Kate Middleton and Prince William will always be grateful to their one friend

Kate Middleton and Prince William always be grateful to one of their friend who was reportedly responsible for reuniting the couple after they split back in 2007.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a tweet congratulating jockey Sam Waley-Cohen on winning the Grand National at Aintree during his final horse race against 50-1 odds.

"Huge congratulations to @swaleycohen for winning the Grand National," they wrote. "What a way to retire!"

Not only does the couple know Sam - who also attended their royal wedding in 2011 - personally, but it's rumored that the jockey was responsible for reuniting the couple after they split back 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-straw moment, but rather a gradual unraveling. Kate, however, was ready to commit and William was not ready to settle down.

Sam, according to the Daily Mail, invited both Kate and Prince William to a "Freakin Naughty"-themed party at his family's 17th-century mansion in Oxfordshire, where William wore short shorts and a police helmet while Kate dressed as a nurse. They reconnected at the party and were seen chatting. Just weeks later, they were on vacation together in the Seychelles.

While many credit Sam with bringing Prince William and Kate Middleton back together, he has played coy about his role in the past. Fans love the idea that somebody put the lovebirds back together, but they put themselves together far more.