Inside the Scottish University where Will and Kate met
Welcome to St. Andrews, Scotland, a quaint town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland.
Once a royal burgh named after Saint Andrew the Apostle, the quiet town is a great choice for a break from daily life – as of June this year, the population was thought to be 16,800.
It is home to beautiful beaches, landmarks, and stunning coastline views.
Despite its small population, you may also know it as the Home of Golf – St Andrews Links has over seven public courses, and golf has been played on the site for over 600 years.
It also boasts the University of St Andrews, which was founded in 1413. According to the Times Higher Education University Rankings for 2017, it is currently the 14th best University in the UK, and has the 110th spot in the world.
The University's alumni are made up of some of Britain's best. In September, 2001, Prince William arrived in the Scottish town to start his four-year history of art course. He made this decision despite the fact that the royal family have traditionally gone to Oxford or Cambridge.
He stayed in residence at St. Salvator’s Hall, where he made friends and was left alone by the media, for the most part.
It was here that he met Kate Middleton, a brunette with the same major.
Although Middleton told The Telegraph that she “went bright red and scuttled off" when she met William, she said the two became close friends from early on.
“We were friends for over a year first," William told The Telegraph in 2010. "It just sort of blossomed from then on. We spent more time with each other and had a good giggle and lots of fun."
After dating for two years, Kate Middleton and Prince William graduated from the University of St Andrews on June 23, 2005. The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay attended the ceremony.
Prince William was swarmed outside of St Salvator's Chapel after earning a 2:1 class MA in Geography, having changed his major during his studies.
The pair were engaged in 2010 after William proposed on a trip in Kenya, giving Kate his mother’s engagement ring.
In the buildup to the Royal Wedding, it wasn't just the romantics of the world who remembered the pair's history at St Andrews – the town's locals, such as the owner of this coffee shop, were seen commemorating the occasion.
The couple also returned to the University in February 2011, before they were married, to launch a fundraising campaign for a scholarship and students support.
The whole world watched as Will and Kate married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.
And they continue to pay thanks to the place where they met. In December 2014, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, an event which supports initiatives including scholarships and bursaries for students from under-privileged communities.
While it remains to be seen which Universities Prince George and Princess Charlotte will choose to attend, our vote lies with St Andrews.
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