Did Carol Middleton set up Kate and William? Everything we know about their 'chance' meeting

Royal fans are wondering did Carole Middleton set up Kate and William after their relationship is portrayed in Season 6 of The Crown.

We all love a fairytale ending but those who are not familiar with Prince William and Kate Middleton's love story will be wondering how the royal met his 'girl next door' wife as the couple's relationship is portrayed in the final Netflix season, series six of The Crown.

It's more than 12 years since Prince William and Kate got married and the pair have three children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, but with the Prince of Wales next in line to the throne in royal succession, it's only natural people will wonder how the pair crossed paths let alone fell in love.

While many know they met through attending St Andrew's University together, there is some talk about whether Kate's mum Carole Middleton set up Kate with William. As we look at everything we know...

Did Carole Middleton set up Kate and William?

Kate Middleton and Prince William married on 29th April 2011 and while their marriage has gone from strength to strength, fans have started wondering whether Kate's mum Carole Middleton had something to do with them crossing paths and falling in love. In the final season of The Crown, it is heavily implied that Carole played a part in orchestrating their relationship. Fans of the drama will recall one episode that sees Kate confront her mother, and point out that she suggested she take a gap year and embark on a course that William was rumoured to be attending - which meant she would change her university choices after he announced he was enrolling at St Andrews.

And the producers behind the popular streaming service show aren't the only ones to make the assumptions - Tina Brown claimed in her book The Palace Papers, “It is unlikely Kate would be where she is today without her mother’s canny help in negotiating a royal romance”.

And it was 10 years earlier that Kate and William first crossed paths - she got a glimpse of the young prince in action before they even attended university when he attended a hockey match against Kate's country prep school St Andrews, Berkshire, when he was aged nine. Kate is also claimed to have reportedly attended a tea afterward.

The book implies Carole was behind Kate's last-minute decision to pull out of attending Edinburgh University where Kate's two best friends had also applied and they reportedly had even found shared accommodation together, but this was all ditched in favour of St Andrews.

Brown writes, “Carole has considerable strategic flair. Whenever Kate was bloodied in the ring, she retreated to Bucklebury, where Coach Carole would dress her wounds, advise her on moves, and urge her to keep her eyes on the prize.” She added, "Carole’s fingerprints are all over Kate’s first move on the royal chessboard”.

Prince William and Kate started university at St Andrews in 2001 and ended up in the same dorm building and crossed paths frequently that it was only a matter of time before they became friends.

The Crown also implies that Kate phoned her mum to tell her Prince William is set to attend a charity fashion show she is walking in - yes, that iconic see-through outfit that would make any young prince blush. Actress Eve Best, who plays Carole in the Netflix series finale asks her daughter "Does he know you're back on the market?" to which Kate, played by Meg Bellamy, exclaims with a smile on her face, "Mum!"

Carole then tells Kate, "Well, maybe find a way of letting him know," to which Kate replies, "Honestly, you're worse than Mrs. Bennet." The reference here to Mrs Bennet is that of the scheming middle-class woman from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen who wants all her daughters married and their futures financially secured.

Having struck up a friendship Kate and William moved into a shared flat during their second year and started dating soon after. And the rest is history so to speak. And if you're wondering what Carole makes of all the speculation, she once said in 2018, "Well, I thought it was better to know what people thought. But it doesn’t make any difference. I’m not really sure how I’m perceived now. But the thing is… it is really normal – most of the time."

In other royal news, do Kate Middleton's parents have titles? where did Kate Middleton grow up? and here's what's in store for the royals' family life in 2024 - from rifts and feeling remorse one couple is set to step away from the limelight (and it’s not Harry and Meghan)