Before meeting his future wife Kate at St Andrews, Prince William had a fling with another affluent young woman.
In the summer of 2001, before he began his four-year course in Scotland, a childhood friend caught the prince’s eye at a mutual acquaintance’s party.
Arabella Musgrave was the 18-year-old daughter of polo club manager Major Nicholas Musgrave.
‘Although not titled aristocracy, Arabella was a close friend of Guy Pelly and Hugh Van Cutsem and part of the Glosse Posse,’ royal correspondent Katie Nicholl wrote in her book, The Making of a Royal Romance.
This was the name given to William and Harry’s inner circle and meant Arabella secured an invite to parties the princes used to throw in the basement of Highgrove and those Van Custem would run from his family residence.
‘As she walked through the house party at the Van Cutsems’ family home, William did a double take,’ Nicholl continued.
It was a textbook romance.
Arabella Musgrave – pictured in 2010 – is the well-connected daughter of polo club manager Major Nicholas Musgrave
Before meeting his future wife Kate at St Andrews, Prince William had a fling with another affluent young woman
The two danced and drank until the early hours and, as noted by Nicholl, ‘William knew he would make a move on her by the end of the night’
‘Arabella had blossomed into a gorgeous looking girl, and as she sashayed past him, her perfume lingering in the air, he wondered why he hadn’t noticed her properly until now.’
The two danced and drank until the early hours and, as noted by Nicholl, ‘William knew he would make a move on her by the end of the night’.
The royal author added: ‘When Arabella said her goodnights, the prince quietly slipped out of the room to follow her upstairs.
‘It was the beginning of a passionate romance and the two spent as much time together that summer as possible.’
The romance was approved by Prince Charles who ‘suspected the relationship would soon fizzle out and instructed William’s protection officers to give the couple plenty of leeway’.
But Major Nicholas was much harder to please.
When he caught his daughter sitting on William’s lap while the prince kissed her neck he had a quiet word, according to Nicholl.
‘Although he was fond of William, such displays of affection, he insisted, were not for public consumption.’
‘It was the beginning of a passionate romance and the two spent as much time together that summer as possible,’ wrote Nicholl
The relationship ended by the time William went to St Andrews in what Nicholl described as a ‘mutual decision’
The prince’s decision to attend St Andrews boosted applications and interest in the university
But it wasn’t all kisses on necks and sneaking from parties.
The relationship ended by the time William went to St Andrews in what Nicholl described as a ‘mutual decision’.
‘William would be meeting new people at university and Arabella could not expect him to to wait for her,’ she wrote.
The prince’s decision to attend St Andrews significantly boosted applications and interest in the university.
This ‘Prince William effect’ resulted in a 44 per cent increase in applications compared to the previous year.
The rise was particularly noticeable among young women, especially from the US.
William was very aware of his impact and was keen to make genuine friends.
The young prince said in an interview around the time: ‘People who try to take advantage of me and a get a piece of me, I spot it quickly and soon go off them.’
‘William would be meeting new people at university and Arabella could not expect him to to wait for her,’ the royal author wrote
William was very aware of his impact and was keen to make genuine friends while studying
The future King reportedly requested a room without an en-suite so he could get the full student experience of queuing for the communal showers
William with two St Andrews friends while surfing during a visit to a local beach
He added: ‘I just hope I can meet people I get on with. I don’t care about their background.’
The future King reportedly requested a room without an en-suite so he could get the full student experience of queuing for the communal showers.
During his first term, William started dating Carly Massy-Birch, an English language and creative writing student. He was often invited to supper at Carly’s home, where the prince would step over her muddy Hunter Wellington boots in the hallway.
Their affair was to be short-lived, however, and ended somewhat stickily when Carly told William he had to make a decision between her and Arabella.
Despite having swarms of attractive women to choose between, William was bored in Scotland.
Nicholl wrote: ‘He missed his friends in Gloucestershire and going to his favourite nightclubs in London.
