The most “royal” thing the Duchess of Cambridge ever did was nothing. She did nothing when the Rose Hanbury story exploded in late March. She basically went dark for a month, conveniently timed for when her kids were on their spring/Easter holiday, and she didn’t appear in public at any event during that time. She let Prince William deal with the mess… which he made, to be fair. It could have been a minor tabloid kerfuffle if William hadn’t run to Richard Kay with that bizarre denial. So she let William figure it out and he was the one using his lawyers to shut down the affair story. This is exactly the kind of stiff upper lip and stoic behavior which the royals prize. So now that most of the whispers have died down, it’s time for a sympathetic piece about Kate and her marriage.
In one of her first appearances since becoming a mom of three, Duchess Kate looked relaxed at Queen Elizabeth II’s annual Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday, June 8. Behind the scenes, Kate has been just as calm after reports that surfaced earlier this year claimed her husband, Prince William, had had an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
“Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online,” a Middleton family friend says exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly, referencing Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 13 months.
Fortunately, the speculation turned out to be a good thing for the couple, who have been married since April 2011. “It forced her and William to sit back and examine their relationship, which they realized they should have been doing more often,” the pal tells Us. And while the affair speculation “didn’t go down well with Kate,” a second source tells Us that the future queen consort, 37, and William, 36, are “determined to pull through it and are doing a great job at getting their marriage back on track again.”
“It’s not unusual to have a few hiccups in a marriage, especially after eight years, and Kate and William are no different,” the second insider says of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. “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.”
I wouldn’t say that the Cambridges’ marriage is strong. I think their marriage works for them and they’ve both made some deals and some trade-offs. Kate has always accepted William’s wandering sceptre, even when they were young and at university, he would go off and phase out Kate for a month and “date” other women. That was the story of their 20s too – so many mini-breakups which were little more than “William goes off and cheats and Kate takes him back.” Infidelity was never a dealbreaker for Kate, and she would not have gotten the sapphire ring if it had been a dealbreaker. This was one of their first deals, their first compromises. William does whatever he wants and Kate accepts it. And she’s not leaving over any of it – the only way the Cambridges’ marriage will ever be in serious trouble is if and when WILLIAM wants out.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, WENN.
umm at this point I feel William def needs Kate more than she needs him
Truth. A scandalous divorce would shine a light extra hard on the monarchy is why? But does Kate have any sense of her own power?
I am sure that Kate now realises the power she has, and she seems to be excercising it. Anyway her mother will show her how.
Nah. William is the future king. Kate is well liked I think but she doesn’t have a rabid fan following, despite what IG may indicate, ha. I think if they divorced – as long as it was reasonably classy and as unmessy as possible – William would be just fine. I don’t think their divorce would bring down the monarchy. Other forces might over the next few decades, but not W&K divorcing.
ETA I will say that I think in general they both need the image of the happy family, since that is their “thing” and really the only thing that gives them personality. It would be interesting to see what would happen if that image really fell apart.
Agreed with most of what you are saying, BUT I think if William becomes a PR disaster, especially if that happens after the Queen dies, then Charles may be forced to make some tough decisions about what it means to save the monarchy. The Royals have to play the long
@Girl – yeah, agreed. I think if it becomes messy and a disaster, then it could mean other things for the monarchy, especially if the Queen is gone.
Girlmonday,
That was my thinking too, once Charles is king. For four generations TQ has been synonymous with the monarchy. Charles not as much, but he does and will continue to work hard. But as he ages and Wills gets closer to the throne, how much tolerance can people have for turnip toff drama? Especially if a post Brexit Britain brings economic uncertainty?
I think Charles will be an excellent King and we will all be pleasantly surprised.
I think Charles will be an excellent King and we will all be pleasantly surprised.
I think Charles will be an excellent King and we will all be pleasantly surprised.
There has always been “Turnip Toff’ drama. The only difference now is the presence of the world wide web and social media. We all become knowledgeable at the blink of an eye instead of having to wait 10 years for some insider to write a book. Also, we can comment instantly instead of having to shut up or sit down, put pen to paper and write a “letter to editor”.
God! I am showing my age!
@Bay – I think Charles will be an excellent king as well. But, the public will not have the affection and loyalty for him that they have for the Queen for a variety of reasons.
So if things with Will and Kate go south in a public and messy fashion, it will be interesting to see what impact that will have on the royals (if any. It may not make a difference.)
If the royals turned the full weight of their PR power against the Middletons? No question, William would win the PR war. Kate hasn’t worked hard, she hasn’t earned respect. She doesn’t have the draw and PR power Diana had.
@Becks – Am not sure it would get messy if W&K were to end it. Sure Kate and the Mids might know a few sordid deets about William but lets face it, that family are not perfect either with skeletons in their own closet that if they decide to play it dirty via the press the RF will have no hesitation in airing the Mid family dirt for all to see.
I don’t think it’s so much about how popular William is in comparison to Kate, but about what the longevity of their marriage would mean for the RF. They need this to work because it has to stand in contrast to Charles and Diana’s marriage. That left a deep cultural memory, in spite of how long its been. Any divorce or rupture in William and Kate’s marriage, especially over infidelity, would be cause for comparison, and I genuinely think that William would rather avoid all of that. He probably wants to set himself apart from his father and mother and remembers the turbulent sh-tshow of their very public divorce.
Most importantly, I think William himself craves stability. He wants that sort of domestic family life that was not a feature of his childhood. He wants the wife, the 2.5 kids, the white picket fence, etc. To that end, I don’t think he’ll ever be driven to divorce Kate, because he knows she provides that for him, and if he ever were to get divorced, he’ll never find it with another person. Kate, for her part, gets the status, the titles etc. They both went into this marriage knowing what they wanted from each other, and as long as that’s what they get, they’ll never leave.
Bay, there hasn’t been turnip toff drama in relation to the reigning monarch. As Wills inches closer to that role, spoiled behavior among the WK cohort may start to take on a Marie Antoinette flavor.
