Kate Middleton and Prince William's split was the 'best thing that happened to them' claims royal expert

A royal expert has shared their belief that Kate Middleton and Prince William's brief split in 2007 was the 'best thing that happened to them' as it 'laid the foundation' for their 'extremely happy and secure marriage'.

• When Kate Middleton and Prince William split up briefly before their engagement, it gave them the opportunity to 'see what life would be like without one another' and 'laid the foundation for what appears to be an extremely happy and secure marriage,' a royal expert has claimed.
• According to Jennie Bond, the couple's 'marriage is founded on an enduring friendship' that was only 'strengthened' by their split.
• In other royal news, King Charles once scolded Princess Diana's bodyguard for giving Prince William 'elocution lessons'.

As we all know, even the relationships that look like some of the happiest on the outside can be fraught with trouble behind closed doors. Whether it's a couple sharing only their happiest moments on social media, or in the case of Prince William and Kate Middleton, making sure to smile while in public, the private troubles of any relationship can quite easily be covered up. 

That's likely why there was such confusion and uproar when, in 2007 just four years before their lavish royal wedding, Prince William and Kate Middleton called it quits - briefly. 

After a few years of dating, and even after Kate became the first of William's girlfriends ever to be introduced to his grandmother the late Queen Elizabeth, the couple split up. As to the reason why, many rumours swirled, including one which blamed King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth for advising William not to 'hurry into anything' with Kate and another, perhaps sweeter, one that believed William was giving Catherine a choice to back out of life as a royal.

Speaking about the break up years later in their official 2010 engagement interview, William recalled, "We were both very young. We were finding ourselves. It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up." 

Kate also said, "I, at the time, wasn’t very happy about it. But actually it made me a stronger person."

Royal expert and former BBC correspondent Jennie Bond agrees with Kate that the split was a good decision for the couple.

Speaking to OK! Jennie explained, "I think one of the best things they did was essentially to have a ‘divorce’ before they got married. The short time they spent apart made them see what life would be like without one another. I think it laid the foundation for what appears to be an extremely happy and secure marriage.

"Being dropped must have hit Catherine’s self-confidence at the time but she has since grown as a woman, as a wife, a mother and as a future queen who would have been watching her husband perform on the world’s stage last week with enormous pride."

The time apart helped the couple, Bond believes, to create a stronger relationship that could withstand more scrutiny than it could have before. This, according to the expert, has been especially important following Prince Harry stepping down as a senior royal and moving his family to LA. 

"There are so few people that members of the royal family can turn to for advice, comfort or just to let off steam with," Bond said. "I’m sure that William and Catherine are a great support to one another and that Catherine is the most incredible source of encouragement for William.

"The marriage is founded on an enduring friendship and I’m sure William has called on the strength of that friendship to help him come to terms with the loss of his wingman, his brother."

The expert also praised William and Kate's approach to parenting while one or the other is away on overseas royal duties. Speaking about William's recent trip to New York, which helped him “cope” amid an event that might have been “too painful” for him, she said, “I’m sure William would have done his utmost to FaceTime Kate and the children to keep them in touch with what was going on and, in particular, to show the children that they remain his priority, wherever his work takes him.

“They certainly try to arrange their work schedules so that one of them can do the school run. William likes cooking but isn’t very good. I’m sure he can rustle up supper for the children when necessary though.

"He’s a modern dad, quite different to his own father and while they have a nanny and help in the house, they give the impression that they like to do things for themselves like any normal family. It’s a great example for the children, who are being brought up in a safe bubble of love, laughter and something approaching normality.”