As the heir to the throne, expected to become the King of the Commonwealth, it would be safe to assume that Prince William would have been an incredibly eligible bachelor with a whole host of women clamouring to be his bride.
However, as depicted by Netflix series The Crown, he only ever had eyes for Kate; the pair met while they were both studying at the University of St Andrews and the rest, as they say, is history.
But royal titles alone evidently weren't enough to impress the Middleton family, as they had their own stipulations for the now-Prince of Wales before they permitted his and Kate’s partnership.
In an interview with Hello! magazine, Kate’s younger brother James Middleton was asked whether it was a “prerequisite for Prince William to like dogs before he could join the Middleton family”.
Middleton – a firm lover of dogs himself, owning four cocker spaniels and two golden retrievers at his home in Berkshire – light-heartedly responded that they had all been pleased to discover that William “had a long love of dogs”.
“He had a very strong relationship with a black lab called Wigeon growing up, so he knew the powers of what dogs can do,” he added.
Middleton went on to explain that he chose to live in close proximity to his siblings; the Prince and Princess of Wales only live 30 minutes away, while sister Pippa and her hedge fund manager husband James Matthews, are also equidistant.
“We are a close family and we are fortunate that we see lots of each other and my parents play a good role in getting us all together in that respect,” he said.
“I jokingly say that I had three mothers growing up. I had my mother and my two sisters, who were mothering figures to me. I was very fortunate.
“We had a fantastic childhood, and they included me in everything they did, and still do. I'm now in my late 30s and we still have that friendship.”