40 percent of marriages in the UK end in divorce. Majority of the general public would not be surprised if this marriage ended. They’d only have a problem with it if Kate was given a very cushy set-up that cost the taxpayers.
If William craved stability, if he cared about infidelity, he wouldn’t have cheated on Kate all those years. He cares about image, but he also cares about himself first and foremost. If he ends up unhappily married to Kate, he isn’t sticking around.
No way would he ever divorce her. Why would he? He has the perfect set up: a dutiful wife who performs royal duties and raises their children, and more or less complete freedom to run around with other women. He needs a wife because a single man really can’t be King, and it’s incredibly unlikely he’d be able to find someone else willing and suitable. Certainly not someone willing to let him cheat. Plus of course the scandal.
It’s not uncommon for royal couples to live apart and be married in name only (even the Queen and DoE don’t live together). If Will and Kate’s marriage did fall apart, they’d just live separate lives and make appearances together for show. Not divorce.
Diana won the PR war in part because she was willing to do absolutely anything to hurt Charles and make him look bad, including hurting her young children. I can’t imagine Kate being so vengeful that she’d smuggle journalists into the palace to spill the beans on all of Will’s flaws.
Diana did not really win the PR war when she was alive. Those of us who remember what the tabloids were doing to her after the separation recall that the they were treating her poorly. Her death was what has created the positive spin because people rarely speak ill of the dead and her death was a tragedy.
If William ever does want to get a divorce he will have a much easier time of it because Kate does not have the popularity that Diana did.
What has IG got to with anything? Let me guess, you’re one of those people who thinks social media ‘likes’ mean something to big instutional companies lol. Social media likes don’t even translate to more sales for certain big brands; so they are even more irrelevant when it comes to Royal families. Besides, all I ever see on the Royal IG pages are fake accounts; no names, no real pictures – just a bunch of middle aged women stanning/anti stanning people they clearly envy because they obviously have nothing else better to do all day. I refuse to believe teens are behind those accounts on IG and Twitter, young teens look up to/admire influencers & celebs their own age.
@ZL – that’s why I said, “despite what IG may indicate.” Do people not read posts anymore?
Will would be foolish to let her go.
yup
Yes,I’m no Kate fan( although I’m warming to her a little,)but she makes him look good by just being a smiling rather bland spouse who wouldn’t ever make a spectacle.
I think you’re right. I’m not a fan of Kate because I think she’s lazy and uninspiring, but she might just be the perfect spouse for William. For the record, I can’t stand William.
Exactly. She’s perfect for him and the royals because she will not rock the boat. She will come out when they need her and stay hidden when they don’t. She will turn a blind eye to his infidelity while still playing the part of the dutifully wife and mother to the future king. This is where Diana struggled. She could not play the part of happy ever after while her husband and his firm undermined her.
Where else will will get a woman willing to swallow her self respect?
I think they are currently undergoing counselling.
He needs her to show off his image as a family man, and she needs him to continue providing her with the privilege she worked her entire adult life for. I wouldn’t say they need each other in any emotional sense- maybe Kate needs to be with him because in her mind she won the prize, but it’s a marriage of convenience any way you look at it.
Frankly they both could have done better for themselves. Will could have found someone who he shared an actual emotional bond with and works for the BRF as much as she should, Kate could have found someone who valued her beyond how she could convenience and wait around for them. They have cute kids, but that’s about it.
+1
It’s actually sort of a tragic union.
I agree with most of this, but I think Kate works for the BRF as little as she does because that’s the way William wants it. If he wanted her to work hard, she would.
I would love to know why everyone is convinced they don’t share an emotional bond? LIke you have no reason other then crap he said during their breakups in their early 20s.
They aren’t all over each other in public that doesn’t mean they dont’ have a bond it means they don’t like PDA. As someone who hates PDA I find this idea that just because people don’t touch constantly they aren’t in love insulting.
Kate never worked hard before the marriage. She tried to blame the Palace and they issued a rare denial saying they had nothing to do with her laziness.
Tina- William is not stopping Kate from working.
RM – if I had a newborn (Prince George) and took him on his first vacation and my husband decided to go on a hunting trip with his ex (Jecca Craig) instead, I wouldn’t feel like our bond was very strong. William also skipped family Easter 2016 to attend said ex’s wedding, without Kate. add to that the lack of concern he has over her (walking in front of her, not waiting for her to catch up, not always but frequently), the turnip toff scandal, the things we know he’s said to her and about her – I think it is unequal.
@Maria, but that’s because you value your husband being present and attentive as a part of your relationship. Kate clearly doesn’t. I don’t think @RM is wrong either. I think that William and Kate do share a bond, and it’s one that the rest of us don’t fully understand, but I think that Kate knows him better and in ways that most people, including his father and brother, don’t. We see their marriage and see a woman who’s not being valued in the way that you or I would want to be in our relationships. But who’s to say that that’s what Kate wants? Who’s to say that she particularly wants emotional fulfillment in that way from William? Kate has her family, and now her children, and it’s very likely that they provide that for her. William has no one but Kate in this regard. And in this category at least, I think he needs her more than she needs him, and she knows it, and she definitely uses it to keep him in line if necessary.
Sorry but I really disagree. She needs him because without him she is nothing, in terms of wealth, status, or anything.
She used to dump him when he would cheat on her, this is when Carole and Pippa would pressure her to get back with him and ignore it. She was depressed when he ignored her for Jecca Craig at his 21st birthday. There are plenty of signs she wanted more from him.
He may not be close to his family but they are still there to rally around him if need be. This is why she puts up with it.
I agree that there’s an element of tragedy to them.
Because of William’s tumultuous past, he thought that a ‘traditional’ family life was what he needed to be happy. He was seduced by Carole and her sale of her family as some sort of ideal. He wanted THAT much more than he wanted Kate. And I think that Kate was influenced by her mother’s unrelenting social-climbing. Carol was ‘William or bust’ and she didn’t care if her daughter’s happiness had to be sacrificed.
