Long before they became the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly had a clever way of slipping away together without attracting quite as much attention.
During the early years of their romance, the future king and queen occasionally checked into hotels under the decidedly ordinary names “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” according to royal author Robert Jobson.
© VALERIE MACONThe revelation appears in Jobson’s 2024 biography, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, which offers a glimpse into the couple’s attempts to carve out a private relationship while William remained one of the most recognizable young royals in the world.
“For weekends and holidays, he’d often whisk Catherine off to Highgrove or Sandringham or to a cottage on the Balmoral estate,” Jobson wrote.
“Occasionally, they checked into hotels, using the names Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which doubtless fooled no one,” he added.
© Max Mumby/IndigoThe alias inevitably brings to mind the 2005 movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. However, William and Kate’s relationship began years earlier while they were students at the University of St Andrews, making it unclear whether the Hollywood film had anything to do with their choice.
William had another secret identity:
“Mr. Smith” was hardly William’s first attempt at going incognito.
© PAUL ELLISWhen the prince arrived at St Andrews in 2001, he reportedly used the name “Steve” as he tried to enjoy something resembling an ordinary university experience.
“In 2001, William quietly slipped into undergraduate life at St Andrews, where he used the pseudonym ‘Steve’ in a rather pathetic attempt to stay under the radar,” Jobson wrote.
Kate reportedly played along with the alias, occasionally referring to William by the fake name during their university years.
© LEFTERIS PITARAKISIt was at St Andrews that their friendship eventually developed into a romance. Their relationship became increasingly public in the years that followed, making private trips considerably more difficult to keep out of the spotlight.
Their romantic Seychelles alias:
William and Kate reportedly turned to another pair of fake names during one of the most consequential trips of their relationship.
© Getty ImagesAccording to royal author Andrew Morton’s 2011 biography William and Catherine, the couple traveled to the Seychelles in 2007 following their brief breakup and used the names “Martin and Rose Middleton.”
Morton wrote that the pair spent a week on the island of Desroches “renewing their love affair.” The getaway came after William and Kate reconciled and reportedly helped mark a turning point in their relationship.
The trip would take on even greater significance years later.
© BEN STANSALLWilliam proposed to Kate in Kenya in 2010, and the couple married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. They then returned to the Seychelles for their honeymoon.
The secret names they used in the Seychelles:
William and Kate’s use of aliases did not end with their dating years.
While they were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the couple were also widely reported to have been known by the names Danny Collins and Daphne Clark for security and travel purposes.
© GrosbyGroupThe initials “DC” corresponded with their former titles, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The practice is not unique to the couple. Members of the British royal family have long reportedly used code names and aliases to keep travel arrangements, security communications and other sensitive plans discreet.
For William and Kate, however, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” offers a particularly revealing glimpse at the earliest chapter of their love story. Two university sweethearts attempting, however unsuccessfully, to disappear into the crowd before becoming one of the most famous couples in the world.
