Before they became the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William walked away from Kate Middleton — only to come “crawling back.”
The claim was made by Christopher Andersen, author of “Kate!,” which explores how the once commoner became the universally adored face of the British monarchy.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. A spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital it does not comment on books.
“Kate Middleton certainly was strategic in winning Prince William back,” Andersen told Fox News Digital. “And she had [her mother] Carole Middleton as her general or field marshal or strategist — we’re going to call it. But Kate was crushed in the beginning. [It] was completely out of the blue. I was in London when they broke up in 2007, and it was shocking. Everyone thought they were on the verge of announcing their engagement.”
William and Kate met in 2001 when they were students at the University of St. Andrews. The pair were friends at first but eventually started dating. After several years, William reportedly broke up with Kate over the phone.
According to Andersen’s book, Kate was “clutching her cell phone close to her ear” behind a closed door at Jigsaw, where she worked as a children’s accessories buyer. In a conference room, Kate “listened to the man she had loved for five years tell her they were through.” Coworkers were straining to hear what was happening on the other side of the door.
WATCH: HOW KATE MIDDLETON WON PRINCE WILLIAM BACK AFTER THEIR SPLIT
William “stammered” that he was unwilling to commit, arguing he was “only 25” and “too young.” He stressed that the press would make her life “unbearable” as long as they remained a couple. He feared that her life was in danger, and she wasn’t entitled to royal protection when he wasn’t around.
Kate “pleaded” with William to reconsider. She offered to ask her parents to hire private bodyguards if that’s what he wanted. William didn’t budge. Instead, he said he was under so much pressure now that he was taking on the duties of a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals Regiment of the Household Cavalry. He had made up his mind.
“What had happened was Camilla and [the former Prince] Charles had actually convinced William to either ask for her hand in marriage or cut it off and not let the poor girl suffer anymore,” Andersen told Fox News Digital.
“Charles was always incredibly fond of Kate. He never doubted that she would make an excellent wife for his eldest son, and she had all the qualities necessary to become a future queen. But it wasn’t fair, in Charles’ view, to keep the poor girl hanging. And so, [William] chose to cut it.”
“Her coworkers could hear Kate on the phone begging to know what was wrong, begging to know why this was happening, and crying,” Andersen claimed. “Understandably, Kate was devastated. Her coworkers overheard Kate pleading with William, asking, “Why?” It all came as a total shock.”
The book describes how Kate “had been gently pressing William for a commitment but was careful not to overplay her hand.” Still, it was over.
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That evening, Andersen said Kate returned home to her mother, who encouraged her daughter to get out and embrace her independence.
“Carole Middleton, a very smart woman, told her, ‘Just go out there and [show him] what he’s missing,’” said Andersen. “And so, she went back into society.”
Kate refused to stay heartbroken. The book claimed that she embarked on a new diet and exercise regimen and began slipping “into a series of micro-miniskirts” and “painted-on designer jeans.”
She returned to London’s nightclub scene with her sister Pippa Middleton “riding shotgun.” In between having fun “with a succession of young men,” as reported by local newspapers, she also signed up with Sisterhood, an all-female rowing crew. She was far from moping around.
“Carole Middleton came to her daughter’s rescue,” said Andersen. “She convinced Kate not to let the hurt show, to go out and date other young men in their circle and join a women’s rowing crew to make it look like she was having the time of her life. Kate and her sister Pippa were out on the town practically every night, making sure they were photographed in the company of handsome young aristocrats.”
The headlines reportedly stung William. The book claimed that when it was reported that Kate and Sir Henry Ropner, a “dashing heir to a shipping fortune,” were “in each other’s arms on the dance floor,” William realized he’d made a huge mistake.
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“William went on a couple of drunken sprees,” said Andersen. “In fact, at one point, he was in a London nightclub, shouting ‘I’m free!’ But six weeks after the split, he came back to Kate with his tail between his legs.”
“The breakup was a total wake-up call for William,” Andersen continued. “After all the years he and Kate had been together, he somehow felt it was his obligation to sow some additional wild oats. After all, that’s what most male members of the royal family did. But fairly quickly, he realized that Kate was the love of his life and someone you could build a future with.”
And there was one party that changed everything.
In the book “William and Catherine” by Russell Myers, the royal editor of the Daily Mirror, he wrote that one of their mutual friends, Sam Waley-Cohen, was throwing a party at his family home, a 17th-century manor in Oxfordshire. The theme of the night was “Freakin’ Naughty.”
WATCH: INSIDE THE PARTY THAT CHANGED PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON’S FUTURE
William, who was “missing” Kate, reached out to her, asking if she would be attending the party that had been in their diary for months. Kate, reluctant to commit over the phone, said she would consider it.
“Keen to make an impression, and perhaps to help break the ice when he saw Catherine for the first time in months, William dressed in tight black hotpants and a plastic policeman’s helmet,” Myers wrote. “Catherine also turned heads when she arrived in a showstopping ‘naughty nurse’ outfit, complete with fishnet tights and a short dress.”
“Fellow guests said as soon as William and Catherine set eyes on one another, it was clear their love had not extinguished,” he wrote. “The couple peeled off from the rest of the party and spent hours locked in deep conversation. Catherine listened intently as William attempted to break the deadlock, laying out his reasons for doubting what they had.”
“He talked of his fear of letting someone truly experience the world in which he lived, and also his fear of rejection if he did let himself get too close,” Myers continued. “Catherine, of course, knew that she still loved William deeply.”
“As the cocktails flowed, and the dance floor filled, they only had eyes for each other,” Myers wrote.
In the summer of 2007, William and Kate rekindled their romance.
“Kate graciously made it clear that she understood the pressures he was under,” said Andersen.
“At long last, William was no longer confused about the part she was destined to play in his life. Kate was in love with William and vice versa. It had been that way for five years by the time of their breakup.
“She never doubted William’s love for her, and he never doubted her commitment to him. But you have to understand that a future king has so many expectations heaped upon him that, at some point, he is going to crack. And that’s what happened when he initiated the breakup.”
“Fortunately, William soon came to his senses,” Andersen added.
Three years later, in 2010, William and Kate announced their engagement. They married the following year at London’s Westminster Abbey. Today, they are now proud parents to three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.