Prince William and Kate Middleton have a racy party to thank for reigniting their romance after their shock split.

While fans might remember watching on as the couple tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in 2011, William and Kate’s romance wasn’t always smooth sailing. They first started dating while at university and found it difficult to navigate life together.

Royal author Robert Jobson recalled the events that led to their brief separation in his new book, Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography. He also detailed how the happy couple ended up back together again.

In an extract serialized in the Daily Mail, the author said William called Kate to suggest they split up as they both needed a “bit of space to find our own way.” Jobson continued: “He was unable to promise her marriage.”

In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on “different pages”, the author claimed. “It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone. Though it wasn’t the first time William had called time on their relationship, it felt final,” Jobson added.

William and Kate went their separate ways for a while and enjoyed their newfound freedom, partying with friends in London’s popular clubs. But after just two months apart, William’s friends claimed he started to miss his ex.

It just so happened that the two were then invited to a fancy dress party through a mutual friend – now Grand National-winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen. Despite the awkwardness surrounding the breakup, Sam decided to invite both of them to his “Freakin Naughty” themed party at his family’s Oxfordshire mansion.

William turned up wearing a policeman helmet, while Kate dressed up as a nurse in fishnet tights. Jobson wrote: “They then spent the first part of the evening deep in conversation before hitting the dance floor, where they ended up kissing. When friends joked they should get a room, they sloped off together.”

Speaking out about his role in their rekindling, Sam said in 2011: “There’s an idea that I was like Cupid with a bow and arrow. People love the idea that somebody put them back together, but they put themselves together far more.”

Initially, William and Kate kept their rekindled romance away from the public eye. However, the pair couldn’t keep their relationship low-key for long as they were caught sharing a kiss at an army party in Bovington, Dorset.