Prince William's secret pub date returns to spotlight

Prince William has always been known for his loving and compassionate heart, a legacy shaped by his romance with a girl, whose story has inspired several books.

The future British monarch secretly drove more than an hour to take his partner on a country pub date months before the famous university catwalk appearance widely credited with transforming William and Princess Kate's friendship into romance.

According to Ingrid Seward's new book, Catherine & Diana, Kate and William headed to the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, where Catherine helped the unhappy prince make a decision that would change his university life.

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The royal secretly took Catherine on a pub date in 2001. He picked her from her family's home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

Seward writes in the tome, extracts from which have been published by the Daily Mail: "In the snug surroundings of a country pub with dark wood furnishings and a fire going, there was a crucial shift in their fledgling relationship. Catherine was relishing their art history course, but William was unhappy."

King Charles III's eldest son had discovered studying art history held little appeal despite growing up surrounded by great works at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

But he was reluctant to abandon the course because he feared being viewed as a failure, and Catherine already knew through their university conversations he was fascinated by the natural world following a trip to Kenya.

During their evening together, she encouraged the Prince to consider alternatives and helped him explore his options.

Seward writes: "Surrounded as he was by people who almost always said 'yes,' it was difficult for William in those days to form concrete opinions, but here was someone genuinely interested in his dilemma, coming up with a solution."

Catherine looked stunning as she modeled a gold-and-black creation with blue ribbon trim over a black top 

Seward argues Catherine had already secured something potentially more important than William's attraction – his trust.

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