William married Kate when it was clear he had no other options. Kate never really gave herself options or was never ALLOWED any options. Now they’re stuck together, play ‘Happy Family’. Maybe they are happy. But it can’t be a coincidence that Kate’s brightest smiles have been when her husband WASN’T there.
The Cambridges should be grateful to Megan because she’s given them a common adversary. They seem to be determined to outdo the Sussexes, even though I think it’s a losing battle. Megan and Harry will always be more interesting than Keen Katie and Normal Bill. But they’re giving it the old college try and that’s brought them closer together. I don’t think Normal Bill would have allowed his family to be part of the that Chelsea Flower Show video. But Archie had just arrived so they had to pull focus.
For all those people who think that Keen Katie is a lock on being Queen Consort, take a look at Camilla. She was one of the most hated women in the world and people vowed that the monarchy would come crashing down if Charles ever married her. Look at her now. Kate is dependent on William to achieve what she’s devoted her life to getting. Being that dependent on a man can’t be a good place for any woman, especially when the man is like Normal Bill.
@Maria, I don’t disagree that she needs him. She does, because being married to him affords the type of status that she craves. But let’s not act like William has no needs of his own. He’s an emotionally immature human being, and he’s been pretty open about the fact that his unstable upbringing was a huge factor in him trying to provide a particular sort of life for his children. His family might rally around him if it came down to it, but they’re the embodiment of quintessential stiff upper-lip repression, not exactly warm fuzzy people.
I think we’d be remiss if we ignored the emotional aspect of things here, especially as far as William is concerned. He’s only recently warmed up to the idea of being King, enough to start flexing his weight behind the scenes, but for a long time, he was perfectly content to go play at domesticity in Norfolk. I think he’s beholden to that ideal, and because Kate wants the status he can provide, she’s willing to go along with it. Both of them have needs that they both fulfill, and that’s why they’ll never split up.
If William craved stability, if he valued the family unit, he wouldn’t have cheated on Kate for years and marrying her as the last resort. If William wants out, he’ll get out.
@notasugarhere What makes you think he cheated on her for years? Before ’07 or after?
What do you suppose child support is for a future king?
I really doubt Kate will get the worst of it in the event of a divorce. She will get a very nice place in the country and in London and I’m sure there will be alimony/settlement of some kind. There is no way he will take those children from her, the optics would be so bad and our William is all about the optics. Charles is probably even more aware of how it will look for the monarchy.
Oh, I don’t think Kate wants to work hard or that William is stopping her from working hard. But I think that she would do it, if William wanted her to. So it wouldn’t have been an advantage for William to find someone who “works for the BRF as much as she should.”
I don’t think the marriage will last. I think when William hits his late ’40’s, he’s outta of it. He already looks miserable ,more than happy. These two look like the glums at times , but the British press has ignored it.
If he did cheat, it won’t stop forever. He will do it again.
I watched their engagement interview and there was not much warmth between them, William just said IT was Time, when asked why he proposed.
Where is the royal press outrage for them allowing a Middleton family friend to talk to US weekly exclusively.
Quote:”a Middleton family friend says exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly, referencing Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 13 months.”
When William gave Kate that ring, it gave me a chill. The ring has bad energy. IMO
There are photos from the engagement day, when you zoom in on the ring, the way the shadows are falling on it, you can see a skull shape face. It was truly creepy.
Regardless of what some may think William still has the power in this marriage, if he wanted out, it might be a process of slow build to do it, but it could be done.
@90sgirl: I don’t believe a Middleton family friend said any of that. How does this article help Kate? It’s basically an admission that the affair happened. There’s no logical reason for them to do this, much less in a US magazine.
No, William can do anything (or nothing) he wants and answers to no one, and he will still be king by virtue of his birth alone. That’s the price of having a monarchy.
Kate will be queen consort IF William wants her to be, and they both know it. Just look at that curswd ring he gave her, symbing a marriage that was never about love (on the man’s half), and that the man could cheat on his wife, divorce her if he wanted, and will still be king. I’m sure William reminds Kate of that when he needs to.
And let’s not be too harsh on wandering Willie – all Kate ever wanted was a title, money, and a life of leisure. William gave her that, and he’s kept up his end. She has no reason to complain now. Now, if he cut off her money or something, then she would have a legit complaint.
I thought I was the only one feeling that giving her Diana’s engagement ring was creepy.
The danger for Kate in turning a blind eye to his wandering sceptre is that when he does find someone he has a strong emotional bond to that he wants to be with (and the feeling is returned), she is out. This was a pattern established during the Waity years – he’d drop her as soon as someone else caught his attention only going back to her when the flirtation ended or wasn’t reciprocated. He has already shown that if he finds something he thinks is ‘better’ than what he has he will take it, Kate will also know this. Am no fan of Kate but no one deserves this even if you walk in with that knowledge and eyes open.
I see it as potentially a situation I had with an ex, he didn’t end things with me until he had secured a jump off.
i have said on here many times, William is his fathers son and is making the same mistakes he did.
Um, people should be harsh on wandering Willy! He’s a sulky douche.
Kate clinging to him for a decade through all the cheating and still choosing to marry him? Her disliked family? William (and George) would win the PR war.
I’ve always felt the same about that ring. As a symbol, it seems to me to be chiefly a symbol of failure. I could have seen William giving it to her sometime, as a beautiful piece of jewelry that belonged to his mother. But as a symbol of a hopefully happy marriage, not so much.
Giving the ring of a marriage that ended so badly just a generation before never sat right with me either. And on top of that Diana never even really liked the ring herself and made a point to pick the gaudiest ring available. I don’t know if William meant it to symbolize his parents’ awful marriage but at the very least it was lazy of him to just use that one and not put any effort into creating a new one.
I don’t think anyone but the two of them know what goes on in their marriage. The rest is reading tea leaves.
Yes. William is a narcissist and she is his victim. They met when she had no sense of self. Not quite sure of her personality and that meant it could go either way at that point. She’s beat down and that the chronic cheating going public was something that could push her to leave him. If she goes, he has lost the supply that he needs to exist.
