Kate Middleton and Prince William reportedly had a marriage pact 3 years before they got engaged

With eight years of marriage under their belts and 3 kids, Kate Middleton and Prince Williams' fairytale love story is one for the books. But what even many fans may not know is that the couple, whose relationship was years in the making after meeting in 2001 at the University of St. Andrews, almost didn't make it to the altar.

The couple broke up briefly in 2007 for four months, after needing time away from each other before committing. Said Kate about the breakup:

"At the time I wasn't very happy about it, but it actually made me a stronger person. You find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realized. I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger, and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn't think it at the time."

However, an excerpt from the book Kate: The Future Queen, written by royal biographer Katie Nicholl, revealed that the two later traveled to the island of Desroches in the Seychelles that year and made a pact to one another three years before their engagement, which helped take pressure off the relationship and put Kate at ease.

Nicholls wrote:

"There on the paradise island, William promised Kate that he was in the relationship for the long term. For the very first time, they talked seriously about marriage, and with the ocean before them and beneath the night sky, they made a pact to marry."