Today, Prince William and Kate Middleton are the most popular royal couple, known for their earnest dedication to royal duties and charity work as well as their adorable family of five. On April 29, the power couple celebrated their 11 years of marriage, a fairytale romance that gave them little angels of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. However, prior to marriage, the couple already formed a special bond as university friends, which laid the foundation for their blossoming romance. As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge just turned 40 this year, we take a look back at their long-time romance and how they became the close-knitted family of today.

In 2001, both the Prince and Kate Middleton chose St Andrews University in Scotland as their destination. Even though the Prince missed out on the Freshers' Week, the two quickly became friends as they shared many subjects in their school course.

Their relationship progressed significantly in 2002 after Prince William was struck by Middleton's beauty in a see-through dress she wore for a charity fashion show. As they spent more time together, their relationship took a romantic turn.

After two years of staying under the radar to escape the press, William and Kate's romance came to light in 2004. The lovebirds were spotted traveling at Klosters Ski Resort in Switzerland.

After the pair graduated in 2005, their relationship took to a new level. In 2006, Kate Middleton made her first public appearance with the royal family when attending the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. Her presence became a fascinating topic for the media.

Following her emergence at royal events, Kate Middleton became the victim of excessive paparazzi. In April 2007, the couple made headlines as tabloids confirmed they had parted ways. A source even revealed William had found another woman that was 'of his league'.

It turned out their short-lived split was just a space for the young couple to define themselves. In October 2007, the couple was spotted kissing passionately at an army party in Dorset, confirming their rekindled relationship.

In November 2010, Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement to the public. It's revealed that the Prince proposed to his future wife with a sapphire diamond ring that used to belong to his late mother, Princess Diana. As Prince William later shared, he had been planning for the important day for weeks, carrying his mother's engagement ring everywhere he went.

The much-anticipated wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton took place on April 29, 2011, drawing an estimated global audience of 3 billion. Just ahead of their nuptials, the Queen conferred Dukedom on Prince William, whose title is Duke of Cambridge, and Kate Middleton, whose title is Duchess of Cambridge. The lavish wedding was also star-studded, with high-profile appearances such as David and Victoria Beckham.

The newlyweds didn't give themselves a break after their big day. Just a few weeks after their wedding, they embarked on their first international trip as a royal couple, visiting Canada and attending a red-carpet event in Los Angeles. In July 2011, the couple moved into Kensington Palace, which was later renovated per their requirement.

After celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary, the couple launched their website for the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, whose purpose was 'mobilize leaders, businesses and people' in order to 'address society's greatest challenges.' In the same year, Kate Middleton delighted the Royal Family when she announced they were expecting their first baby.

On 23 July 2013, Kate Middleton gave birth to their first child, Prince George. The little Prince made his first world appearance St. Mary's Hospital. The news of the newborn baby spread like wildfire and quickly flooded social networks.

In September 2014, the Royal couple announced that they were expecting their second child, which delighted the Queen and other Royal Family members. During her pregnancy, however, Kate Middleton struggled with hyperemesis gravidarum and had to resort to medications.

On May 2, 2015, Kate Middleton gave birth to their first daughter, Princess Charlotte. They named the baby Charlotte Elizabeth Diana as a sweet tribute to Prince William's late mother Princess Diana, who died tragically in a car accident in 1997.

The family of four embarked on their first trip together in March 2016, traveling on a skiing trip to the French Alps. In the same year, Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated their 5th marriage anniversary with a visit to the Taj Mahal of India.

In September 2017, the royals revealed that Prince George and Princess Charlotte would soon welcome their younger sibling. In the same year, the couple made their BAFTA red carpet debut.

On April 23, 2018, the family of four welcomed their fifth member, Prince Louis. The newborn became the fifth in line of succession, only after Prince Charles, Prince William, and his elder sister and brother.

One month later, on 19 May 2018, they attended William's brother Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding at St Georges Chapel in Windsor. Contrary to what everyone assumed, William was not Harry's best man, which Prince Harry reveals in his memoir 'Spare'. Instead, his "old friend Charlie" was his best man.

In March 2020, Prince William and Kate Middleton embarked on their trip to Ireland as part of their royal duties. Their public appearances diminished in the following months as UK began a relentless battle with the Covid-19 virus, with restrictions and lockdowns imposed.

The Prince received both good and bad news in 2021. He was heartbroken when his grandfather, Prince Phillip, passed away. In April 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their 10 years of marriage. The couple also attended the London premiere of Daniel Craig's No Time to Die.

As the Queen turned 96 and her health was on the decline, Her Majesty has been delegating her royal duties to Prince Charles and Prince William. Meanwhile, Kate is also preoccupied with charity work and other royal duties as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle withdrew from royal titles in 2021. As the second in line to the throne, Prince William's path to the crown is becoming clearer. And when Prince William becomes the King of England, Kate Middleton will receive the official title of Queen Catherine.

William and Kate exchange a lovelorn look at the 'Together at Christmas' community carol service, held at the magnificent Westminster Abbey in the heart of London. This enchanting event, masterminded by the dynamic Duchess of Cambridge herself, is a heartfelt salute to the remarkable efforts of incredible individuals and organizations across the UK who have tirelessly uplifted their communities during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic

In February 2023, as Kate and William walk the BAFTA Awards red carpet, the two share a delightful and rare PDA moment as Kate playfully pats her husband William on the butt.

Beaming with joy, Kate waved to the crowd at the coronation of the new King Charles III of the UK. She wore a cape of the Royal Victorian Order over a white designer dress by Alexander McQueen. William wore a coat of the Most Noble Order of the Garter on the day of his father's coronation.