Prince William Wanted To See If Kate Middleton Would ‘Back Out’ Before Proposing

Prince William and Kate Middleton were together for 10 years before they decided to tie the knot. Prior to their wedding, the couple had two breakups, but they didn’t last very long.

Before the Duke of Cambridge asked for Kate’s hand in marriage, he first took the time to think about the future of their relationship. Prince William also gave Kate the opportunity to back out from their relationship in case she realized that she isn’t ready to be part of the royal family.

During his previous interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby after they got engaged, Prince William explained why he waited so long to propose to his wife. Initial rumors claimed that the second in line to the throne would be proposing to Kate in 2007, but he didn’t.

“Her and her family — I really want to make sure they have the best guidance to see what life has been like or what it is like in ‘the family,’” he said. “That’s kind of almost why I waited so long. I wanted to give her a chance to see and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much,” he added.

Kate, who was also present during their first sit-down interview, giggled after she heard Prince William’s answer. The latter admitted that he’s still learning from the mistakes of the past. He also stressed the fact that he simply wanted to give his wife the opportunity to see what could be in store for her as a royal.

“I’m also happy I’ve had the time to grow and understand myself more as well. So hopefully do a good job,” the Duchess of Cambridge said. And when Prince William asked if he’s done a good job, his wife said “yes.”

During the same interview, Kate made it clear that she didn’t blame Prince William for breaking up with her three years earlier. After all, they both needed the time to be on their own since they’d been together for so long. But the couple is still lucky to have reunited with each other shortly after their split.