A royal gossip that never seemed to fade away entirely and is circulating around for over five years is the alleged affair of Prince William and one of Kate Middleton’s friends, Rose Hanbury.

This rumor made headlines again following the fuss surrounding Kate Middleton and her ‘planned’ abdominal surgery after which she was nowhere to be seen. The public questioned the sincerity of the Palace when they assured them that the Princess was doing well because they failed to provide any details regarding the surgery or Kate’s whereabouts.

Things turned heated when the Princess of Wales decided to share a photo of herself and her children on Mother’s Day on which she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring.Fans were quick to spot this detail, as well as the fact that the image was manipulated.

As result, news agencies issued “kill notices,” which are advisory notices to remove or not use a specific photo.

LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 12: Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on November 12, 2023 in London, England. Every year, members of the British Royal family join politicians, veterans and members of the public to remember those who have died in combat. (Photo by Ian Vogler – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

“It appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the Associated Press notification read.

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They also released a statement, saying, “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”

Kate posted on X that she was the one who edited the photo, which many saw as a sign of the Palace throwing her under the bus and failing to protect her by letting her take the blame on herself.

Kate not wearing her wedding ring made some question the stability of her marriage, and host Stephen Colbert, of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” added fuel to the fire when he brought up the alleged affair on his show this week.

“The kingdom has been all aflutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband and the future king of England, William, having an affair,” Colbert said on Tuesday’s episode.

Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImagePhoto by Samir Hussein/WireImage

In April 2019, the American publication In Touch reported that William “may” have had an affair with a woman named Rose Hanbury, who happens to be the Marchioness of Cholmondeley and a friend of Kate’s.

Allegedly, Kate confronted William about the rumors but he “laughed it off” and claimed that wasn’t true.

Daily Mail royal expert Richard Kay spoke on the matter and said it was fake news. “Both sides have considered legal action, but 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… These hurtful rumors of a fallout are simply false,” Kay wrote.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – MARCH 29: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley attends a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022 in London, England. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died aged 99 on April 9, 2021. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Rose and her husband live near Kate and William in a home with 106 rooms.

Now Rose decided to speak up after years of silence. As per reports, Business Insider reached out to Rose’s lawyers this weekend for comment. The reply they got read: “The rumors are completely false.”