The depiction of Prince William and Kate Middleton's initial meeting in "The Crown" is not entirely accurate, as the show takes some creative liberties. In reality, Prince William and Kate met as freshmen at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2001. Their first encounter wasn't during a chance Christmas shopping encounter between Kate, her mother, Princess Diana, and Prince William, as portrayed in "The Crown." Instead, they met as students at the university.
According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl, there is a suggestion that Prince William and Kate might have crossed paths during their secondary school days in the '90s, before attending St. Andrews. Some of Kate's friends at Marlborough College mentioned that she may have met Prince William through mutual friends while still in school.
While "The Crown" also portrays a teenage Kate having posters of Prince William in her childhood bedroom, Kate herself denied this during her engagement interview, stating that she had the Levi's guy on her wall, not pictures of William.
In summary, while "The Crown" captures the essence of Prince William and Kate Middleton's early relationship, some details, such as the Christmas shopping encounter and teenage bedroom posters, are fictionalized for dramatic effect. The couple officially met at the University of St. Andrews in 2001.
