In 2019, the royal rumour mill erupted with news of an alleged affair. To recap, one of Kate Middleton’s close friends, Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley—neatly dubbed her “rural rival,” as they both lived in Norfolk—was accused of having an affair with Prince William. Middleton and Hanbury then allegedly had a falling-out, which ended with Middleton having Hanbury and her husband ‘phased out’ of their friendship group.
Of course, since it’s not royal protocol to comment or denounce every rumour, we’ve relied on reports to tell us the rumours are fairly unfounded and the two royal ladies have no feud to speak of—they even both attended the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace recently. But even if the rumours aren’t true, it doesn’t mean they didn’t have an impact.
kate middleton
Us Weekly reported at the time that the rumours “turned out to be a good thing for them in the end.” A family friend of the Middletons divulged to the outlet, “Kate finds the rumours hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online.”
“It forced her and William to sit back and examine their relationship, which they realised they should have been doing more often.” Another sourced noted that the initial rumours “didn’t go down well” with the Duchess, but that their marriage remains strong.
“[They] are doing a great job at getting their marriage back on track again,” that source said. “It’s not unusual to have a few hiccups in a marriage, especially after eight years, and Kate and William are no different. They’re still going strong. Regardless of their ups and downs, they love each other dearly and their kids are the most important thing in their lives.”
Us Weekly reported at the time that the rumours “turned out to be a good thing for them in the end.” A family friend of the Middletons divulged to the outlet, “Kate finds the rumours hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online.”
“It forced her and William to sit back and examine their relationship, which they realised they should have been doing more often.” Another sourced noted that the initial rumours “didn’t go down well” with the Duchess, but that their marriage remains strong.
“[They] are doing a great job at getting their marriage back on track again,” that source said. “It’s not unusual to have a few hiccups in a marriage, especially after eight years, and Kate and William are no different. They’re still going strong. Regardless of their ups and downs, they love each other dearly and their kids are the most important thing in their lives.”
