A relationship has its ups and downs...

Prince William & Duchess Kate: This Is How Their 2007 Break-Up Came About

The break-up of Prince William and Duchess Catherine really dominated newspaper headlines in 2007 and was a shock for loads of royal fans. But as we all know, the separation was not a long one. Here's how it happened!

The fact that Prince William and Duchess Kate (then still Kate Middleton) broke up in 2007 took over headlines for quite a while and a lot of fans of the royal family were really in shock. The beautiful Kate and Prince William seemed to be such a perfect fit - so why did they break up back then?

The now royal couple met in 2001 at the prestigious St. Andrews University in Scotland while they were both studying art history.

Kate Middleton Prince William at St. Andrews University.

The palace never commented on William & Kate's break-up

An official statement concerning Prince William and Kate's early 2007 break-up was never issued by the palace, but the British yellow press - naturally - were all over the story and there were wild speculations about the reason for their (temporary) separation.

During their engagement interview with ITV in spring of 2010, Prince William eventually commented on the 2007 stories: "It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up so it was just a bit of space, and it worked out for the better."

Prince William & Kate's break-up did not last

Still, Kate did not share his feelings back in 2007: "At the time I wasn't very happy about it, but it actually made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realized. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger, and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn't think it at the time."

But royal fans did not have to worry for too long, since in August 2007 already, William and Kate ended up taking a romantic trip to the Seychelles and that was proof enough they were back together.

They have been together ever since and their relationship only grew stronger - they had THE dream wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011 and Kate wore one of the most beautiful royal wedding dresses in history. She became the Duchess of Cambridge and now is a proud mother-of-three.