the Royal Family .
The couple famously split for a period while they were at university , and although they've spoken about it there is still a lot of speculation about what made them decide to temporarily call time on their romance.
But according to one royal expert, the split may have happened because the then Kate Middleton realised exactly what she was taking on by dating Prince William .
Judy Wade, former royal correspondent at Hello! magazine, said: "She might have realised the awful burden she would have taken on.
"It’s a life sentence marrying a royal."
The Duke and Duchess spoke about their brief split in their engagement interview, and Kate admits it made her stronger.
William said: "We did split up for a bit.
"We were both very young, it was at university and we were both finding ourselves and being different characters and stuff.
"It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up.
"It was just a bit of space. It worked out for the better."
Kate admitted she wasn't happy about the break-up at the time, but in hindsight believes it was a good idea.
She said: "At the time I wasn't very happy about it but actually it made me a stronger person."
"You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realised.
"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."
But the couple managed to work things out and Kate has since fully embraced her life as a senior member of the Royal Family.