William is stupid for cheating. I’ve lost all respect for him,
@henry f acosta Based on a rumor and tabloid reports?
I don’t think William will ever want out. He knows what they have and what their strengths are. I don’t think he would want to have a public divorce like his father did. What a nightmare. He picked Kate because she is steady and reliable. Diana was too wild spirited to ever really fit that mold. Likely the cheating is a reality for them but they both seem to really value the family and things are going pretty well. On the same token he really should try to avoid people who Kate is friends with.
Every marriage is full of compromise. Kate knew what she wanted and was willing to put up William’s shenanigans to get it. She was not a naive child when she dared and married him. Diana will forever have my sympathy because she was so young at the time of her marriage and had no idea what was in store for her.
Seriously – she was NINETEEN. She was a child when they married. It was disgraceful.
The other thing is – is it for sure cheating if he strays, or do they have an arrangement? I mean, maybe she’s aware and has given her ‘blessing’ but takes issue because of the publicity factor. I mean, for all we know Kate has been seeing someone else as well. We don’t really know ANYTHING for sure. Some people have strong marriages and multiple (approved) partners.
@Erinn – yeah, it could be the type of thing where its completely understood that he wont be faithful (and maybe at this point she’s not either, who knows) and that’s the arrangement. She maybe doesn’t care at all, but the publicity of this one is the problem.
OMG, what if Rose and Kate DID have a falling out over chutney, and it had nothing to do with William, but he was still sleeping around, and it comes out as a result of chutney and Rural Rival-gate??
I suspect they have an arrangenent but not sure I believe Kate gets to have fun too. I’m sure she’s free to flirt and whatnot but Carol probably warns her off having actual affairs.
I’m with @bettyrose here-Will can do as he pleases and Kate must remain faithful,not so much because he would care if she wasn’t (although I bet he’d be a little jealous if the shoe were on the other foot),but she’s not allowed to make any waves of any kind and I bet he can do whatever.That said I’m not going to say I totally believe any of this,bc we just don’t know,but IMO it’s just a given that he can do whatever and she’s not allowed and doesn’t seem to me that she would want to.I think her whole deal is all about the children the perfect family image and being completely provided for in an extremely affluent and high society way.Obviously.
She won’t be able to have any fun until she or he or both of them decide she’s done having children.
There was something the Rose-William arrangement that annoyed and ticked off Kate, that’s for sure. I think that even if she were permissive about her husband’s adventures, she still has some rules and boundaries. If I had to guess, I’m assuming that what Kate didn’t like was Rose’s relative proximity to them and the Turnip Toff crowd. Gossip travels fast in that crowd, and Kate probably didn’t trust that this would be kept quiet for very long. It’s too bad, because Rose is pretty much William’s type. He never dips outside of this particular posh crowd. Maybe Rose was just a few degrees too close.
If there was a real affair l wonder where they arranged their trysts.
I disagree—the right kind of person can make anyone jump ship. It takes a certain personality to make us rethink everything.
something like 90% of all men who have affairs never leave their wives. Charles wouldn’t have left Diana- she left.
I must be in a bubble because I know several men who have left their wives, some for their mistresses, some because the women cheated, some because they simply didn’t want to be married anymore.
^^ But Diana didn’t leave Charles–not of her own will at least. Didn’t the queen eventually put her foot down (when things were terrible beyond repair of course) and tell them they should divorce? I remember reading an article where it was said that Diana thought she’d be able to stick around and continue her ascension to becoming QC even after all of the PR tricks she pulled.
The Queen insisted they divorce but that was after Diana threw several hand grenades into the marriage and the family, including conducting extremely public affairs, stalking married men to the point police had to get involved, and of course smuggling TV crews into the palace so she could film tell-all interviews slamming Charles and the royal family and dragging out all their dirty laundry.
We can’t know what Diana thought (though she’s on record as saying she believed she’d never be queen) but she must have been exceptionally naive and stupid if she thought continuing her marriage was an option after all of that.
Anyway bottom line was Charles seemed perfectly content to continue being married to her and having mistresses on the side, and no doubt would have continued being perfectly happy with that forever if Diana hadn’t so massively gone rogue and starting publicly attacking him and the RF left right and centre. He didn’t leave her and certainly didn’t leave her for another woman.
Charles was not emotionally married to Diana. Physically, yes. But he was not into her mentally or emotionally. Eventually, he would have left her.
Whatever love means.
If he did cheat, it won’t stop, especially if he sees Kate will accept it.
I don’t really buy US magazine’s reporting on Kate at all. They were the publication that just recently had a whole article about how she visits the Queen regularly for intense training sessions on being a Queen and “taking the crown”. They are kind of on the Star and In Touch level with lack of sources here.
They also mentioned how Saturday was one of Kate’s first appearances since becoming a mom of three. Um, Louis is over a year old. Kate has had a quiet year but not THAT quiet lol.
Yes, it’s like they completely forgot about trumps visit the week before.
I don’t buy their “reporting” on anything lol.
I don’t believe that article at all. They sat down and reassessed their relationship. Come on! Only the two of them know what’s going on with their marriage.
I think US Weekly is owned by the same people who own the National Enquirer as of last year. (The same people who have done favours for Donald Trump for years). I think we can say they’re pretty unreliable at this point.
I’m not sure if the implication in this article is that Kate was somehow complicit in getting it published, so there could be some sympathetic coverage of their marriage out there. It could totally be she wants that type of article to be published but I seriously doubt that this would be the source she would go to. An American tabloid from such a sketchy publisher? I just don’t buy it.
Agree, I would take People mag much more seriously than US mag for royal reporting.
Yes, the story appears made up.
Us Weekly used to be as reliable as People until the ownership changed a couple years ago. It’s crazy to see how its reputation has fallen so far in a fairly short amount of time.
Why on earth would Kate have done something with the cheating speculation? Of course she didn’t! Can you imagine how much bigger of a deal it would have become if she did? I’m not sure why Kate gets made fun of here when she comes out with a pr piece, but Meghan is cheered when doing the same. They both are doing it, they both should if they want to.
