Queen Elizabeth’s Advice to Prince William During His Breakup From Princess Kate Revealed

If it were not for Queen Elizabeth II’s sage advice, Prince William and Princess Kate may have never married.

In an excerpt published Wednesday, February 18, in People from Russell Myers’ upcoming book William and Catherine, The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story (out March 10), the author recounts how William, 43, and Kate, 44, almost didn’t make it to the altar.

The on-off couple officially began dating in 2003, but they split in 2007 as they were feeling pressured to take their relationship to the next level.

According to Myers, William and Kate “appeared frosty” with one another that March, and sources claimed their relationship had “soured beyond repair.” That’s when, he wrote, “Catherine delivered an ultimatum to William.”

“She wasn’t demanding an engagement, but she wanted a commitment,” a friend said, per Myers, “and if he couldn’t deliver that, well, then she left him in no doubt that it was best they go their separate ways.”

At the time, it appeared that the couple needed space.

“Sensing William was struggling, the Queen invited him to Sunday lunch to judge his mood,” Myers wrote in the passage. “William was more than just crestfallen and worried about whether he was throwing away the one constant in his life. He was, according to one well-placed source, ‘completely broken.’”

According to the source, “In that moment the Queen advised her grandson that the only certain path is the one supported by faith. It was all she had to say.”

Myers wrote that William had suggested to Kate that they attend a party together “that had been in their [calendar] for months.”

“Fellow guests said as soon as William and Catherine set eyes on one another it was clear their love had not extinguished,” Myers wrote.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were eventually married on April 29, 2011. The future king and queen now share three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte 10, and Prince Louis, 7.