You could only build a formidable relationship when you are at peace with yourself. The Duchess of Cambridge took a step back initially, which prepared her for a life long journey.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on September 3, 2021. It has since been updated.
For ages now, many of us have believed that the more one compromises in a relationship, the more they strengthen it. We have been brought up with the conditioning that the more we give in a relationship, the more we establish ourselves as the right partner. What we don't realize that it is impossible to pour from an empty cup.
In a bet to achieve the perfect relationship, we keep giving away everything until we are left empty inside. However, some understand that it is imperative to be full of love in order to spill love in others' cups.
The Duchess of Cambridge is one such person who took a step back to honor her individuality and consciousness and in the long run, it proved to be a blessing for her relationship. Kate Middleton and Prince William were studying at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland when they met each other. While it was not a love at first sight story, it proved to be formidable and strong enough to set an example.
Prince William wanted to strike a conversation with Middleton as he was floored by one of her fashion show stints. They first talked at a university party. “She was, I think, as shocked as she was flattered. And she pulled away, because, at the time, she was dating a fourth-year student called Rupert Finch,” said ABC correspondent Katie Nicholl. “Well, that was the start of their relationship and poor Rupert Finch. Well, he didn’t stand a chance, did he?”
“Well, I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you,” Middleton told ABC News when speaking of the first time she met William. Fast forward, Kate Middleton and Prince William started going out with each other and were soon the talk of the town. They were photographed in different places together and their love story unfolded like a fairy tale where the prince and princess are head over heels in love with each other.
While everything seemed more than perfect for a while, in 2007, both Middleton and Prince William decided to part ways as William mostly away from her and the media pressure became too much for Middleton to handle. There split was followed by her taking a vacation with her friends to Ireland, reports Goalcast.
However, in hindsight, Middleton says that this time apart only served to strengthen their relationship and give them a better perspective of each other. In an interview with Sky News, Middleton said, “I think I at the time 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 realized.”
“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, looking back on it.” But what's meant to be, will be. After a short time away from each other, Middleton and Prince William got back together in 2008, and they looked as much in love with each other as they were before.
Two years later, in October 2010, Prince William finally found the perfect moment to propose with Princess Diana’s very own sapphire engagement ring, wrote Goalcast.
In 2011, the Duke and Duchess got married in a fairytale ceremony that the whole world viewed. It was the beginning of a great union of two souls that are deeply in love with each other.
They fortified their relationship further by bringing a little prince George in 2013. This time around, the royal couple looked more in love with each other than ever before. They were supportive of each other and exuded the glow of divine love.
Less than two years later, the young royals had their second child, this time a Princess, the first princess in the royal family in twenty-five years, Princess Charlotte, and in 2018 they were blessed with another little prince, Louis.
William told BBC News at the time, “It is fantastic having a lovely little family and I am so thrilled. Catherine has been doing an amazing job as a mother and I’m very proud of her.”
As their relationship grows stronger with each passing day, it will inspire millions of young girls to value their own self in order to be respectful and supportive of the one you love. An empty and pained heart could not be potent enough to nurture a relationship and a family. The much-in-love couple not only found strength and comfort in each other's arms but they drew their strength from their family and children.
As the Duchess says, "it’s about the simple moments with your loved ones that give you perspective and make it all worth it."
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32567875
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK3ODM5S0Lg
https://www.goalcast.com/2019/03/18/relationship-goals-kate-middleton-and-prince-william/