As the future King and Queen of England, Prince William and Kate Middleton live under the microscope. From the moment they started dating, every aspect of their lives has been scrutinized, from the state of their marriage to their relationships with others (*cough* feud with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle *cough*). But through it all, William and Kate have consistently presented a united front, standing strong against the endless rumors that have threatened their relationship over the years.
Unlike other members of the royal family, William and Kate have remarkably managed to steer clear of the kind of salacious scandals that could tear them apart. Together since 2003 — with just a couple of brief breaks during their dating years — the two have remained solid. When they celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in 2024, royal butler Grant Harrold even dished that William had planned on making it extra special for his wife, a sign that everything was fine and dandy between them. “With everything going on with Kate, that won’t be a public thing, that’s going to be very private. Behind closed doors, I’m sure William will work to make sure she’s spoiled,” he told Spin Genie (via The Royal Observer).
But just because they’ve mastered the art of dodging rumors doesn’t mean they haven’t been rattled by them over the years. While none of the gossip has managed to inflict some real damage on them, some of the stories have been eyebrow-raising, to say the least. Lo and behold, here are just some of the most scandalous rumors that have swirled around their relationship.
William reportedly tried dating someone else when he and Kate were on a break
Prince William and Kate Middleton didn’t just break up once when they were dating — they called it quits twice, with the first time being back in 2004 when they were still students at St. Andrews. “We did split up for a bit,” William once confirmed to ITV News. “But we were both very young; it was at university, and we were both finding ourselves as such and being different characters.” Kate was honest about not being thrilled with the breakup at the time, though she acknowledged that it taught her lessons about herself. “I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you’re younger — and I really valued that time for me,” she said.
But Kate’s frustration might have been less about self-discovery and more about the fact that William didn’t exactly spend their time apart wallowing. Instead, he reportedly channeled his inner Ross Geller and tried his luck with another woman, Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, who happens to be the half-sister of one of Prince Harry’s exes, Cressida Bonas. During a vacation in Greece, William apparently thought he could woo her, but she wasn’t about to let a prince derail her budding acting career and promptly turned him down. “I would go so far as to say that William dumped Kate because he thought he had a chance with Isabella and Kate knew that,” a source told the Daily Mail.
Needless to say, when William came crawling back to Kate, she reportedly laid down the law. The source added, “Kate accepted William back again but on the condition that he would not speak to Isabella again.”
A prenup apparently almost got in the way of their marriage
Prenups are practically a staple in celebrity marriages, but when it comes to royal unions, they’re pretty rare. The reason? Royals don’t technically own their assets — the monarch does. Despite this, there were still rumors that a prenup was a sticking point in Prince William and Kate Middleton’s relationship before they tied the knot, with Patrick Jephson, the late Princess Diana’s former secretary, telling The Mirror that Kate would be wise to request one to avoid getting the short end of the stick. “If she was my sister, I’d tell her to get a good prenup. Kate’s not just going into a marriage, she’s going into a business,” he said.
At the time, rumors also swirled that William had outright refused to sign such a thing. However, a source close to the royals stated that the whole prenup drama didn’t exist in the first place because there was never any prenup to begin with. “For him to refuse, it would have had to have been suggested to him by someone and it was not,” the insider told the Daily Mail. “There is no prenuptial agreement in place for this wedding.”
And besides, it’s not like Kate would be left penniless if they parted ways. Celebrity Net Worth estimates her net worth to be $25 million, which is significantly less than William’s reported $120 million. But hey, that’s not remotely close to chump change!
William is reportedly getting increasingly insecure of Kate
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step back as senior royals, it left Prince William and Kate Middleton with a bit more on their plates. Suddenly, the royal couple had to double down on their duties, often attending events and engagements separately. “There are not as many working royals since Harry and Meghan left and they can get through a lot more if they’re doing separate engagements,” royal expert Victoria Murphy said in a Mail+ podcast “Palace Confidential” appearance (via Express UK). “Also, it probably reflects the fact that she in particular, has really grown in her position and confidence and is very happy to do big engagements on her own now, and they have their own causes as well now.”
But while doing separate engagements could make them more efficient, William had another reason for wanting to go solo. Apparently, he’s tired of playing second fiddle to his wife. “Kate and William’s joint appearances have always been wildly popular, but now they’re doing more on their own. Any married couple would feel the strain from working together all day, every day,” a source told InTouch. “[He] has begun to resent how much more beloved she is. He likes doing events on his own, because Kate draws all the spotlight when they’re together.” And when they do team up for an event, William reportedly goes out of his way to sidestep his wife and snag some of the attention for himself. Shady!
They have been plagued by infidelity rumors for years
Arguably the biggest scandal they’ve faced so far, Prince William and Kate Middleton have found themselves repeatedly involved in infidelity rumors, most of which circle around their former neighbor, Rose Hanbury. The third-party rumors date back to 2019, when The Sun claimed in a since-deleted report that Kate shunned Hanbury from her inner circle. While the reason wasn’t explicitly stated, British journalist Giles Coren added fuel to the fire with a since-deleted tweet implying it was all due to infidelity. Of course, nothing concrete ever surfaced, but a source dished to Us Weekly that the drama actually brought William and Kate closer together. “It forced her and William to sit back and examine their relationship, which they realized they should have been doing more often,” they said.
Then again, the rumor just wouldn’t die, eventually reaching a fever pitch in 2024 during Kate’s mysterious disappearance, which was later revealed to be due to her cancer diagnosis. Even Stephen Colbert weighed in on the rumors on his show, which seemed to be the final straw for Hanbury’s team. “The rumours are completely false,” her lawyers told Business Insider. Meanwhile, William and Kate didn’t waste time squashing the whispers, but that’s likely only because they have bigger things to worry about.
Is there really trouble in paradise between the two?
In addition to the never-ending infidelity rumors, Prince William and Kate Middleton are also constantly fighting speculation that their marriage is teetering on the edge of divorce. Some sources insist that the picture-perfect union they want the public to see is nothing more than just for show. Sure, no marriage is without its bumps, but apparently, things are a bit more chaotic behind closed doors than the public might think. “Someone who worked for Kensington Palace told me they [William and Kate] do have rows. It’s not a perfect marriage. They have terrific rows,” royal expert Tom Quinn divulged to Express US. “Where some couples have a row and throw heavy vases at each other, William and Kate throw cushions at each other. It’s always kept under control.”
Despite these supposed spats, a friend close to the couple insists they’re doing just fine. They’re well aware of the rumors about them, but they choose to rise above it for the sake of the monarchy and, of course, their kids. “Social media has provided the media with plenty of content and the speculation around their marriage is just cruel,” the friend shared with The Sunday Times. “These are people with three small children going through the hardest time they’ve had to go through as a family, with that as an awful backdrop. They are trying to keep things as normal as possible for the kids, but it’s not easy.”
