How Kate Middleton And Prince William Avoided Repeating Prince Charles, Princess Diana Mistakes

They’ve been together nearly 20 years, married for eight and are parents to three adorable children. However, the seemingly harmonious existence that Kate Middleton and Prince William seem to project about their lives may only be possible because of the steps the couple reportedly took to ensure they didn’t make the same mistakes as his famous parents.

It’s no secret that Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, and mother, Princess Diana, had a tumultuous marriage that was rife with drama over alleged affairs and other moments that reportedly occurred between them and greatly affected their individual futures. When it came time for Prince William to seriously consider whether or not he wanted to ask Middleton to be his wife, the Prince didn’t want to repeat those mistakes, and as a result, the couple took several steps before eventually heading down the aisle.

The couple, who initially met while attending St. Andrew’s University in 2001, went for a “trial separation” three years later, with, according to Stylecaster, the future Duchess actually being the one to question whether or not they had a real future.

“Kate was beginning to question William’s commitment to their relationship, and she also had her own creeping doubts about their future after St. Andrews,” a source said. “A number of things had caused her to question William’s commitment, although she had not raised them with him yet.”

The pair later reunited, only to have a much more public break up for a few months in 2007. However, as Prince William began realizing he still wanted to be with Middleton, he also realized he needed to be sure of what he wanted, which led to him seeking advice from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and grandfather, Prince Philip, who told him that if she wasn’t the one, he needed to stop leading her on.

“After they split up, William confided to his grandparents that he was not sure if he loved Kate enough,” royal correspondent Camilla Tominey previously revealed. “Now they are back together, the Queen wants William to do the right thing-either marry the girl or let her go.”

“She would rather they broke up for good now than get married only to have it end in divorce in five years’ time,” she added. “But if Kate is the one, then a five-year courtship is long enough.”

The pair did reconcile and then followed their own timeline before becoming engaged in 2010. They went on to marry in 2011, before having their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The couple did appear to still be rocked by scandal earlier this year, however, after rumors began to surface that Prince William had repeated his father’s mistakes by having an alleged affair with Rose Hanbury while his wife was pregnant with their third child. The rumors were later proven to be untrue, and the work the couple put into their relationship to avoid drama seemed to work in their favor, because while they were somewhat shaken by the stories, they managed to emerge stronger than ever, and the rumors even reportedly helped them grow.

“Kate found the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online,” a source said at the time. “It forced her and William to sit back and examine their relationship, which they realized they should have been doing more often.”

“It’s not unusual to have a few hiccups in a marriage, especially after eight years, and Kate and William are no different,” the source added. “They’re still going strong. Regardless of their ups and downs, they love each other dearly and their kids are the most important thing in their lives.”