5 Biggest Rumors About Royal Family's Marriages, Relationships Through The Years
The royal family members usually celebrate their unions in fairytale-like weddings, but their marriages are different stories.
King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are among the most popular couples in the British royal family. Although they always put on a united front in public, each couple had been plagued with various rumors about their respective marriages.
Prince William allegedly cheated on Kate Middleton
In 2019, the heir to the throne was targeted by rumors claiming he cheated on his wife with Middleton's former pal, Rose Hanbury. The Princess of Wales was furious and asked her husband to allegedly have Hanbury be "phased out."
The infidelity rumors went on to the point that Prince William took legal action. According to the Daily Beast, at least one British publication had "been served with legal warnings after publishing details of the rumors by the royals' lawyers of choice." Prince William's legal representative called the rumors "false and highly damaging" to the royal.
Royal correspondent Omid Scobie, who was recently dubbed as the Sussexes' "mouthpiece," was also not convinced about the rumored affair.
"And I really don't see proof that there is more to this than just a tittle-tattle, you know," the "Endgame" author said about the issue.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's rumored separation
Many gave the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's marriage three to five years before they would file for divorce. For years, there have been rumors that their marriage was falling apart and that they were doomed to separate.
Last year, royal pundit Lady Colin Campbell claimed on her YouTube channel that their marriage was on the rocks and they had allegedly already agreed to part ways. However, Campbell also told her listeners to take the news with a grain of salt as "we cannot rely upon it."
"The word from on high is -- that Meghan and Harry have arrived at a settlement that they are, in fact, now legally agreed upon certain matters. They have, I supposed you could call it, a separation while they are still together," Campbell said.
She also explained why the news wasn't totally unbelievable. According to her, she experienced the same with her ex-husband.
"Now, actually, that's not unusual because my ex-husband and I had the same scenario for different reasons. Well, maybe not so many different reasons, actually. Treachery and money, I think, seem to be the common threads," she said.
Queen Camilla allegedly filed for divorce from King Charles
Years ago, there were rumors that Queen Camilla was close to ending her marriage to King Charles. A report alleged that she was telling her friends she was willing to settle for a $25 million divorce. However, she was allegedly terrified to end up like Princess Diana, who died a year after her divorce from the monarch was finalized.
"She's very aware [of] how cruel and cold-hearted Charles can be. That's why she's willing to walk away with a measly $25 million," an unnamed insider alleged.
However, royal experts have shared different opinions about King Charles and Queen Camilla's marriage. Royal expert Marlene Koenig said Camilla has made a huge contribution to the King's leadership.
"Charles has gained confidence in his new role, ably and lovingly supported by his wife," she told The Daily Express. "This is an important factor: love wins. And with having a supportive and loving wife, Charles is a far better monarch -- and person."
Prince Philip's rumored affair with an actress
The late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, and Queen Elizabeth had been married for seven decades before he passed away in April 2021 at 99. The late monarch died a year later on Sept. 8. She was 96. There is no doubt that the two royals had the strongest marriage.
However, that didn't spare Prince Philip from rumors that he had cheated on the Queen. Netflix's fictional series about the royal family, "The Crown," even alluded to Prince Philip's extramarital affair rumors. In the second season, Galina Ulanova was depicted as Prince Philip's love interest, but there was no confirmation that the two had a relationship.
Prince Philip had been labeled a ladies' man since he was linked to numerous women, including TV personality Katie Boyle, singer Hélène Cordet, actress Merle Oberon, novelist Daphne du Maurier, Princess Alexandra and actress Pat Kirkwood.
Michael Thornton, a friend of Kirkwood, possessed secret letters between Prince Philip and the actress. However, Kirkwood had always denied they had a tryst and vehemently shut down rumors about "the prince and the showgirl." She reportedly begged Prince Philip to do the same and release a statement denying the affair, but he didn't oblige, Town & Country reported.
"A lady is not normally expected to defend her honor. It is the gentleman who should do that. I would have had a happier and easier life if Prince Philip, instead of coming uninvited to my dressing room, had gone home to his pregnant wife on the night in question," Kirkwood reportedly told a journalist.
Despite the various allegations, there was no concrete proof that Prince Philip cheated on Queen Elizabeth.
Meghan allegedly gave Prince Harry an ultimatum when they were dating
Prince Harry and Markle kept their royal romance a secret for several months. However, the former actress allegedly gave Prince William's brother an ultimatum to publicize their relationship, or she would end their romance.
Two anonymous insiders told Valentine Low in his book "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown" that Markle's ultimatum caused Prince Harry to panic.
"She was saying, 'If you don't put out a statement confirming I'm your girlfriend, I'm going to break up with you," one source alleged, per Insider
Another tipster added the royal freaked out, saying, "She's going to dump me."
Regardless of what happened, Prince Harry and Markle tied the knot in 2018 and are now parents to Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.
