Royal pundits have the timeline of those Prince William and Rose Hanbury affair rumors down pat, and while there are many rumored reasons why William and Princess Catherine stay together, scuttlebutt that there's trouble in paradise makes its way around the internet every so often. The rumors reached a fever pitch when Catherine disappeared from the public eye after undergoing abdominal surgery in January 2024. She failed to make a public appearance for several weeks, and by March, pundits and the press
wanted answers to the princess' whereabouts and her physical health, with many speculating Catherine's absence was due to her marriage to William being on the rocks courtesy of the aforementioned rumored affair with Hanbury.
It didn't help that William took divorce rumors from bad to worse when he released an official statement about the Israel-Gaza war sans Catherine's signature at the end. It appeared the prince had gone solo, and the rumor mill churned ever more relentlessly. Of course, Catherine would later make a reappearance to tell the public that she'd been diagnosed with cancer and had been undergoing treatment, hence her prolonged absence from the public sphere. Celebs who snarked on those Prince William affair rumors hung their heads in shame, and so did everyone else who bought into the conspiracy theories.
One can't help but wonder, however, what would happen should William and Catherine ever call it quits. The royal family has a history of nasty divorces; the dissolution of King Charles III and Princess Diana's marriage is still a hot topic of conversation. With William being the future king and Catherine set to become queen once he ascends the throne, things could get very complicated if their marriage crumbles (though, of course, many pundits hope that is a reality they'll never have to deal with).
Read more: Tragic Details About Prince Harry's Ex Cressida Bonas
Kate's Royal Title Might Change
Should Princess Catherine and Prince William ever decide to call it quits, the biggest (read: most public) changes will occur for Catherine, not necessarily the future king. While William would have to navigate life as a newly single man, Catherine would be faced with the new reality of being a former royal, which will almost certainly include losing her title.
Looking back at previous royal divorces, it's very likely the princess would lose at least part of her royal title. Princess Diana, for instance, was known as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, a title Catherine now bears. When Diana divorced King Charles III, however, the HRH title was revoked. The same happened to Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who was formerly known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York. Interestingly, the HRH title wasn't always yanked when royal couples divorced; Queen Elizabeth II changed the law regarding this specific royal title in 1996. Before that, an individual would keep their HRH title regardless of a divorce. King Charles III could feasibly change this law once again, and if he does, Catherine's title would remain unchanged.
Despite being stripped of her HRH title, Sarah Ferguson has slowly worked her way back into the royal family, and Catherine will likely remain an unofficial member of the monarchy as well should she and William ever split. This was, after all, the case for Diana, with the royal family's website stating that "the Princess continued to be regarded as a member of the Royal Family," even after her divorce from Charles. Furthermore, if Catherine is no longer married to William, she would remain the mother of the future heir to the throne, and that means something.
The Monarchy Will Have Custody Of Kate's Children
There are plenty of royal rules and protocols that are way outdated, including but not limited to the monarch having legal custody of all the royal children. Yes, really. Princess Catherine and Prince William technically don't have legal custody of their own flesh and blood, and this would mean that, should the couple divorce before William is king, King Charles III would have a lot of say about how much time Catherine can spend with her own kids — more so than William.
Royal expert Marlene Koenig told news.com.au that the law giving the monarch custody over royal children dates back to the 1700s when King George I was in power. The monarch saw the need for the law because of his troubled relationship with his son. It remains in effect to this day. In fact, when Prince William and Prince Harry were still minors, Charles didn't have the final say on whether his two sons could fly to Scotland together — he had to get Queen Elizabeth II's permission. "The Queen [had] the last word on parenting decisions like that," Koenig explained. What's more, she didn't always say yes.
When Princess Diana wanted to fly Harry and William to Australia, the monarch didn't give her seal of approval, and thus, even though she was the boys' mother, she couldn't take them on the trip without technically kidnapping them. If William and Catherine divorce, custody likely won't even be mentioned in the court documents because it wouldn't be relevant. Unless Charles decides to revise the law, Catherine would lose the unofficial custody she currently has over her children the moment a divorce is finalized.
William And Kate Will Likely Continue To Co-Parent Their Children
Despite their messy divorce, King Charles III and Princess Diana continued to co-parent their children, and if some royal experts and authors are to be believed, the former couple started getting on a lot better once they were no longer married. Should Prince William and Princess Catherine ever divorce, one would hope that the same would be true for them.
Catherine is said to be a very hands-on mother who always puts her children first, and it feels safe to assume this won't ever change — even if her relationship with William does. In 2024, sources told the Daily Mail that the Wales' don't have any servants at their beck and call at their Windsor home when their kids are home from school. Instead, they do everything themselves. Even after Catherine was diagnosed with cancer, she and William didn't hire any staff to help pick up the slack.
