It’s hilarious to me that the Mother’s Day Photo Fiasco has so many moving parts and so many confusing side-stories. The biggest issue, arguably, is that the Frankenphoto was cobbled together, likely using much older pics, none of which were taken by Prince William, and that the Frankenphoto was so egregious that six news outlets killed the pic from their archives. But as that controversy rages on, a surprising number of people are pointing out something very interesting: whoever created the Frankenphoto clearly wanted to send a message by having “Kate” without her wedding band or Big Blue. Multiple royalists have complained about that alone: if you’re touching up a proof-of-life photo, why not add Kate’s rings? Unless that’s the point. Now the ring issue, combined with Stephen Colbert’s segment on Prince William’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury, has led to this very interesting exclusive in the Daily Beast:

Speculation over the health of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage, triggered by the absence of a wedding band on Kate’s ring finger in her notorious Mother’s Day photograph, has been thrust firmly back into the mainstream after Stephen Colbert trolled Prince William in his monologue Tuesday with rumors of an affair. Colbert astonished audiences Tuesday night by referring to an affair William is widely alleged to have had with his neighbor, Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The palace has repeatedly denied an affair ever took place.

A former royal staffer told The Daily Beast that Colbert’s comments would be “deeply annoying” as William and Kate’s office at Kensington Palace desperately tries to course correct after a tumultuous few days of headlines. The former courtier, who worked with William and Kate when employed at the palace, said, “It’s deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace, but it’s not surprising that the affair rumors are being reheated. What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?”

Another source, who is a friend of Kate and William’s, said that they and their friend group were “completely baffled” as to why Kate put out a picture which showed her without a wedding band when it seemed “guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage.”

The friend said: “They are often seen together at school events, and really it is remarkable how one and often both of them will always be at every match, every music concert and every prize giving. The relationship has always seemed incredibly strong despite the immense pressure they are under, so it’s fair to say we were all completely baffled when the picture came out with the wedding ring missing, especially as it was photoshopped. It just seemed guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage.”

The affair rumors go back to 2019 when The Daily Beast reported on palace lawyers’ attempts to suppress reporting of the alleged affair by issuing stern legal notices to British publications, cautioning them not to write about the rumors. At the time, official sources in Kensington Palace told The Daily Beast that the allegations were “totally wrong and false.” Royal law firm Harbottle and Lewis issued letters to the British media stating that the stories were “false and highly damaging.” British newspapers instead reported that there had been a terrible argument between former friends Kate and Rose without giving a cause.

[From The Daily Beast]

I’m always amused by the argument of “Will & Kate’s marriage is fine, they turn up at school events together.” Yeah, pre-2024, they never had much on their plate work-wise, so of course they go to their kids’ school events. It doesn’t mean their marriage is strong, nor does it mean they’re actually living in the same home, nor does it mean that William is a faithful husband. Now that Colbert has discussed Rose Hanbury/Marchioness of Cholmondeley on American network television, he’s giving cover to all media outlets to revisit the Rose saga and report on it openly, five years after the story first broke and five years after Kensington Palace threw the Sussexes to the wolves to deflect from William’s wandering sceptre. That is what will be fascinating to watch: how will Huevo deflect from the renewal of the Rose conversation?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace.