There have been an untold number of well-publicized royal scandals over the years, many points in history where the ongoings of the British monarchy have dominated newspaper headlines and whipped the general public into a frenzy.

The current state of affairs must surely rank among the most tantalizing. Not only has the whole saga regarding Kate Middleton’s recovery from a mysterious abdominal procedure captivated all and sundry since January, but King Charles also received a shock cancer diagnosis. That’s not to mention the ever-present controversy where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are concerned.

In most other decades the reigning monarch’s fight against cancer would be the focal point of the media attention. It speaks volumes, then, that the maelstrom of speculation surrounding Kate has virtually pushed all other topics into the shadows.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 13: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall on November 13, 2016 in London, England. The Queen, senior politicians, including the British Prime Minister and representatives from the armed forces pay tribute to those who have suffered or died at war. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

It could be argued that the royals only have themselves to blame for the intense scrutiny placed upon Kate’s recovery. Aside from confirming that the Princess of Wales was undergoing a “planned abdominal procedure” in January, adding that she would be out of action until around Easter time, the Palace has been thrifty to the point of arousing suspicion with its updates.

And if the vacuum of concrete information brought the pot of speculation to boiling point, the debacle surrounding the image of Kate and her children released to mark Mother’s Day in the UK blew the lid off with such force that the various conspiracy theories suddenly became of interest worldwide.

Among the mostly hotly debated possibilities was that Kate and Prince William were experiencing marital troubles, the likes of which had left Kate with no option but to withdraw from the spotlight until a solution could be found.

LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 21: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend a ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade on November 21, 2023 in London, England. King Charles is hosting Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee on a state visit from November 21-23. It is the second incoming state visit hosted by the King during his reign. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

At this stage we’d be remiss in our duties if we didn’t point out that any and all reports of William and Kate’s romance being in crisis remain unconfirmed. That said, the topic has generated enough attention to make it an undeniable fact that the public are at the very least extremely intrigued.

The crux of the aforementioned marital bother William and Kate are purported to have found themselves in centers around the rumor that William had engaged in an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.

According to reports, Rose and her husband David Rocksavage, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, have been in William and Kate’s social circle for some time. Once upon a time, the ever-reliable Sun newspaper tried to flog speculation that Kate and Rose had a falling out (leading to a not-insignificant amount of people claiming the cause was an affair between Rose and William).

And it seems as though that candle of scandal continues to burn even today, some five years since The Sun published the aforesaid information.