Sam was reportedly responsible for reuniting Kate and William after their 2007 split
Kate Middleton and Prince William are forever grateful for a friend of theirs who was reportedly responsible for reuniting the couple after their split in 2007.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a tweet congratulating jockey Sam Valle-Cohen on winning the Grand National at Aintree during their final race against the 50-1 odds.
He wrote, "Many congratulations to @swaleycohen for winning the Grand National." "What a way to retire!"
Not only do the couple know Sam – who also attended their royal wedding in 2011 – personally, but it is rumored that the jockey was responsible for reuniting the couple after they split in 2007.
Kate and Prince William met as freshmen at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2001, becoming friends before their relationship turned romantic. But they had a brief breakup in 2007.
Friends of the couple who spoke with PEOPLE at the time said there was no last minute, but rather a gradual unraveling. Kate, however, was ready to commit and William was unwilling to settle down.
According to the Daily Mail, Sam invited both Kate and Prince William to a "Freakin Naughty"-themed party at their family's 17th-century mansion in Oxfordshire, where William wore short shorts and a police helmet, while Kate dressed as a nurse. They rejoined the party and were seen talking. Just a few weeks later, they were on vacation together in the Seychelles.
While many credit Sam for bringing Prince William and Kate Middleton back together, he has been hesitant about his role in the past. Fans loved the idea that someone put the lovebirds back together, but they put themselves together far more.