A Timeline of Prince William’s Rumored Affair
If you follow the royal family, you’ve likely heard of an alleged affair between Prince William and Kate Middleton’s best friend, Rose Hanbury. While the reports of the Duke of Cambridge cheating on his wife are still just rumors — and the frenzy around it died down after the initial breaking news in March — many social media users brought it back into circulation this week.
From debates about whether or not he actually cheated on Kate Middleton to some fans accusing the British tabloids of painting a negative picture of Meghan Markle to distract from the allegations, Twitter fans have a lot to say about Prince William’s rumored affair, bringing the story back into circulation.
Need a quick refresher on Prince William and Rose Hanbury’s alleged affair? Here’s a timeline of how the rumors started.
How did the rumors start?
Back in March, The Sun published a story about how Kate Middleton and her best friend, Rose Hanbury had a big falling out. “It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out,” an unnamed source told the publication. They used to be close but that is not the case any more [sic],” they added.
While the initial reporting didn’t claim an alleged affair, it did hint to the possibility — which is likely what caused so many to discuss the rumor on social media after. “William wants to play peacemaker so the two couples can remain friends, given they live so close to each other [in Norfolk and share many mutual friends. But Kate has been clear that she doesn’t want to see them any more [sic] and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status,” the source noted.
‘The Daily Mail’ comes to his defense
Following The Sun’s report, The Daily Mail — in a way — came to Prince William’s defense with a rebuttal, which led some to believe that the rumors are in fact just lies.
“Both sides have considered legal action because none of the reports have been able to offer any evidence about what the so-called dispute is about, they have chosen to ignore it,” the publication reported.
The rumors are unpacked on Twitter
In the wake of the alleged affair, some insiders took to Twitter to unpack the rumors. According to gossip reporter Giles Coren, the reason Kate and Hanbury sought legal action was because the affair is true. “Yes, it is an affair,” Coren Tweeted. “I haven’t read the piece but I know about the affair. Everyone knows about the affair, darling.” The tweet was deleted not long after its initial posting.
Coren wasn’t the only one with insight on the affair. According to reporter, Nicole Cliffe, The Sun’s initial report of the foursome’s split sent waves through Kensington Palace because there might actually be some truth to it. Additionally, she believed that the affair might have something to do with Prince William and Prince Harry’s alleged feud.
“Wills would absolutely have told Harry about the affair,” Cliffe tweeted. “And I think that Harry was like “this is exactly what ruined our childhoods,” she added. Her Twitter threat continued to discuss how Prince Harry would have been upset with his brother but, out of loyalty, he and Meghan Markle played along with feud rumors between the duchesses to mask what was really going on. Cliffe also pointed out that Rose Hanbury might have been the one sharing the news with the media, too.
Prince William’s lawyers take action
Following the Tweets and media coverage, Prince William’s rumored affair with Rose Hanbury seemed to die down a bit — especially since Kensington Palace denied to comment and many weren’t sure about the credibility of some unnamed sources.
However, his lawyers still stepped in to try to put a stop to any more coverage. According to The Daily Beast, his attorney’s sent letters to various outlets. “In addition to being false and highly damaging, the publication of false speculation in respect of our clients’ private life also constitutes a breach of his privacy pursuant to Article 8 of the European Convention to Human Rights,” the letter read.
Prince Harry steps out with Kate Middleton — and the internet sparks rumors again
Earlier this week, after Kate Middleton attended a royal engagement with her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, the allegations ramped up again — this time, going viral. In honor of Anzac Day (a national day of remembrance of those that gave their lives for their country in Australia and New Zealand), Kate Middleton and Prince Harry stepped out together for a royal engagement.
The real reason both of their spouses were missing? Meghan Markle is on maternity leave and Prince William was in New Zealand, visiting with Christchurch mosque shooting survivors. However, Prince William’s absence caused Twitter users to resurface the rumors, causing some viral conversations about the Duke of Cambridge’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury.
This time around, Twitter users are accusing the British press of distracting from the affair with negative stories about Meghan Markle — and they are not happy. “Meghan Markle will breathe and the British media will start … shaming her for no reason but when Prince William has an affair, they barely talk about it,” one user noted. “Prince William and Palace courtiers have done a deal with the British press. In exchange for staying quiet about his affair, they will allow them to smear and slander Meghan,” another claimed (although the alleged “deal” is unconfirmed).
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