Prince William, who celebrates his 44th birthday today, went to extreme measures to protect his privacy during his university years at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he studied from 2001 to 2005 and famously met his future wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Fake Name 'Steve' to Avoid Attention
While the Palace and media had agreed to afford the prince complete media privacy during his studies, William devised an additional tactic. He enrolled under the surname 'Wales', a common name, but reportedly chose to go by the fake first name 'Steve' to deter unwanted attention from fellow students and the public.
Catherine's Clever Rescue Tactic
According to a mutual friend of the couple, Laura Warshauer, Catherine once helped William escape an uncomfortable situation in a student bar before they began dating. Speaking to royal expert Katie Nicholl for her book Kate: The Future Queen, Laura recalled: 'Will was getting really hit on by this girl at a party, and it was getting quite uncomfortable because he couldn't shake her off. He was being really polite, but this girl just didn't get the hint. All of a sudden, Kate came up behind him and put her arms around him. He said "Oh, sorry, but I've got a girlfriend", and he and Kate went off giggling.'
William mouthed 'thanks so much' to Catherine afterwards. Laura added: 'Kate was the only girl in the room who could have done that. And that was just a month after we started university.'
Background on William's Studies
William originally intended to read History of Art at St Andrews but switched his course to geography. The prince's time at university was largely shielded from media intrusion, with only a handful of agreed photoshoots.