I like how this isn’t a denial. It’s basically “yeah there were rumors and we’re not going to talk about whether they are true or not and we just decided to re-evaluate our marriage for funsies because that’s totally normal in the midst of affair rumors”. Hilarious.
Right??? They are “determined to pull through it” but if its just random gossip, that never really took hold in the UK, what are they pulling through?
Exactly. There would be nothing for them to examine, discuss, “pull through” or “get back on track” from as a couple if the rumours were just that – crazy rumours and wild gossip.
I feel a bit sorry for Kate. She was an adult when she married, certainly, but from the sound of it, her family had pushed a “you’ll have to marry up” narrative to both herself and her sister.
That honestly can’t be good for any woman’s self esteem – you’re only as good as the man you eventually marry.
“they love each other dearly” doesn’t scream passionately *in love* after 15 years either.
@Bunny: Carole basically pushed William and Kate back together whenever they broke up. Apparently she’d even side with William when he and Kate had arguments. I do wonder how much of an influence Carole still has on their relationship.
The lack of denial was interesting. Talked all around the idea of an affair, re-examining their marriage, pulling through. No denial of affair(s). US Mag hedging their bets against a future reveal of affairs with undeniable proof?
This. The UK press has been pretty much muzzled on the story by his lawyers, there is no smoke without fire.
Also interestingly there has never been an outright denial of the story of Kate and Rose falling out – well not that I’ve seen.
It goes beyond the lawyers. The UK press also isn’t going to publish something so explosive without absolute proof like pictures or video.
And of course there has not been a denial of a falling out, denying something like that would be seen as confirmation of a fall out for some people. Commenting on that would be a lose-lose situation.
Disagree. The UK press is protecting Will. If and when Harry is assumed to be cheating they will not hold back any insinuations. Not to long ago the UK press had the Beckhams divorced with out any proof. The British press is covering for Will.
Dan Wotten, the same guy behind tiara gate, was the one who was reporting about the imminent Beckham divorce. If they didn’t have that threatening letter to the Sun, they would be reporting on it in the UK. Several journalists, including one for the BBC admitted it, and then some even withdrew the admission from Twitter.
This US weekly story is pure speculation, but the US tabloids have been far bolder on this story than the UK ones, which is telling.
That Richard Kay story denied the feud both in the language from the lawyer and saying that Will called Rose’s husband and they laughed about what this could be about. @Lowrider.. the DM is getting awfully close to reporting it by talking about Rose not wearing her wedding ring to the state banquet. The affair may be true, IDK, but I do know that someone has it out for William. This story just won’t die. When he was in NZ last month it started trending despite the fact that there was no new story out. The RR commented that bots were driving it. This current story seems like it was put out be someone’s PR because it’s being tweeted by so many outlets every few minutes, but whose PR?? This is not Kate’s style.
Agreed @Lowrider. Christopher Wilson (one of the reporters who confirmed the media blackout) said the media silence was self-imposed, so the British press can absolutely go there if they *really* wanted to. I do find it interesting that all of the big outlets were quite happy to put Rose in the headlines for the past week and keep pushing the “rural rivalry” angle without saying much else. Some of the outlets even stirred up intrigue by pointing out Rose’s lack of a wedding ring at the state dinner (which I personally think was a bit of trolling on her part, but anyway).
Lowrider is right, the British press is protecting William, if this were someone else they would be hammering out a story a day just in the insinuation.
FUTURE QUEEN CONSORT!!!!!!!! I feel like it should be a scavenger hunt contest or something in every article about her. See how long it takes before they mention that she’s the FQC.
Us Weekly is pretty much a tabloid at this point (if it was ever anything else) but I do think Kate has handled the rumors the best she could – she just went dark. Well to be honest, she probably would have gone dark anyway bc of the school break, since that’s her thing, but the timing worked out well for her in that regard.
3 weeks before the Sun piece hit in March, we got that strange story about Kate at the pool with the kids. The whole she’s amazing and elegant wearing pearl earrings at the pool, playing swimming races, nannies nowhere in sight. Traveled to the nearby resort/public pool for all of 20 minutes, when they have a private pool at Anmer.
Did the Middletons have a heads up a tabloid was sniffing around rumors of an affair/falling out? Pro-actively getting out a random story about Katie the Keen SAHM, like they used W&K’s first public kiss to distract from Uncle Gary’s drugs scandal.
@nota – ooh good point. I had forgotten about that random story. I wonder if that was a pre-emptive plant – like you said, to re-emphasize her role as a mother and not just a mother, a glamorous one at that!! The details about the pearl earrings and such were what put it over the top.
And wearing a full face of makeup in the pool with the kids. Story came right after the Nazi marshmallow and party supply piece, so it may have served double duty.
That was at the same time the Meghan was in NYC for the baby shower and it was reported that Will and Kate were off skiing so it could have been to counter that or they just really went for a swim. It would have been too cold to use their outdoor pool.
It isn’t an outdoor pool. Part of the Anmer reno was creating a pool house/cover and redoing the pool so Kate could swim year round.
Excellent points notasugarhere
Well it’s sad but if it works for them, good for them. I really wonder what will happen in her 40s. Will she continue to just take it. We all change as we get older. As we should. We mature and get wiser and many women stop dealing with the BS in their lives. I know I have started to as well. Kate has had a very strong mom point her in the direction she took. I curious to see how she deals as time passes.
I think she will stay pretty much as long as he wants to stay married. In 20 years, when her kids are grown, she’ll probably be QUEEN CONSORT (no longer FUTURE lol) and that’s been her endgame.
Yes, once FUTURE is dropped, she and Ma Middleton got the brass ring. Or platinum royal gem encrusted ring I should say. BUT I wouldn’t be at ease because Wills has the power here. If he ends it, she is O.U.T out. And who knows how he may change.
I think if William ever really wants out, there is nothing that will stop him from doing so.
