Meet the 5 Other Women Who Stole Prince William's Heart Before Kate Middleton
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Prince William and Kate Middleton tied to knot way back in 2011, when both were 29. But they had met a decade earlier when they were both students at the University of St. Andrews, and they began dating around 2003. Their relationship was on and off for years, though, until they settled down once and for all in 2007 and they were engaged three years later. Since their wedding, they've grown their family, welcoming three children: Prince George in 2013, Princes Charlotte in 2015, and Prince Louis in 2018. But before the couple finally tied the knot, William had a dating history of his own that was well-documented in the media at the time.
The future king has stayed friends with quite a few of his exes, many of whom were invited to the 2011 royal wedding and remain closely connected to Britain's monarchy. They include Davina Duckworth-Chad, Arabella Musgrave, and Olivia Hunt. On Dec. 17, William even attended the wedding of one of his ex-girlfriends, Rose Farquhar, as she said "I do" to her new husband, George Gemmell. Ahead, we're breaking down the full dating history of the future king, plus what we know about his current relationships with his ex-girlfriends.
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Davina Duckworth-Chad
William reportedly dated Davina in the late '90s, long before Kate was ever in the picture. According to E!, the young flames accompanied each other on a cruise to the Aegean sea in 1999. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make things work, but the two remained friends and Davina even got an invite to the royal wedding in 2011. Another fun fact: Davina and William are technically related. Her mother was second cousins with Princess Diana, making her and William third cousins removed.
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Arabella Musgrave
Arabella and William dated briefly in 2001 after meeting at a holiday party. Their romance fizzled once William left to attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The two mutually agreed not to pursue a long-distance relationship. Arabella was also invited to Kate and William's wedding. No hard feelings, right?
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Rose Farquhar
Although they were childhood friends, William and Rose began dating in college. According to E!, Rose was William's first serious girlfriend, and they remain friends to this day. If her name sounds familiar, it's because she's the daughter of Captain Ian Farquhar, former Master of the Beaufort Hunt. On Dec. 17, 2022, William attended Rose's wedding to George Gemmell.
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Jecca Craig
Jecca and William's relationship is one of the most complicated on the list. William reportedly met Jecca in 2000 while he was on a gap year from college. He stayed on a Kenyan ranch owned by Jecca's parents at the time, and the ex-couple even carried out a "pretend engagement," E! reports. Jecca was also rumored to be the cause of Kate and William's split in 2007 due to his feelings for her, but nevertheless, he chose Kate.
Craig married Jonathan Baillie in 2016, and Prince William was amongst the guests.
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Olivia Hunt
Olivia was William's last official girlfriend before Kate came onto the scene. The pair dated in college, but that reportedly changed the moment William saw Kate at a charity fashion show. Luckily for William, Olivia understood his heart was attached elsewhere. She reportedly remains "good friends" with William and Kate.