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Prince William leaves fans confused after discussing Kate Middleton's first meeting with the Queen

The Duchess of Cambridge first met the Queen five years into her relationship with William

kate middleton and the queen
Ainhoa Barcelona
Content Managing Editor
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Royal watchers have been left confused after Prince William seemed to suggest that he was present at Kate's first meeting with the Queen back in 2008. Kate was introduced to the monarch when she attended the wedding of William's first cousin Peter Phillips in Windsor. The 36-year-old attended solo, without her then-boyfriend, who was abroad in Kenya – and at the time it made headlines because Kate going in the Prince's place was a big sign that their relationship was serious.

But during the couple's joint engagement interview with the BBC in 2010, William seemed to suggest that he was at the wedding. When asked what it was like to meet William's grandmother for the first time, Kate said: "Well I first met her at Peter and Autumn's wedding and again it was in amongst a lot of other guests. She was very friendly, and yes, it was fine."

autumn phillips wedding© Photo: Getty Images

Kate, not pictured, attended Peter and Autumn Phillips' wedding - but William was abroad

William, sensing his then-fiancée's nerves during the very personal televised interview, chimed in: "She was very welcoming. She knew it was a big day and everything was going on with Peter and Autumn, she had wanted to meet Kate for a while, so it was very nice for her to come over and say hello, we had a little chat and got on really well."

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Back in 2008, William was unable to make Peter and Autumn's wedding, which is why his comments in the interview have caused confusion. The Prince was abroad in Kenya attending the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Jecca Craig's brother. William has always remained close with the Craig family and accepted the invite for the Masaai-themed wedding. In 2016, he again flew to Kenya to attend Jecca's own wedding.

kate middleton announces engagement© Photo: Getty Images

In their engagement interview, William seemed to suggest he was at Peter's wedding

At the time, a source told the Telegraph that William's decision to skip his cousin's royal wedding was not seen as a snub to the rest of the family. "Prince William is going to be out of the country this weekend on a long-standing prior engagement," the insider said. "It is an unfortunate clash but he spoke to his cousin Peter and he is fine with the situation. His girlfriend will be going in his absence."

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Despite not having a date, Kate was in good company as she attended the Windsor nuptials with Prince Harry and his girlfriend at the time, Chelsy Davy. The then Miss Middleton looked lovely at the wedding, which was covered exclusively by HELLO!, wearing a pale pink jacket, a sheer black top and full skirt, matching her veiled pillbox hat.

Relive William and Kate's engagement announcement:

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