Yea, Kate won’t leave the marriage, shesput too much into it, plus alot of it is bound up with what her mother wants etc. And William won’t either, if he’s smart. The thing is, he might not be smart about it. Plenty of examples of that in the world, see Jeff Bezos
(who is orders of magnitude smarter than Wills, and still lived the cliche).
OMG, Bezos. It’s going to be interesting to see how that whole story plays out.
I like MacKenzie’s boss move of standing up and saying she’s going to donate a bunch of her fortune, when he never would. I think he’s out for himself, while she has empathy.
In terms of 💰 William and Harry do not have very much personal wealth to split with a spouse. Hope Harry has his head screwed on straight because he does not want those stars ⭐️ to get out of alignment.
It will be so messy when Harry’s stars get out of alignment.
He’s a gross POS, just like his father. And his grandfather.
After watching what his mother went through, it’s a shame. I do have hopes for Harry tho. He seems besotted with Meghan in a way that we never saw with these two.
I sadly have little to no hope left for this family.
This!
The relatives got away with it and it’s clear that in their family culture it’s A-OK. Kind of like, “since you put up with all the public in your face, feel free to put your scepter into the public whenever you please…..”
Prince Philip and prince charles is also Harys grandfather and father…. just saying..!
But Harry is so temperamentally unlike his father or grandfather. I think Charles and Wills are much more introverted. Charles has somewhat mellowed with age and experience, but Wills is not there quite yet. I don’t know enough about Phillip to even comment. I think when the Queen passes we’re going to see stuff really hit the fan. Families very often splinter after the parents go. I’ve seen this happen so often. Once mom goes, especially it’s like everyone loses their main connection to each other and their restraints are gone. I think if anything is truly wonky in the Kate and Will’s marriage, the public will hear about it once the Queen is no longer with us. I also suspect Andrew is going to be a real nuisance eventually too, more so than he’s already been.
Kate still shouldn’t feel secure. William did his duty by securing the line of succession with the kids and Charles is not going to lose the crown because of his mess. This story just keeps it alive like the Richard Key piece and the British tabloids are using the Rose angle to keep it going. Kate needs a plan B.
Another baby.
She may well want a 4th. And after all of the public rose bush rumors she might be able to convince Wills that baby #4 would “smooth things over” with her, since the public nature of all this was likely humiliating for her. But 3 kids vs 4 kids won’t make a whit of difference if Wills eventually decides to divorce her. She might want Baby #4, but it isn’t plan B.
Plan B for if Wills divorces her is being the mother of those kids and mother of the future monarch, plus imagine what she’s seen and could talk about. She won’t
be left out in the cold for that reason.
If true, the very public nature of this may have cured William. He hates nothing more than scandal and the press in his business. Plus, before long George will be old enough to understand what is going on. I don’t think he’ll ever divorce Kate because she’s one of the few people he trust completely and I think he does genuinely want a stable home for his kids after the sh!tstorm of his own childhood.
I give them until late 40’s, if he is searching outside his marriage at this point.
I don’t think US Weekly has decent royal sources considering they are acting like Louis was just born and he is over a year now and walking.
I know… they discredited themselves in the opening sentence! lol
She wanted a certain something and made concessions to get it. We all sort of do that with our partners. Her scale was just grander. I don’t fault her at all for staying with him in order to get the real prize, which obviously ain’t him.
That’s said, she’s not the most inspiring Royal… Hopefully Megan inspries her to actually do things for their Commonwealth or whatever.
She definitely wants that “Crown.” Hope it’s not a gilded one, for her sake.
Exactly, you marry into royalty you should 100% expect them to have an affair and probably multiple ones. Same tings with traveling musicians even with a tiny bit of power. Never marry them without knowing they are going to cheat.
Yes, US Weekly is basically just a tabloid now, but it is interesting how this article says “affair rumours” but just reports on a couple reacting to an affair.
I do think she’s handled herself well, and she’s gotten a full refresh, a new Order from the Queen, and probably some new jewelry to go with it, so I think she’s doing okay.
Poor poppet
In some ways I do feel sorry for her, and in some ways I don’t. Her mom groomed her for this role from her teenage years on, so … was it really Kate’s choice?
Sometimes it seems like she was her mom’s puppet (poppet?) and now she is Little Willy’s. I would like her to have an original thought from time to time.
Yeah, I’m not buying that she was forced and had no choice. Waity was a long shot.
But working is effort. She’d rather do this than have a career so this is what she gets.
I feel bad for Poppet. Anyone else think Rose forgot her wedding ring on purpose? How could you forget your ring when you are in the middle of a cheating scandal and going to Buckingham palace? I saw that she doesn’t always wear it, but obviously it needed to be on her finger that night!
Heh, glad to see that I’m not alone on that line of thought. I really do think that she was trolling on a few fronts that evening. A dress that caused debate on how ‘appropriate’ it was for the occasion (it wasn’t the same one she wore in 2017 either), having her tiara more subtly placed in her hair, no wedding ring…felt deliberate.
Yeah, it’s a bit fatal attraction of her… I WILL NOT BE IGNORED errr.. phased out!!! She had to know it would make the papers.
I don’t think they’ll ever divorce. Sad as it was when Princess Diana died, the RF would be a lot messier if she were still alive. Charles vs Diana vs Camilla would have never died, and there would be tension all over the place. I don’t see Will divorcing and remarrying and possibly having more kids. It would be the new royal scandal that would never die. Who would be the Princess of Wales, etc. I think they are hitched for life, and if anything goes wrong, then they’ll resort to living separate lives as discreetly as possible.
+1. There are many accounts that Diana – despite doing a lot of good in her public life – could be a manipulative and vindictive mean girl in private. She probably would have been the MIL from hell.
I think Diana would have gotten along with Meghan very well and with Kate it would have been “correct & proper”.
Once William became King it would be interesting to have seen if Diana became a second Margaret Beaufort, aka, The Lady Queen Mother!
@BayTampaBay – either way it would have been fascinating! We could have had a direct comparison of Kate cosplaying her MIL’s wardrobe for example….
