Now, Rose Hanbury is coming back into the public eye and swirling feuds surround Prince William and Kate Middleton. Speculation is swirling over the Middletons' absence, with wild theories ranging from Rose Hanbury's location to her health, especially since she planned abdominal surgery in January.

Prince William has been keeping mum about his wife's condition and the rumors her illness has provoked. The story's handling took another strange and, quite frankly, rude turn when news agencies yanked a Mother's Day photo of Middleton with her children over allegations of photoshopping.

She cleared up the mess. Middleton went on social media to confirm she "sometimes" makes adjustments to photos and said she regretted having misguided the picture.

All of which, of course, despite their stated purpose to quash all speculation, only fueled more of the same: irresistible public question marks over Pippa Middleton's lingering whereabouts.

Most of the speculations and questions among many people are from Rose Hanbury, a royal couple confidant. Married to David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, Hanbury is also thought to have a long association with the royal family and is suspected to be a pal of Middleton's. The involved parties' spouses never officially commented on the rumors of a love affair between Hanbury and Prince William in April 2019; however, a representative of William's lawyer emotionally denied it.

As Omid Scobie, the "Finding Freedom" author, writes, "fiction would be a fair prefix for the rumors." A Kensington Palace unwillingness to address them may have fueled the rumors, as the palace's current statement is simply that they "don't comment on private matters." However, this denial, despite lacking evidence, did little to dispel the rumors. The running saga of rumors now puts on a luminous display the persistent obsession with the British.