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Prince William Used This Fake Name in College to Hide His Royal Identity

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During his college days, Prince William wanted to live a completely normal life. The royal attended the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, where he met his future wife, Kate Middleton. During his time as a student, he dropped his royal title and went by an alias.

According to The Mirror, Prince William used the name Steve to escape from the press and media. Even though he enrolled under William Wales (since his father is the Prince of Wales), his classmates called him Steve so outside spectators wouldn’t know his true identity.

“It is believed his classmates used the nickname so he didn’t receive any unwanted attention,” the outlet reports.

At the time, Prince William and Middleton resided in the same college dorm. A friend of the couple said they became “instant companions” after William invited her to breakfast. Surprisingly, Middleton also inherited her own nickname at the university. According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the name “Beautiful Kate” was given to her by the end of Freshers Week.

However, Middleton really caught his eye after modeling a sheer dress in a charity fashion show. The prince paid £220 to sit in the front row. During sophomore year, Middleton and William moved into a two-story house with two friends. 

In 2005, they attended the same graduation ceremony, with Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in attendance.

Now, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are happily married with three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Who can blame William for wanting a normal college experience?

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Assistant Editor, News And Entertainment

Karelle McKay is the Assistant Editor of News and Entertainment at PureWow. Before she started writing about all things pop culture, she was a literal couch potato who loved...