Before Prince William: Who Kate Middleton dated

The love story of Prince William and Kate Middleton began in 2001 at St. Andrews University (Scotland), where both had enrolled after college. They began dating in 2003 and announced their engagement in 2010, after a shocking breakup in 2007.

More than a decade has passed, and now Kate Middleton is the Duchess of Cambridge with three adorable children and husband Will. In this review, let's look back at the men from Kate's past with whom she had a chance to build a family life if things didn't work out with the prince.

Rupert Finch.

Like her future husband, Kate met Rupert at university. In 2001, they dated for a while. Then Finch studied law, and now he is a successful lawyer with three children. He is known to be buddies with Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank. There were no bitter feelings between Kate and Rupert, as he was invited to the royal wedding in 2011 along with his girlfriend, Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs. Two years later, the Dukes of Cambridge attended Finch's wedding to Rufus Isaacs, who is the daughter of the Marquess of Reading.

Harry Blakelock.

Prince William proved to be Kate's true love, while Harry was her first love and left young Middleton "heartbroken" when their relationship didn't work out.

The pair met at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. And reportedly, the captain of the hockey team captured the future duchess' imagination. She daydreamed about him during a trip to Florence, Italy, when she decided to take time out for a year after graduating from college in 2001. A friend of Kate's from school told the Mail: "She talked about him all the time and he confused her. He seemed either loving or distant with her when they were in college. And she always talked about wanting him back. He went to Florence, too, at the same time as her, but nothing ever happened between them.

Willem Marks.

At the prestigious Marlborough, Kate reportedly also dated Willem for a while. Despite the fact that this relationship did not develop into anything serious, they remained good friends and were seen leaving the Boujis nightclub in London in 2007. Willem, who studied Humanities at Oxford University, works as a correspondent for CBS News and also attended the royal wedding in 2011. He is now married to Italian TV presenter Johanna Botta and is raising a son with her.

Henry Ropner.

As with any other couple, the relationship between Kate and William has not always been unclouded. So, in 2007, they separated for a short time. According to rumors, the future Duchess began to meet at this time with Henry Ropner, son of baronet Sir John Ropner. The handsome man is now happily married to the daughter of a shipping company owner. The family resides on a luxurious estate in Thorp Perrow, Yorkshire.