Kate Middleton Crossed Paths with Her College Boyfriend at Peter Phillips' Royal Wedding
Kate Middleton Crossed Paths with Her College Boyfriend at Peter Phillips' Royal Wedding
Stephanie PetitTue, June 9, 2026 at 4:21 PM UTC
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Kate Middleton; Rupert FinchCredit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty -
Kate Middleton's college boyfriend, Rupert Finch, attended Peter Phillips' wedding with his wife, Lady Nastasha
Natasha wore a dress that Princess Kate also has in her closet
Despite their breakup, there seem to be no hard feelings between the Princess of Wales and Rupert
Kate Middleton ran into a familiar face at Peter Phillips' wedding weekend: her college boyfriend, Rupert Finch.
Princess Kate and Prince William joined other members of the British royal family on June 6 for the wedding of his cousin Peter Phillips to Harriet Sperling. Also spotted walking into All Saints Church in Kemble, a village in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, were Rupert and his wife, Lady Natasha.
The future Princess of Wales briefly dated Rupert during their time at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, when Kate was a freshman and Rupert was in his fourth year. Their relationship was even recreated in the sixth and final season of The Crown. However, the relationship didn't last, and Kate went on to date Prince William after also meeting at school there.
Despite Kate and Rupert's breakup, there was likely no awkward encounter between them at Peter and Harriet's wedding. In fact, the pair seemed to have remained friends, and Rupert was even a guest at William and Kate's royal wedding. (Rupert was also not the only ex in attendance to the royal nuptials in 2011 — Kate's former boyfriend Willem Marx was also there, while Prince Williams also invited a handful of exes to the wedding, including Arabella Musgrave, Jecca Craig, Olivia Hunt and Carly Massy-Birch.)
Lady Natasha Finch and Rupert Finch attend Peter Phillips' wedding on June 6, 2026Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
In 2013, Rupert married Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, who wore a familiar dress to Peter and Harriet's big day over the weekend. Lady Nastasha wore a light blue dress from her Beulah London that Princess Kate also has in her closet and wore to a 2023 polo match that Prince William competed in.
Natasha is the founder of Beulah London, and Kate owns several pieces from the brand.
Natasha previously told Hello! magazine, "It's always lovely to see the Duchess in Beulah," referring to Kate by her pre-princess title as the Duchess of Cambridge. "She's a wonderful ambassador for British brands, and that is more important than ever at the moment."
Kate Middleton attends a polo game on July 6, 2023Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
William and Kate met as students at the University of St. Andrews, but they started out as friends.
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"We were friends for over a year first, and it just sort of blossomed from then on," Prince William later recalled during their engagement interview in 2010. "We just spent more time with each other, had a good giggle, had lots of fun and realized we shared the same interests and just had a really good time."
"I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you," Kate added. "Actually, William wasn't there for quite a bit of the time initially; he wasn't there for Freshers Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other, but we did become very close friends from quite early on."
"When I first met Kate, I knew there was something very special about her," William said. "I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there. But we ended up being friends for a while, and that was a good foundation."
Kate Middleton graduates from the University of St. Andrews in June 2005Credit: MICHAEL DUNLEA/POOL/AFP via Getty
Their friendship reportedly turned into something more after Kate walked the runway in a sheer black dress during a college fashion show.
"Everyone says that the fashion show was when the romance started, so a small part of me will always be part of royal history," Charlotte Todd, the designer behind the ensemble, told PEOPLE in 2020. "It's madness!"
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Prince William proposed in 2010 during a trip to Kenya with his mother Princess Diana's sapphire and diamond engagement ring, and the couple went on to welcome three children.
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