Prince William resumed his royal duties Tuesday while relentless fans continue to speculate online about the well-being and whereabouts of his wife, Kate Middleton, despite a recent outing together.
The seemingly unbothered Prince of Wales, 41, was back to work at the Millennium Gallery in northern England’s Sheffield to discuss efforts to end homelessness with the Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition.
William appeared in good spirits, as he was photographed during the meeting flashing a giant smile.
The future king — who went to the solo outing wearing a blue button-down shirt, navy blue vest, blazer and slacks — was also seen engaged and very present during conversations with coalition staffers.
This is the first official work commitment William has attended since he stepped out with Middleton, 42, at a farmers’ market in Windsor over the weekend, debunking all kinds of conspiracies about the princess.
Ever since Middleton underwent abdominal surgery in January and the palace said she wouldn’t work again until “after Easter,” people surmised online about why she actually hadn’t been seen in public.
An edited photo Middleton posted on Mother’s Day in the UK further fueled the online rumor mill.
One of the theories that directly affected Williams was the re-hashing of an old rumor that he allegedly cheated with Lady Rose Hanbury, the wife of David Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.
In 2019, reporters in the UK were reportedly digging into the rumor that the Prince of Wales allegedly cheated on the Princess of Wales with Hanbury when Middleton was pregnant with their third child.
William’s lawyers shut down the allegations in April 2019, however, stating at the time, “In addition to being false and highly damaging, the publication of false speculation in respect of our clients’ private life also constitutes a breach of his privacy.”
Amid all the drama surrounding Middleton lately, though, the rumor resurfaced with even late night talk show host Stephen Colbert joking, “The kingdom has been all a flutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton.
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“Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband and the future King of England William having an affair. Oh no, my heart goes out to poor Kate.”
Hanbury, 40, recently denied the rumor via her lawyers, stating the cheating claims are “completely false.”
William and Middleton have been married since 2011, and share three children together: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
This is the only major cheating scandal the couple has had to face in their 12-year marriage.