- William and Kate split for a few months in 2007 after five years of dating
- Kate, then 25, fled to Dublin with her mother Carole before the news broke
- Aattended champagne reception for exhibition by friend Gemma Billington
- Chatted animatedly to footballer Niall Quinn and popstars The Thrills
Never-before-seen images of the Duchess of Cambridge reveal how she fled to Dublin with her mother Carole to lick her wounds during her 2007 break-up with Prince William.
The Duke and Duchess are the epitome of a solid royal marriage, but more than a decade ago they split up briefly at the end of March 2007.
Before news of their break up hit the papers, Kate had already flown to Ireland with her mother and now unseen images, uncovered by The Irish Independent, show how she put on a brave face while mingling at family friend Gemma Billington's art exhibition.
Even at 25, Kate was showcasing elegan regal style in a black spotted jacket and skirt suits and she was all smiles as she was introduced to former Arsenal and Manchester City player Niall Quinn and members of the pop group The Thrills.
After enjoying the paintings and mingling at the champagne reception, Kate and Carole completed a cultural day with a tour of the National Gallery of Ireland.
Kate Middleton mingling with Irish footballer Niall Quinn, who played for Arsenal and Manchester City, and artist Gemma Billington at the Urban Retreat Gallery in Dublin in April 2007, shortly after breaking up with Prince William
Kate, 25, was nursing a broken heart but managed to put her troubles aside as she chatted animatedly to Ben Carrigan from the Irish pop group The Thrills
Kate and William went their separate ways for a few months after she gave the royal an ultimatum to propose.
By this time they had been dating for five years since meeting at St Andrew's University and Kate was ready to think about settling down.
But the prince was starting a new chapter as as Army officer with the Blues and Royals and was eager to avoid the mistake his parents had made by marrying too hastily.
William decided to celebrate the end of his relationship rather differently – with a trip to the Mahiki club in Central London. The news of their split was not yet public, but those around him had more than a clue of what was going on when he leaped on to a table, shouting ‘I’m free!’.
Kate and her mother Carole attended a champagne reception for the opening of an exhibition by family friend Gemma Billington before visiting the National Gallery of Ireland
William and Kate pictured at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2007, shortly before they split up after five years of dating
He then slipped into his version of the robot dance – made famous by England footballer Peter Crouch – and suggested to his friends that they drink the menu.
News of their split broke in public the following day.
By mid-May the couple were talking on the phone, by June Kate was spotted at a fancy dress party at William's barracks,
In August, the pair jetted off for a holiday in the Seychelles where William made a promise that a proposal would be forthcoming in the future.
Kate Middleton at the opening of Gemma Billington's exibition at the Urban Retreat Gallery in 2007, during a visit to Dublin to escape her heartbreak after splitting briefly from Prince William
The couple got engaged in October 2010 and married in April the following year.
During an interview to mark their engagement in November 2010, both admitted the brief time apart had been for the best.
‘I think at the time I wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person, you find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn’t realised,’ she said.
‘I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger. I really valued that time for me as well, although I didn’t think it at the time!’
William added: ‘We were both very young . . . we were both finding ourselves and being different characters.
'It was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up so it was just a bit of space and it worked out for the better.’
Prince William and Kate arriving to pose for photographs at the State Apartments of St James Palace to mark the announcement of their engagement in 2010. In an interview both admitted that their brief split had improved their relationship for the better
William and Kate exiting Westminster Abbey in London, after their wedding service, on April 29, 2011.
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