Prince Willam and Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton was continuously harassed once she began dating Prince William. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pictured during a walkabout in Ballymena town centre on Feb. 28, 2019 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Prince William is often praised for being a doting husband to his wife Kate Middleton, however, prior to their engagement, he was known for being a protective boyfriend. In 2007, the Duke of Cambridge reportedly went to extreme measures to stop photographers from harassing his college sweetheart.

The 2015 BBC documentary “Reinventing the Royals,” detailed the couple’s struggle to have a normal life and relationship, while being followed by the paparazzi.

Eventually, Kate began receiving an overwhelming amount of attention due to ongoing engagement rumors. As a result, William stepped in to take control of the situation.

“William’s privacy lawyers were employed and it was made perfectly clear that they would not tolerate Kate Middleton being harassed in the way she had been,” Richard Kay from the Daily Mail recalled.

The royal family worried Kate would meet the same fate as Princess Diana, who was regularly followed by the paparazzi.

“Diana was thrown to the dogs. As Charles’ girlfriend, she had to completely fend for herself. Everyday mobs of photographers were outside her house photographing her. They [the Royal Family] weren’t going to allow that situation to happen again,” Kay explained.

The invasion of privacy also began to concern Kate’s family, but William vowed to keep her safe. “William made a promise to Michael Middleton, the Duchess’ father when he first started dating Kate,” royal biographer Penny Junor stated.

“I will protect her,” William told Michael.

Since then, Prince William has continued to protect Kate’s privacy, which now extends to their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.