Prince William first laid eyes on Kate Middleton when he was 9

While it is no secret the Prince William and Kate Middleton’s romance sparked during their university days, it is reported that the couple go way back when they were little.

According to royal author Katie Nicholl, Prince William first sighted the Duchess of Cambridge when she was just nine years old.

The encounter came to being when their schools’ hockey teams played each other.

Young William, with his classmates, had reportedly went to Kate’s school at St. Andrew’s Prep for a fixture.

It remains unclear whether the two love birds spoke to each other.

Writing in her book Kate: The Future Queen, Katie writes: "Although she wasn't especially interested in boys, the arrival of one particular young man had caught her attention.

"Nearby Ludgrove Prep school would often play matches against St. Andrew's Prep, and there was much excitement when Prince William, a left back on Ludgrove's Colts team, came to St. Andrew's to play a hockey match when he was nine years old.

"William, like Kate, loved sports and was one of the best hockey and rugby players in his year. Of course, the arrival of the prince generated a flurry of excitement."