Exclusive: Kate Middleton has one special asset that Prince William has fallen in love with

When Prince William first met his future wife Kate Middleton at St Andrews University in Scotland, he was seen as a somewhat reserved and distant character. Having lost his mother, Princess Diana, at the tender age of 15, he had already endured more than any child should. However, upon meeting Kate, a Royal expert exclusively tells OK!, he began to emerge from his shell, revealing aspects of the strong father and husband we recognise today. Duncan Larcombe, a Royal biographer and former newspaper Royal editor, reveals that it was one particular trait that William displayed after meeting Kate that convinced her he was the man she wanted to marry – his love for her family.

“It’s easy to underestimate the role the Middletons have played in William’s life,” he says. “Yes, he fell in love with Kate at university, but frankly he fell in love with the Middleton family as well.” He adds, “They were the family he has never had – the mum, dad and three kids spending time together and going on family holidays. It was a new world he’d not experienced before.” As well as growing close to Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael, William is fond of his wife’s two younger siblings, Pippa and James.

Royal expert Hugo Vickers tells OK!: “We’ve always been told that Prince William found the Middleton household very convenient, in the sense that he felt it had a sort of a normality that his own upbringing hadn’t particularly had.”

“They’ve always been good at keeping their private life away from the public gaze, just as they did in Anglesey. Now, of course they have help at home in Windsor but they don’t have many staff. I think they’ve always tried to keep it informal so that they are all together as a family.”