It is widely assumed that Kate Middleton, 28, first saw her future husband in person while studying history of art at St Andrew's University in Scotland.
However, it can be revealed that her first contact with Prince William came nearly a decade earlier when she was a pupil at St Andrew's Preparatory School near Pangbourne, Berks.
Miss Middleton was among scores of youngsters who clamoured to catch a glimpse of the then nine-year-old Prince when he played in a hockey match at the £15,000-a-year school.
The Prince, who was then a pupil at Ludgrove boarding school near Wokingham, Berks, drew a crowd of touchline admirers as he played left back for the Colts team.
A former St Andrew's pupil told the Daily Telegraph: ÔÇ£There was huge excitement when it was announced that Prince William was coming to play in the match.
ÔÇ£It was probably the biggest crowd that had ever turned out to watch a Colts hockey fixture.
ÔÇ£All the girls, Catherine included, were desperate to catch a glimpse of him and afterwards at match tea they were all trying to speak to him and shake his hand.
ÔÇ£It's bizarre to think that nearly 20 years since then, William and Catherine are getting married.ÔÇØ
The Prince's prowess on the hockey pitch would no doubt have appealed to Miss Middleton, who was herself an accomplished player for the school's girls' teams.
She won colours in the sport during her stint at St Andrew's and continued playing when she went on to Marlborough College at the age of 13.
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