How Prince William and Kate found their way back to each other after bitter split Entertainment Kate Middleton and Prince William have been going strong for almost two decades now. And while their romance appeared to be no short of a fairytale, the two did have their fair share of bumps on the road as well. The now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had infamously split up in 2007 as speculation went through the roof about their engagement which gave the future king cold feet. That is when he had reportedly called Kate at work, per Mirror Online, and broken up with her over the phone.