Prince William and Kate Middleton's relationship has often been touted as the ultimate real-life fairytale. The pair met at university in 2001 and now, twenty-two years later, they are happily married with three beautiful children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
They have often opened up about their relationship - from their low-key date nights to how they enjoy spending quality time together.
However, one royal author has now claimed that it's 'not all sweetness' in the royal household and that - like many couples - they do row behind closed doors.
Tom Quinn's new book, Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, tells the story of the royal family through interviews with palace staff and insiders to determine how their upbringing has shaped their adult lives.
The book details the Prince and Princess of Wales' nicknames for each other - confirming that Kate does call William 'babe' as has been previously reported, but also pokes fun by referring to him as 'baldy'. William supposedly calls Kate 'Babykins' or 'Duchess of Doolittle' - the latter apparently a 'gentle dig' at his wife, referring to the late Queen Elizabeth II's unhappiness about her not having a career before their wedding.
But the author also claims that the royal couple aren't immune from more testing moments, too.
Quinn writes: "Kate is very much the calm one. William is the one who’s a bit hotheaded. We see an example of that in Harry’s book… But Kate is very level-headed. She’s the one who will pour oil on troubled waters and go, 'Let’s not stir things up.'
"Of course, privately, William and Kate, like all couples, fall out, row, shout at each other and say unkind things to each other, but Kate is an appeaser by instinct and William always gives way as he had more than enough emotional turmoil, divorce and disruption as a child. He hates confrontation."
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Quinn elaborated on his claims about William and Kate's rows, saying: "Someone at the palace told me about the nicknames they have for each other. But it’s not all sweetness.
"They have terrible rows where they throw things at each other. Kate might seem to be a very calm person, and William also. But it’s not always true. Because the big stress for William and Kate is that they’re constantly surrounded by [palace aides]. It’s like a Jane Austen novel."
Far from wanting to appear as the 'perfect couple that everyone else should try and emulate', however, the Wales' are keen for the public to know that, at the end of the day, their relationship is just like anybody else's.
Quinn continued: "[Kate] said, 'Like every other couple, we have days when we are really, really cross with each other, or days when we don’t talk to each other.'
"They want to be seen as an ordinary couple with the same stresses of having children, work, and everything else that life brings."