Diana would have had a problem with Carole. I’m not sure if Kate would’ve been her choice for William. But had Diana lived, I’m certain William and Harry would be different people……
Do you really think Diana would have disapproved of Meghan? Kate yes, I am not so sure Diana would have not approved of Meghan.
@Bay seriously? Why what reason? I think she would have gotten along a lot better with Kate because Kate is willing to step back from attention and Meghan likes it.
Diana for all the good people like to say was a fame chaser. She loved the attention and would not take lightly to anyone taking it from her.
I don’t know if she would have truly liked Kate. I get that Diana valued attention and would have been frazzled by someone stealing her thunder, but I also think that Meghan’s go getter attitude Diana would have valued over miss dolittle.
We often forget that Diana was involved in an interracial relationship when she died and was being harassed beyond belief….she probably would relate very well to Meghan.
I don’t think Diana would have approved of William or Harry marrying ANYONE. She wanted to be the center of attention. Diana was also a snob; she looked down her long Spencer nose at the Windsor. A climber like Carol would have put her teeth on edge.
@Casey20, Diana had several inter-racial relationships, but I don’t think she would have approved of Megan. Diana would have seen Megan as too much of a threat.
IF divorce is ever on the table, I can’t see William or Kate having more children if either of them were to remarry. Will was already vocal about wanting two children, and Kate strikes me as someone who would prefer to stop having children by a certain age.
Maybe age 37. I think they are done having kids.
Why would one believe anything Us Weekly prints? It’s a fun piece of gossip, but I wouldn’t take it too seriously.
So we are treating this as what it is right, an admission that the Rose rumors are true. I dont think there is any other way of interpreting the middleton family friend.
And I dont think Kate is secure in her place at all. Before this came out, I would have said that it was doubtful that they would ever divorce, but this little story getting out gives other Roses and social climbers a way in. It worked with Kate, why wouldnt it work for someone else with the same ambition?
I think most are treating it for what it is, complete and utter fiction. But sure, if this is an admission via US magazine then I should probably run out and buy Jennifer Anniston a shower gift for the triplets.
Yes. It’s telling that the one thing we have not had about the affair story is a flat denial that it happened. Whilst it’s rare for royals to comment on stories, when they feel they are potentially harmful or particularly distasteful (and one would think an untrue story of an affair would qualify given the serious, potential ramifications to two families with young children), then the aides sally forth. When Andrew was accused of being caught up in Epstein’s underage sex ring, the following happened: (from the Guardian as one example)
“Aides stepped up a highly unusual royal operation launched on Saturday to categorically deny the claims. Prince Andrew personally decided to issue a strong denial while still in Verbier.
He approved a statement, extraordinary in its frankness for a member of the royal family, which vehemently denied “any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts” and added: “The allegations made are false and without any foundation.” “
No andrew did not have any relationship with Virginia Roberts. Yes, he was doing his royal duties when the photo of him with his arm around Virginia was taken. Isn`t it this same Virginia who had stories about visits to Sandringham?
I think William is wise to avoid a denial lest he finds himself in a Bill Clinton situation of ” I did not have sex with that woman”.
Um but that’s exactly my point. Bill Clinton DID have sexual contact (which most people would class as an ‘affair’) with Monica Lewinsky. The only way William could find himself in a Clintonian predicament post a denial is if he DID have an affair with Rose Hanbury. So we are back to the same point. The lack of an outright, straightforward denial is telling.
I believe the rumors of the affair are true. For one thing, look how Kate went out of her way to quash rumors of a feud with Meghan, by appearing with her, acting friendly, etc. Why not do the same with Rose if there is no beef? The original story was of a feud between the women, wouldn’t a simple photo opp with said woman stop that story in its tracks? Why let it linger and twist in the wind like that? I wonder if William wanted her to do that but she refused? But anyway, it looks like W&K have worked it out so good for them and I wish them well.
I feel it’s damning in the opposite way tbh. While Kate and Meghan do appear friendly whenever they’re at the same events, KP has never bothered to quash any of the stories about a feud between the duchesses. They only ever spoke out whenever an article appeared to put Kate in a less than perfect/victim-like light.
On the other hand, this whole turnip toff situation started out as a vague story about a feud with Rose. The article gave absolutely no reason for the fight, but it was apparently nasty enough to end their friendship. Cue the strange, over the top piece from Kay, complete with details on how little the two couples interacted and how absolutely perfect W&K have been in comparison to everyone else in the RF. Since then, the actions that William has taken speaks volumes.
Busyann so true.
Why would he want out? Full disclosure; I am new here and a Meghan supporter as she has the qualities most professional modern women around me (NYC girl here) have.
Why would William want out? Kate barely speaks and they have 3 kids together. where would he go? Kate is not overshadowing him as she mostly disappears in the background unlike his mother and to a certain extend Meghan; I don’t think William could have ever married a woman with a personality like Diana or Meghan; The guy seems to have a bit of jealousy in him. Kate is perfect for him!
I will state for the record that IMPO William has a metric-fu*k-tonne of jealously in him.
This.
Other than men with hair, who would William be jealous of?
🙄 It’s been said that William is jealous of his brother’s popularity.
Vs, you made me laugh but you got it right there. I think William found his level.
He might want out if an affair is ever proven. Pictures, for example; or an interview with the mistress; that sort of thing.
If William’s reputation ever needs a polish after a scandal, down goes Kate:
“If only Kate hadn’t been so cold”. “If only Kate hadn’t been so grasping.”
Diana was no angel, but she was fed to the wolves after “Camillagate”. I’d expect a repeat of that.
Personally I think if he ever wanted out , they would use the argument that Kate has never been able to be a true partner to William especially considering his future role. How alone William has felt in his marriage. How she never even had a job, leaving her totally unprepared for her position of a lifetime of duty, seeing William is not just a normal man but a future King. They will emphasise that the Queen aired her concern even before they got engaged.
On the other hand if William continues wandering and it becomes humiliating for Kate to effectively photo- op, I think she will go MIA and the public will be fed a story of a mental health issue and the press will be gagged.
