- It’s funny how love begins.
- Not with fanfare.
- Not with crowns and cameras.
- But with one simple, unfiltered moment of wonder.
And sometimes, all it takes is…
one glance to start eternity.
The six episodes of the final season of The Crown will feature many stunning moments inspired by real events, but one of the most astonishing is the participation of a young Kate Middleton in a charity fashion show, which, both in the Netflix series and in real life, is rumoured to have changed the trajectory of her relationship with her future husband, Prince William. But what really happened at this event and how does it compare to what we see on screen? Below, we separate fact from fiction.
What was Kate and William’s relationship like before the catwalk show?
According to The Crown, the current Prince and Princess of Wales were interested in each other from the start and felt attracted to each other, although their relationships with other people prevented them from being together. However, in the ninth episode, entitled ‘Hope Street,’ the bachelor Prince William (Ed McVey) is informed that Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy), whom he has a crush on, is now also unmarried — and not only that, she is planning to become a model at a university fashion show, the tone of which is ‘risky.’ We see Bellamy’s Kate excitedly telling her mother that, according to her sources, William will be attending the show to watch her walk the runway.
However, it seems that the reality was quite different. According to accounts from that time, when a charity student fashion show called ‘The Art of Seduction’ was held at the St Andrews Bay Hotel on 26 March 2002, both Kate and William were still dating other people and saw each other only as friends. Rumour has it that since they met at university six months earlier, they had got on well, and it is believed that William sought Kate’s advice when he was going through a difficult period in his personal life and was considering dropping out of university.
In The Crown, the story unfolds somewhat differently: Kate sends William a message saying, ‘Please don’t leave university,’ but it becomes clear that the couple wants to be more than just friends. In real life, by that spring, William had apparently already decided on Kate as his potential flatmate for his second year. In the series, however, this conversation takes place much later, when the couple are already dating.
What happened at the catwalk show?
In The Crown, we see Kate arrive at the show, spot William in the audience, and then look for an outfit on the catwalk. What did she choose? A stunning strapless dress with blue trim. She walks onto the catwalk wearing it, shining in the spotlight and leaving William speechless.
In reality, everything happened if not exactly, then roughly as shown. First, there is the dress: the image shown in the series is very similar to Kate’s ensemble in real life, albeit with slight differences in the materials and the pattern of the blue trim at the top. ‘We always have legal issues with things like this,’ costume designer Amy Roberts recently explained to Vogue. ‘We didn’t get permission to copy it from the designer, which is fair enough, so we had to recreate it, and it’s a delicate balance — we want people to know that it’s the same dress, but we don’t want to offend the designer.’ The most important elements of this dress are its transparency and strapless silhouette. We used different fabrics than the original and a different ribbon thread, but everything was close enough that everyone would recognise it.
As for whether Kate chose this look for herself, as she does in the episode, it’s unclear if that’s actually the case, but Todd said the decision to have Kate wear it wasn’t hers. ‘I didn’t know who Kate Middleton was, and I didn’t dress her,’ she said in an interview with People. ‘It was pure coincidence. I made it as a skirt, but other people put it on Kate, and she wore it as a dress.’ Make of that what you will.
However, William’s reaction seems quite accurate. By all accounts, he was shocked. The prince’s friends at the time recall that this event made him see Kate in a different light, and it is widely believed that it was a turning point in their relationship and, at least in part, contributed to them becoming more than just friends. Two things that weren’t shown in the show, however? William is believed to have paid £200 for a front-row ticket, and rumour has long had it that during the show he turned to one of his friends and uttered the immortal words: ‘Wow, Kate is hot.’
What happened at the afterparty?
Shortly after the scene on the catwalk in The Crown, we see William and Kate at a party, where he tells her she looks incredible. She asks him if he is really interested in her, he promises that he ‘has always been interested, bordering on obsession,’ and they share a kiss, which is quickly interrupted by William’s security officer, who informs him that his great-grandmother has passed away.
This is perhaps where the series deviates most significantly from what actually happened. Accounts of what transpired at this particular party vary, although it is generally accepted that William and Kate had a few drinks, after which he made his move. Some recall that he simply kissed her hand, while others say he leaned in for a real kiss. However, as they were both seeing other people at the time, Kate apparently rebuffed him. A few weeks later, though, those relationships ended, and the couple began dating a few months later. And one thing we can say with complete certainty.
Their kiss was not interrupted by the news of the Queen Mother’s death — she passed away four days later, on 30 March 2002.