Prince William's 'furious' reaction when Kate Middleton secret was exposed

The Prince of Wales has been protective of Kate and her family ever since the start of their romance - and so he was 'furious' when secret photos were published

Prince William worked hard to keep his blossoming romance with Kate Middleton under wraps. As a future King, he knew the pressure and media attention that would fall on his girlfriend and future wife, and wanted to protect her privacy for as long as possible.

But in April 2004, the news was out. Kate joined William on a family skiing holiday and they were captured on camera together looking cosy on the slopes. The photos appeared in British newspapers the following day - and William was reportedly "furious" that the secret was out. Speaking on Channel 5's documentary William & Kate: Too Good To Be True, Rebecca England, royal editor at the Daily Mail, said: "Unfortunately for them, a paparazzi photographer took pictures of William and Kate clearly very close on the ski lift together.

"William was furious, and he was also genuinely worried for Kate and her family about what this would now mean for them." William and Kate spoke about the start of their relationship during their 2010 engagement interview with ITV ’s Tom Bradby. They confirmed they first met during the first few weeks of freshman year at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

And although William confessed he couldn't remember the exact moment they locked eyes, Kate recalled to Bradby that she went "bright red" and "scuttled off" when she encountered the young prince for the first time. But the couple would routinely bump into each other in class - both were studying art history - and discovered they had much in common, including a love of swimming and skiing. Within weeks, Kate and William were good friends.

It took some time, however, for romance to blossom. During the first semester, William dated Carley Massy-Birch and also continued a flirtation with Arabella Musgrave. Kate, meanwhile, was seeing the tall, dark, and handsome fourth-year student Rupert Finch - considered the ultimate catch at St. Andrews, according to Tatler.

But that all changed when Kate took part in a charity fashion show in March 2002. William paid 200 pounds to sit in the front row and, as Kate took to the runway in a see-through tube dress, the young prince's head was turned. "Wow, Kate's hot!" he reportedly whispered to a friend.

In Katie Nicholl's 2013’s book Kate: The Future Queen, mutual friend Andrew Sands recalled the couple canoodling at a house party after the show. "They kissed at the end of the night," he said. "They were both standing up in the corner of the living room, and I recall seeing them out of the corner of my eye. It was dark, there were lots of people, and the music was playing very loud. Everyone pretended that they weren't taking much notice, but it went round St. Andrews like wildfire afterwards."