All her Diana cosplay would be evidence that she was unhinged, obsessed with Diana and being more of a mother to him than a wife. Kate would be thrown under the bus in a heartbeat.
celialarson…LOL! Love your form of writing. That sounds about right how poor Kate would be treated if Wills ever got tired of her.
The RF did everything they could to gag Diana and desperately wanted her to do what Kate is doing – shut up, look the other way, and play the dutiful wife. Diana was only cut loose because she was such a loose cannon and wouldn’t stop attacking Charles and the RF in public.
Kate’s proven her value to the RF by keeping quiet.
Value as long as William wants the marriage to stick.
If William ever wants out, I think it would be ugly.
Wasn’t Kate rumored to say to Chelsy Davy that part of the role is to turn a blind eye to cheating, they will always cheat, you have to accept it if you marry him and that’s why her and Harry never worked out ultimately??
There is no reason what so ever to assume this marriage isn’t strong. Honestly they seem to be fine and to just assume because they aren’t all over each other its some arrangement is truly insulting.
I HATE PDA, and always think if you have to do that you aren’t as strong as you think because of the show. So when people find H&M all touchy charming I think wow that is a marriage in trouble. Which is silly and unfair because they are different and like touching.
I get everyone here loves the idea of Kate being hurt and find it endlessly funny to mock- I think most of the “issues” or feelings are put on them and may not be real.
Do I think they have some flowery love story of course not those AREN’T real. But I think they love each other and are committed.
All that said I don’t believe this story because it is US Weekly.
There’s a LOT of projecting and assumptions in your comment. No one here enjoys the idea of Kate being hurt, but this is a gossip site and so people will inevitably gossip. Frankly, we wouldn’t be talking about this if it weren’t for the actions of William since the initial ‘rural rivalry’ story. PDA is extremely low on the list of reasons why people are skeptical about the strength of W&K’s relationship, so I’m not sure why you keep harping on that point.
And it’s a one sided gossip scenario. Makes for dull engagement.
What should be going down well and often is the philandering twit she married.
I believe the affair happened. I don’t know if it was Rose facilitating the affair or being the other woman in it, but I believe it happened. Otherwise why would Kate avoid going to the Houghton trials as she has done fairly regularly since George was an only child? Attending that event would have silenced a lot of these whispers. She didn’t and the talk continues.
I think she loves William. I think he loves her. She’s his friend and mother to his children. But I also think she (and her mother) live in constant fear William will divorce her. They know she’s only FQC at his whim. If he ever someone he loved more than her, she would be just like his mother, the ex-FQC. And let’s be honest…he could divorce her when his kids are college age. There’s nothing to say a monarch has to be married.
@originalmia – yes. A photo at the Houghton horse trials (even without rose, just being at the trials) would have ended a lot of the gossip IMO. It would not have stopped completely, but it would have ended some of it.
The rumor is clearly just gaining steam and not dying down. All the pictures of Rose Hanbury from the state dinner prove that IMO.
Exactly. Missing the Horse a Trials at a Houghton was telling.
Kate is playing the long game because she wants to wear the crown. But she can keep her cheating king and I hope she is happy.
Your first sentence, I literally spit my drink out. LOL!!
Why do we care? Its a non-story.
The whole thing makes me sad. I wonder if she feels lonely. She and Rose were friends and then her husband goes and fucks her friend? Her married friend. I know Kate is regarded as lazy and jealous and we love to make fun of her buttony outfits but really, rejoicing in Rose showing up to the gala as if to rub Kate’s nose in it is just cruel. All Kate did was marry the guy. That doesn’t make it funny when his latest conquest allegedly acts like she runs shit.
Further, William may even be using his power as FK to persuade women into bed with him. As discussed, he seems very bland and his looks have faded, so who is to say his alleged multiple exploits, including Rose, didn’t feel obligated?
I think it’s time we stop buying into the catty women trope and consider maybe William is the true asshole here.
I feel sorry for her I really do. But I don’t think there’s a divorce. I mean Kate (or even Carole) isn’t gonna let her and her mother’s hard work go to waste and where else is William going to find someone like Kate who does what he says when says it?
It doesnt matter what happens now, they have the heir and the spare, and another spare. Kate did the only job she really had to do. William doesnt need Kate anymore if he doesnt want her. And he may love Kate, but is he in love with her? Really?
Of course he needs her. He needs someone to raise his children, his job requires a wife to accompany him to events and do public appearances, and when he eventually becomes King he certainly will need someone to play the role of queen consort. A single person would struggle to be monarch.
There’s no way William is going to find another woman who not only fits all the suitability criteria to be queen, but who would be willing to sacrifice her entire life, career, privacy and freedom just to be with a petulant manchild who looks like a thumb and considers mistresses his right. He had to marry Kate because no one else would have him, and that was when he had hair, still had his looks, and didn’t have a rep as someone who cheats on his wife.
The idea that William will have some kind of Romeo and Juliet thing where he falls so madly in love with someone he’s prepared to torpedo his entire life, duty and family (and cause a massive scandal) just to be with her is pure fantasy.
Fathers have no role in raising children? Single parents or divorce parents cannot raise families? Careful with that broad swath.
All of this could have been written about Charles, and no one expected him to jettison Diana for Camilla. And yet it happened.
Busyann and Notasugarhere are right.
And If William is so in love, why is he cheating?
This won’t be the last time if he truly did.
allegedly…
I’ll never be able to unsee William as a thumb again, lol.
@HB: I agree. William will need someone to be his wife and someone who can handle is cheating, does what he says and is willing to sacrifice their life for this. Literally nobody else wanted to do it, Jecca included which is why he picked Kate.
I’m sure he loves his kids and loves her as the mother of children at the very minimum but even if it’s game over for the marriage they’ll just lead very separate lives in private.
Royal families are generally useless- good for a bit of tourism and gossip rags. Glad my taxes aren’t paying for them.
I don’t see her as being influential at all. She sticks to classical and timeless pieces not trendy pieces. She did not make nude heels trendy that is just her go-to footwear.