Is This How Prince William Justified His Alleged Affair With Rose Hanbury?

By now you’ve probably heard about Prince William’s alleged affair with Kate Middleton’s best friend, Rose Hanbury. While the jury is still out on whether or not he actually cheated on the Duchess of Cambridge, some royal fans — as well as experts and anonymous sources “close to the palace” — believe he is guilty as charged.

If the rumors are true, how could Prince William do such a thing to his wife of eight years (not to mention: partner of over 15 years)? How did he justify an extramarital affair with Rose Hanbury? His grandfather, Prince Philip might have something to do with it.

Prince William’s affair

Following months of feud rumors between Prince William and Prince Harry, a new reason for their alleged blowout surfaced in March, after tabloids reported of a falling out between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their closest friends (and neighbors), David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley and his wife, Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.

“It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out,” an anonymous source told The Sun. “They used to be close but that is not the case any more [sic].” The initial report didn’t point fingers at an affair, but it did point to the possibility of one, which is likely what caused the rumors to spiral. “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.

Following the early reports, gossip reporter Giles Coren took to Twitter to confirm the affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury. “Yes, it is an affair. I haven’t read the piece but I know about the affair. Everyone knows about the affair, darling,” he wrote in a since-deleted Tweet.

Some believed that the reason for Prince Harry and Prince William’s big, on-going fight had to do with the affair. “Wills would absolutely have told Harry about the affair,” reporter Nicole Cliffe tweeted. “And I think that Harry was like ‘this is exactly what ruined our childhoods,’” she added.

How did Prince William justify cheating on Kate Middleton?

If the allegations are true, we can’t help but wonder why Prince William would do such a thing. We know he didn’t have the best examples (Prince Charles and Princess Diana both had headline-making extramarital affairs) but he and Kate Middleton are perfect for each other.

Well, his grandfather — and perhaps the royal family’s deep-rooted relationship habits — might have had something to do with it. Let’s be honest: Prince Philip wasn’t always the most faithful husband to Queen Elizabeth. Early in his marriage to Her Majesty, he was linked to several young women and has even expressed his thoughts on mistresses. According to royal biographer and journalist, Christopher Wilson, Prince Philip felt that mistresses were okay but should remain behind the scenes.

Did Prince William use his grandfather’s opinions to justify his affair? We will probably never know — just like we will probably never know whether or not he actually did cheat on Kate Middleton — but it’s possible.

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