You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, as the saying goes. What the old saying fails to mention, however, is that the prince in question was probably doing his share of kissing while you searched. Just take Prince William. While it might seem like the Prince and Kate Middleton have been together forever, the second in line to the throne didn't exactly sit and wait on a lily pad before coming.
In fact, William might have had his eye on someone else before he married the Duchess of Cambridge. While Harry had a string of high-profile relationships before settling down, William was primarily linked to Kate, who he started dating when they were both college students in 2001. So how did he come to found time to fall in love with someone if they've been together so long? Simple: He and Kate were on hiatus in 2004, only to reignite their spark a few months later (according to Cheat Sheet).
Who was the mysterious lady who caught William's attention? And what did she think of her royal suitor?
Prince William's alleged crush shares surprising bond with Harry
You'd think true, genuine royalty would be hard to resist, but it seems Prince William has been shunned, just like us commoners. According to Aide-mémoire, the future king once had a crush on Isabella Calthorpe, a British socialite and actress from a very posh family (via Marie Claire). She, however, would not be keen on becoming the future Duchess of Cambridge.
According to a 'royal source' (via the Daily Mail), William had 'fallen in love with [Calthorpe] in a huge way and wanted to be with her'. But, despite being rumored to have 'proposed to her several times that summer', Calthorpe had none of it, fearing a relationship with the prince could damage her budding acting career. The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art graduate firmly rejected it, and William returned to see Kate Middleton a few months later.
Interestingly, Calthorpe is the maternal half-sister of Cressida Bonas, Harry's former flame. It seems the brothers have more in common than meets the eye!
Is Prince William Still Talking About His Alleged Crush?
Despite securing the ring, the title and the trio of children, Kate Middleton apparently wasn't too impressed with Prince William's summer crush on Isabella Calthorpe. Reports that he had 'dumped' Kate to sue Calthorpe probably didn't help matters either (via the Daily Mail). Kate reportedly felt so threatened by William's friendship with Calthorpe that she issued an ultimatum to the prince: 'Kate accepted William again but on the condition that he never speak to Isabella again,' a source told Reuters. DailyMail.
Whatever his tactics were, they clearly worked, as the two came together and eventually tied the knot. As for Calthorpe, it seems American royalty is more to her liking, as she married Richard Branson's son Sam in a lavish ceremony in 2013 (via the Daily Mail).
