The Duchess of Cambridge staked her claim on Prince William early

Even before they were dating, Kate Middleton was employing cheeky tactics helping Prince William to ward off girls. Did she have her eye on the prize all along?

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge arrive at a charity event in 2011. Picture: AP

Kate Middleton and Prince William’s romance began during their time at St Andrews University — but before they even got together she was helping him to ward off girls.

According to Laura Warshauer, a friend of the couple, the Duchess of Cambridge previously pretended to be the Duke’s girlfriend.

“He said ‘Oh, sorry, but I’ve got a girlfriend’, and he and Kate went off giggling, according to The Sun.

Britain's Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton after William received his RAF wings from Prince Charles, Friday April 11, 2008. Picture: AP

“Kate was the only girl in the room who could have done that. And that was just a month after we started university.”

According to Laura the grateful prince went to thank Kate afterwards.

The young students became “instant companions” according to a friend, and Kate especially caught the prince’s eye when she modelled that daring, sheer outfit on a charity catwalk.

The royal couple were friends at first but things soon turned romantic after discovering they had the same naughty sense of humour.

After meeting at St Andrews in 2001, Prince William and Kate dated for a number of years after their studies.

Prince William, centre, his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton and brother Prince Harry watch an England versus Italy Six Nations rugby match in 2007. Picture: AP

Meanwhile, on their current tour of Pakistan, Kate and Wills surprised their entourage when they decided to pull over and visit a family who was living on the side of the road.

The Duke and Duchess encountered the family while travelling in the remote Wakhan region. The family of four live in the mountains and due to extreme weather conditions in the past six months, have been forced to stay in a one-bedroom home with no running water and no electricity.

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, chat with members of the Kalash tribe in October, 2019. Picture: AFP

The impromptu visit raised eyebrows among the royals’ security but Kate apparently was keen to stop and talk to the couple and their two children, and she and William went to visit their hut accompanied only by a translator. She even pulled her own camera out and began snapping pictures of the grandmother, mother and daughter.

Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge plays cricket as Pakistani bowler Shaheen Afridi looks on. Picture: AP Photo

The Cambridges’ five-day tour has been deemed a roaring success, with highlights including Kate and Wills enjoying a game of cricket in Lahore, and making a return visit to an orphanage because they felt they only “scratched the surface” on their first visit the day prior.

This story first appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission.