"She used to come in with his friends, and he would be here with his friends," recalled Cunningham. "So they would be in the building together, but not necessarily sitting together. And then when we heard there was something going on between them, we kind of put two-and-two together."

Post-graduation life

After graduation, the couple once again entered the glare of the world’s media. That reached a peak in 2007 when William broke off the relationship for several months.

The royal family has long had a fractious relationship with the press. William’s mother, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by photographers on motorbikes. He was determined to protect Kate from the media scrutiny his mother endured.

Royal lawyers warned off paparazzi who got too close.

The engagement

The couple got back together, and in October 2010, William proposed while on holiday in Kenya - with the engagement ring of his late mother.

Kate - or Princess Catherine as she will be known after the wedding - is about to enter a world known only to a privileged few.

"Could she have predicted it 10 years ago I wonder? I would guess not," said Joe Little, managing editor of

Majesty

, a magazine devoted to the royal family. "Yes, there were break-ups in the royal romance but they got back together again and they are clearly stronger than ever. I would imagine that Kate has many surreal moments and will continue to have for many years."