The Sign Kate Middleton And Her Ex Rupert Finch Are Still On Good Terms
Ahead of saying "I do" to England's future king, Kate Middleton opened her heart to a small number of other serious boyfriends. While attending high school at Marlborough College, she was linked to both Willem Marx and Harry Blakelock. But while she and Marx had an amicable split (he even attended the royal wedding!), the latter was a more painful breakup. According to the Daily Mail, Blakelock was hot and cold with Kate and eventually broke her heart.
Once Kate headed off to college at St Andrews, she found true love with William, but before that, it seems she had one more serious union with a man named Rupert Finch. While he's mostly stayed out of the public eye, focus was put back on him in late 2023 after the airing of "The Crown" Season 6, Part 2. The series featured a storyline about "Finchie," as the man Kate Middleton was dating when she met William. However, despite the renewed interest, don't expect him to spill any secrets. Finch has been incredibly considerate of his ex and has refused to speak about their union. "It's not something I'll ever talk about," the Daily Mail quoted him saying in 2006. "It's between Kate and me and was a long time ago."
Clearly he has great respect for his former flame, and that may be why he and Kate are still on incredibly good terms. Here's everything we know about their relationship, past and present.
Inside Kate Middleton and Rupert Finch's relationship
Rupert Finch was 22 years old and wrapping up his studies when a 19-year-old Kate Middleton began her first term at St Andrews. Despite their age difference and the fact that he was studying law while she was in the History of Art department, they hit it off and began dating. According to author Robert Jobson, who penned 2006's "William's Princess," they bonded over a shared love of sport (Finch was on the university's cricket team) and a similar upper middle-class upbringing. As Jobson discovered, per the Daily Mail, Finch grew up in a huge farmhouse in Fakenham, Norfolk, England and had his own royal connection, as the home is located on land owned by Earl Spencer. Finch is said to also have been handsome and studious and, as Jobson put it, "He was considered by some more Kate's 'speed' than a future king."
However, despite being a seemingly great match, they were together for less than a year because Finch's life soon reached a different milestone. He graduated and began a traineeship with solicitors Mills & Reeve; then, according to LinkedIn, he went on to build a career by "working in the advance materials, chemicals, automotive, battery, fuel cell, life science, and medical components sectors." After 11 years at chemicals company Johnson Matthey, he was appointed General Counsel for Williams Advanced Engineering in 2021.
Kate Middleton and Rupert Finch are still friendly
There are no hard feelings between Kate Middleton and Rupert Finch! In fact, when Kate tied the knot with Prince William in 2011, both Finch and his new partner, Lady Natasha Rufus-Isaacs, were invited. The following year, Finch proposed to Rufus-Isaacs (who is the Marquess of Reading's daughter and a friend of Prince William's) and when they married in 2013, it's likely they returned the favor.
The couple has since welcomed three kids –- Georgia, Cienna, and India –- just like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. And, to this day, it appears an amicable bond remains between the exes. In fact, Kate and Rufus-Isaacs share a special connection of their own. Finch's wife is the co-founder of ethical fashion line Beulah London, which helps support victims of human trafficking in India and is one of Middleton's favorite brands. Just a few of the times she's been spotted wearing the label include a 2019 visit to Family Action, the NHS's 72nd birthday celebration in 2020, and the 2023 Royal Charity Polo Cup. In fact, she's such an avid supporter that she's even recycled their pieces on several occasions. "It's always lovely to see the Duchess in Beulah," Rufus-Isaacs enthusiastically told Hello! in 2020. "She's a wonderful ambassador for British brands and that is more important than ever at the moment."