Prince William and Princess Kate may now be the power couple of the Royal Family, however their relationship as young adults wasn’t always so easy in the early days.

After meeting at St Andrews University in 2001 and forming a friendship that then evolved into more, it was easy to see how besotted the young couple were with each other.

However, as a future King, navigating a relationship in the public eye was not always smooth sailing for the prince.

While William had to spend Christmas at Sandringham as part of the Royal Family tradition, he was not expected to attend any set Royal Palace on New Year’s Eve, freeing him up in his dating days to spend it with his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton.

This was reportedly what he had planned to do in 2006, before then cancelling on the plan to spend the occasion with her and her family just days before.

In her book released in 2011, The Making of a Royal Romance, royal author Katie Nicholl claims William had promised Kate he would join her family but decided to stay with his family instead – and informed her on the phone on Boxing Day.

As reported by The Mirror, Katie writes: “William had been having second thoughts and sat down with his father and his grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate. Both advised him not to hurry into anything.”

Weeks after William cancelled his plans to spend NYE with Kate and her family, he broke up with her in 2007, before the pair continued their relationship once more just a few months later.

They have stayed together ever since and got engaged three years later in 2010, before marrying in 2011. They have since had three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

The future King and Queen had a brief split in their younger years (Image: Indigo/Getty Images)

It is not known what the future King and Queen now do to celebrate New Years, however it is likely that they stay home with their three children.

The couple are currently at their Amner Hall residence in Norfolk after having spent Christmas at Sandringham with the rest of the Royal Family, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The family-of-five also took part in the annual Christmas Day walkabout after attending a church service, before heading to Sandringham House for Christmas lunch.