The Enigma of the Royal Family: Scandals and Rumors

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royal family prince william

Prince William’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury, a close acquaintance of the royal couple, during his wife’s pregnancy has persisted despite Kensington Palace’s denial. Omid Scobie’s book, “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” explores the palace’s attempts to suppress the rumor, including the involvement of Christian Jones, the press secretary. The rumor highlights the monarchy’s struggle with public scrutiny and their attempt to maintain a private life in the public eye.

Prince William and the Hanbury Affair

The persistent rumor of Prince William having an affair with Rose Hanbury, a close friend of the royal couple, during his wife’s pregnancy continues to endure despite Kensington Palace’s denial. In Omid Scobie’s book, “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” the author explores the palace’s efforts to suppress the rumor, including the alleged involvement of Christian Jones, the press secretary. The rumor’s longevity and the palace’s silence only added fuel to the fire, highlighting the monarchy’s struggle with public scrutiny.

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The Royal Family has always been cloaked in a shroud of fascination and controversy. Notorious for relentless investigations into Royal affairs, the British tabloids have countless times discovered whispers of unfaithfulness, particularly involving the immediate heirs to the throne. A persistent rumor that refuses to fizzle out is associated with Prince William, the upcoming monarch, and the speculated scandalous affair with Rose Hanbury, a close acquaintance of the royal duo.

Despite Kensington Palace’s adamant denial, the claim has managed to endure. In a recent publication, Omid Scobie, an expert on royal affairs, endeavors to enlighten readers about the supposed scandal. “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” his book, vividly portrays the unyielding efforts by the palace to extinguish this rumor.

Prince William and the Hanbury Affair

The narrative suggests that Prince William, during his wife’s, Kate Middleton, pregnancy with their third child, had a liaison with the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, Rose Hanbury. Hanbury is a well-known friend of the royal couple, which adds an extra layer of scandal to the rumor.

Scobie reports that the palace was frantically trying to suppress the rumor. “If a rumor’s left to kind of do its own thing, it can run 20 laps around the world before you even think about what, how you want to kind of address it,” Scobie detailed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Despite the palace’s refusal to comment on the issue, the rumor stubbornly persisted.

Scobie’s book explores how Christian Jones, the press secretary, allegedly made an effort to stop the rumor by persuading The Sun, the first publication that started probing into the affair allegations, to withdraw. Jones was extremely desperate to put a stop to it and made it his mission to do so, Scobie recounts.

Silencing the Rumors: The Role of the Press Secretary

In the realm of royal gossip, silence can sometimes be golden, while at other times it can be a glaring signal pointing to a scandal. The palace’s choice not to publicly respond to the rumors only fanned the flames, resulting in an unyielding cycle of whispers. Jones, seemingly distressed by the situation, allegedly offered a journalist from The Sun exclusive royal-related stories in exchange for retreating from the rumors, Scobie claims.

In a surprising twist of events, The Sun allegedly withdrew its reporters from the rumor and shifted its focus on Prince William’s younger sibling, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan Markle. According to Scobie’s account, this was a direct consequence of Jones’s successful efforts to halt the spread of the rumor.

However, Scobie remains guarded about these allegations in his book. He wrote, “For legal reasons there are so many things that one can’t go into but I thought it was really important, even if a rumor is a rumor. And I really don’t see proof that there is more to this than just a tittle-tattle, you know.”

The Monarchy in the Public Eye

In the world of the monarchy, where the private lives of the royals often become public displays, such rumors, whether proven or not, contribute to the intricate narrative that encircles this ancient institution. The alleged affair, the palace’s desperate efforts to hush it up, and the media’s relentless pursuit of it, all paint a picture of an institution wrestling with the demands of contemporary society and public scrutiny. Whether there is any truth to the affair or not, the narrative that has surfaced from it is undoubtedly a compelling one.

1. What is the rumor surrounding Prince William and Rose Hanbury?

The persistent rumor suggests that Prince William had an affair with Rose Hanbury, a close friend of the royal couple, during his wife’s pregnancy with their third child.

2. What book explores the palace’s efforts to suppress the rumor?

Omid Scobie’s book, “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” explores the palace’s attempts to suppress the rumor.

3. How did the palace try to halt the spread of the rumor?

According to Scobie’s account, Christian Jones, the press secretary, allegedly made an effort to stop the rumor by persuading The Sun, the first publication that started probing into the affair allegations, to withdraw. Jones was extremely desperate to put a stop to it and made it his mission to do so, Scobie recounts.

4. What did Jones allegedly offer The Sun in exchange for retreating from the rumors?

Jones allegedly offered a journalist from The Sun exclusive royal-related stories in exchange for retreating from the rumors, Scobie claims.

5. Why did The Sun reportedly shift its focus to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?

The Sun allegedly withdrew its reporters from the rumor and shifted its focus on Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle. According to Scobie’s account, this was a direct consequence of Jones’s successful efforts to halt the spread of the rumor.

6. What does the rumor and the palace’s response to it say about the monarchy?

The alleged affair, the palace’s desperate efforts to hush it up, and the media’s relentless pursuit of it, all paint a picture of an institution wrestling with the demands of contemporary society and public scrutiny. Whether there is any truth to the affair or not, the narrative that has surfaced from it is undoubtedly a compelling one.

Kagiso Petersen is a Cape Town journalist who reports on the city’s evolving food culture—tracking everything from township braai innovators to Sea Point bistros signed up to the Ocean Wise pledge. Raised in Bo-Kaap and now cycling daily along the Atlantic Seaboard, he brings a palpable love for the city’s layered flavours and even more layered stories to every assignment.

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