Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has stirred a controversy with a digitally altered family photograph. The photo came on Sunday, Mother's Day in Britain, and after weeks of Kate's disappearance from the public eye after abdominal surgery.
Amid this, Kate's once-close friend Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, is in the headlines after rumours of her affair with Prince William, the Prince of Wales and Kate's husband.
Recently, Kate Middleton's edited family photo, and now, there's another story making the news. It involves Prince William and Kate's best friend, Rose Hanbury.
Rumours of an affair between them resurfaced recently after comedian Stephen Colbert joked about it on his late-night show.
During Tuesday's episode of The Late Show, Colbert dedicated nearly three minutes of his monologue to addressing the rumours.
Colbert playfully said he had some bad news about the British royal family.
"As we were talking about this show yesterday, the kingdom has been all fluttered by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate's absence may be related to her husband's and the future king of England, William, having an affair," Colbert deadpanned, reported by digital news portal CBS8.
He later added, "So, I think we all know who the other alleged woman is -- say it with me -- The Marchioness of Cholmondeley ... now, there have been rumours of an affair between William and [Hanbury] since 2019. According to tabloids back then, when Kate supposed confronted him about he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. 'Haha,' always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating."
This put the rumour mills on overdrive. While some people were looking for a connection between Hanbury and the British royals, others were offering their own takes on an alleged royal scandal.
This is not the first time that rumours of an affair between Hanbury and Prince William have surfaced. The rumours about a romantic relationship between Prince William and Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, first started in April 2019.
A British tabloid started the whole thing, and there were whispers that Kate and Rose had fought around that time too.
Hanbury, a former model, has known Prince William and Kate Middleton for years. Their children even attend the same school, further solidifying their connection.
The public, ever-watchful of the royal family and armed with social media, dissected every detail, turning a whisper into a buzz.
Benny James, a social influencer, took to X and said, "Like father, like son. The apple don’t fall far from the tree, Prince William has apparently been accused of having an affair with Rose Hanbury."
The rumour-mongers didn't stop at suggesting an alleged affair between Prince William and the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, but went on to claim that the two had a daughter named Iris.
"This is what is really going on #PrinceWilliam has a daughter named Iris with #RoseHanbury. Rose's husband found out William is the biological father in Nov. 2023! Wants to sue, so we have not seen #KateMiddleton since Dec. 2023," RiverRun, an X user said.
Despite the online wildfire of tweets, the royal family has remained resolutely silent on the matter. Neither Prince William, Kate Middleton, nor Rose Hanbury have addressed the rumours publicly.
This lack of official comment has only served to heighten the intrigue.
Some believe the silence speaks volumes, while others, like royal biographer Omid Scobie, suggest it's a dangerous tactic.
“Unfortunately, if a rumour’s left to kind of do its own thing, it can run 20 laps around the world before you even think about what, how you want to kind of address it,” Scobie told The Entertainment Tonight.
The recent absence of Kate Middleton from public life has only served to reignite the rumours surrounding Prince William and Rose Hanbury.
In an attempt to quell speculation, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate with their children on Mother's Day.
However, the situation backfired when it was revealed the image had been edited.
This misstep further eroded public trust and inevitably led some to question the reason behind Kate's absence.
The whole situation with Kate Middleton being away and the rumours coming back is still a bit confusing.
No one from the royal family has explained why the Princess of Wales isn't around, and conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton have mushroomed.
The whispers about Prince William and Rose Hanbury started up again recently, along with Kate Middleton being out of the spotlight and a mistake by the royal family's office.
This whole thing has blown up, and because nobody from the royal family is saying anything about it, the rumours are probably going to keep swirling around for some more time.
Source : India Today