Prince William Can't Escape Affair Rumors Amid Kate Middleton Drama
The ongoing royal mystery surrounding the absence of Catherine, Princess of Wales, has intensified as rumors have been swirling about William, Prince of Wales, having an affair. Initially, there were concerns over Kate's prolonged hospital stay following her January abdominal surgery and the lack of transparency from Kensington Palace, but the situation escalated following two photo-related controversies. After the internet erupted over Kate's disappearance, her reemergence photos were seriously suspect. Then, a royal Photoshop fail added fuel to the fire, with conspiracy theories exploding amid serious fake photo-op accusations.
With the princess unlikely to make public appearances until after Easter, as the Palace announced in January, the gossip has taken a new turn, accusing William of cheating on Kate. Late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert took advantage of the royal turmoil during a recent episode of "The Late Show," bringing the salacious gossip back into the mainstream spotlight. "The kingdom has been all aflutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton," said Colbert, adding, "Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate's absence may be related to her husband and the future King of England William having an affair."
Prince William's alleged affair reportedly happened with Rose Hanbury, a longtime friend of the royal family who holds the title of Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Interestingly, this is not the first, nor the second, time that this particular topic has dominated public conversation. Rumors of their supposed involvement began circulating years ago.
Multiple anonymous sources fueled the online gossip
With Catherine, Princess of Wales, still missing from the public eye, wild conspiracy theories about her absence have emerged. Notably, one of the more common ones suggests that Kate and William, Prince of Wales, are secretly splitting up, which some social media users think makes the most sense as the affair rumors continue to gain traction. All eyes are on Rose Hanbury amid Kate's PR nightmare, but the Marchioness of Cholmondeley has already been in this situation before.
The gossip alleging an affair between William and Hanbury, who is also married, first emerged in 2019 following a report by In Touch Weekly. However, the whole thing attracted significantly less attention back then compared to the heightened interest in 2024. Reportedly, when Kate confronted William about the matter, he downplayed the accusations. According to Richard Kay, a royal correspondent for the Daily Mail, both families contemplated legal action against the tabloids but ultimately gave up as there was no substantial evidence shared with the public.
Fast forward three years when an anonymous tip appeared on the celebrity gossip Instagram account @DeuxMoi (via Just Jared), claiming not only that the affair happened but also suggesting that Kate tolerated it as it was purely physical. Although none of the parties involved were named, the blind item's title, "Gardening Time," likely alluded to Hanbury's name — Rose.
Prince William might have to say something to defend himself
Despite William, Prince of Wales, allegedly attempting to wrinkle out the affair rumors with all of his might, the royal can't stop social media. Online users are becoming more and more interested in the bizarre royal situation, and the conspiracy theories are growing wilder by the day.
As expected, many social media users aren't exactly on William's side amid the drama. Some have even started to compare him to his father, King Charles III, who infamously cheated on William's mother, the late Princess Diana, with Queen Camilla. "Like father, like son. What a sham," said one X (formerly Twitter) user. Others took the affair rumors to another level, claiming that some of Rose Hanbury's three children look suspiciously similar to William. "Rose's son stood next to William on the balcony after the coronation," remarked one person, implying that the boy's proximity to William at such an important event suggests a special bond between the two.
Until Kate reappears, the internet will surely keep coming up with more reality television-worthy royal plotlines (including illegitimate offspring, apparently). It will probably not be long until someone from Kensington Palace addresses the raging internet rumors, given how hard the royal PR machine is already working to stay afloat in the face of the princess' choice of remaining reclusive.