‘He also missed Arabella, and on Friday nights when he began his journey home to Highgrove he was comforted by the fact that she would be waiting for him.’
According to royal expert Robert Lacey in his 2020 book Battle of Brothers, William expressed doubts to his father during the holidays over his choice of course and institution and told him how he wanted to move.
Robert Lacey wrote that William expressed doubts to his father during the holidays over his choice of course and institution and told him how he wanted to move
William arriving at St Andrews in September 2001, when he began his four-year course
He found life in the small Scottish town to be quiet, with the highlight of his week shopping at Tesco and playing sport on a Wednesday
William later said he felt he was ‘daunted’ by life at university rather than homesick
His grandfather, Prince Philip, is said to have responded: ‘William needs to knuckle down and not wimp out.’
He found life in the small Scottish town to be quiet, with the highlight of his week being shopping at Tesco and playing sport on a Wednesday.
Kensington Palace and St Andrews managed to resolve the issue by liaising with one another and agreed for William to switch courses to Geography.
Charles spent the Christmas holiday having a heartfelt discussion with William, who eventually decided against moving away.
William later said he felt he was ‘daunted’ rather than homesick.
He said at the time: ‘My father was very understanding about it and realised I had the same problem he had probably had.
‘We chatted a lot, and in the end we both realised – I definitely realised – that I had to come back.
‘I think it was the new surroundings. When I was with Raleigh International in Chile during my gap year, it was the same sort of thing. You’re thrown into completely new territory.
The decision to stay at university paid off, as it was at St Andrews that William met and fell in love with Kate
William turned to his close friend Fergus Boyd and whispered: ‘Wow, Kate’s hot!’
Another of the models that night recalled: ‘Kate was great on the catwalk. She and everyone, including William, knew it’
Prince William and Kate’s romance map of St Andrews
‘I don’t think I was homesick. I was more daunted.’
The decision paid off, as it was at St Andrews that William met and fell in love with Kate.
By the end of freshers’ week, the future Princess of Wales had been crowned the prettiest girl at Sally’s, the nickname for St Salvator’s Hall, her hall of residence.
And she had already caught the eye of William. He had noticed her as soon as he arrived – it was hard not to.
It was March 27, 2002, the night of the annual Don’t Walk charity fashion show at the five-star St Andrews Bay Hotel, and William had paid £200 for a front-row ticket.
As Kate shimmied down the catwalk wearing black underwear and a daring, see-through dress, William turned to his close friend Fergus Boyd and whispered: ‘Wow, Kate’s hot!’
Another of the models that night recalled: ‘Kate was great on the catwalk. She and everyone, including William, knew it.’
They began living together in a shared flat with two other friends in 2002, and their romance is said to have blossomed by Christmas 2003.
Their relationship became public in 2004 after photos of them together during a ski trip were published.
Arabella, who now works in communications for Gucci, and William have remained friends into their adult years and she even attended his wedding to Kate in 2011.
University sweethearts Kate and William are pictured on their wedding day on April 29, 2011
Arabella arrives at William and Kate’s wedding at Westminster Abbey
In 2014 Arabella married George Galliers-Pratt of the Cayzer banking dynasty in Knightsbridge
Arabella is the director of entertainment industry relations at Gucci, who poached her from Prada
In 2014 she married George Galliers-Pratt of the Cayzer banking dynasty in Knightsbridge.
While Kate and William didn’t go to the ceremony, the princess’ sister Pippa was in attendance.
Her lavish wedding featured in US Vogue and in 2020 she became head of communications in north Europe for Gucci. The couple also have a daughter.
Kate and William heard a speech at their graduation ceremony in 2005 by their principal, who described St Andrews in Fife as the country’s top matchmaking university.
He added: ‘You may have met your husband or wife.’
If William had not returned to St Andrews after his break, his life could have looked very different.
The rest, as they say, is history.