Further proof that William likely won't ice out Catherine should their marriage end is the princess' parenting style — and the fact that she's reportedly the one leading the charge in this department. Speaking to OK! magazine, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond detailed Catherine's parenting approach. "It is an idea built on mutual respect, understanding, patience and allowing the child to lead the way and very often is about exploring the child's own feelings, confusions and anguish," she said. "I believe Catherine will very much be the leader in this and William will be the follower, he will have been learning from Catherine how to be a different kind of parent." Needless to say, it's practically a given that William and Catherine will continue to put their kids first and co-parent even if their marriage ends.
It's Unlikely That Kate Will Leave The U.K.
Since Princess Catherine technically does not have legal custody of her children, leaving the U.K. with her three kids in case of a divorce would be nearly impossible. Of course, that doesn't mean it's entirely out of the question: Princess Diana reportedly wanted to move to Malibu, California, after her marriage to King Charles III came to an end. She died before she could put her plan into action, but given the inner workings of the monarchy, it's unlikely Queen Elizabeth II would have allowed the heirs to the throne to live in a different country — even if it was part-time. Should her marriage draw to a close, Catherine likely will not switch continents like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Her own family lives in the U.K., for starters, and assuming he keeps with tradition, it's likely that Charles would provide her with a place to live.
When Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson divorced, Queen Elizabeth gifted Sarah a £1.5million house where she could live with her two kids, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Sarah never ended up living there — she and Andrew continued sharing living quarters — but it might be safe to say King Charles III would extend the same generosity towards Catherine in case of a divorce. Whether the princess would opt for the same living arrangement as Sarah and Andrew is up for debate. If it means staying close to her kids and keeping things as normal as possible for them, she might do just that, especially given how she was determined to do so while she was navigating her cancer treatment.
Kate Likely Won't Have To Worry About Finances
Should Princess Catherine decide to stay with Prince William even if she can no longer stand him, money won't be one of the reasons. It might be safe to say that the princess would never have to worry about her finances if she one day ends up leaving royal life behind, because those before her didn't have to. When Princess Diana and King Charles III called it quits, the Princess of Wales reportedly received $22.5 million — in cash. An additional $600,000 was provided by the palace annually to maintain her office. Given that this was almost three decades ago, Catherine would likely be looking at a much larger sum.
The royal family is known for taking care of its former members (the exception seems to have been for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who decided to leave of their own volition). When Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson divorced, for instance, the duchess also received a hefty payout — £2 million (worth about $2.7 million today). The amount was substantially less than what Diana received, but she was, after all, married to the future king. Catherine can likely expect the same financial treatment as Diana should things ever go south.
Even if the palace completely cuts Catherine off, she could always turn to her sister, Pippa Middleton, for financial help. Pippa's husband, James Matthews, is a hedge fund manager, with an estimated net worth of around £2 billion. Given that Catherine is family, he probably won't mind sharing his riches to help his sister-in-law. And finally, while Catherine's parents have reportedly faced some major money problems in recent years, they certainly are not broke. They are presumably in a position to support their daughter to some degree, if need be.
The Media Will Likely Be More Interested In Kate Than Ever Before
If there is one thing that has proven to be true time and time again, it's that leaving the royal family makes the paparazzi more interested in you, not less. If Catherine ever divorces Prince William, increased media attention isn't just a possibility — it's a guarantee. Princess Diana is a testimony to that. After all, she died in a car crash while being chased by French paparazzi. Mere hours before her death, 30 photographers lay in wait for her and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, while they were inside the Ritz Hotel.
Diana was, in many ways, seen as an object by the media. With Catherine bearing the same title Diana did when she divorced King Charles III, it's likely the press will hound her every bit as much as her late mother-in-law. If her divorce from William is half as messy as Diana and Charles', Catherine will likely find herself unable to live any semblance of a normal life outside the palace walls. Even if she decides to flee the U.K. to escape the media (which, as previously noted, is unlikely, given that she'd be leaving her three children behind), the media attention will undoubtedly follow.
Just look at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, for instance. They might have picked up and moved across an entire ocean, but the media attention hasn't died down one bit. The couple made headlines in May 2023 when they were reportedly involved in a car chase with paparazzi. When the couple first made a temporary move to Canada, they were also hounded by photographers. Catherine will without question always be of interest to the public. Unfortunately, this means she will be the target of every paparazzo in whatever city or town she decides to settle in.
They Could Both Move On With New Partners But It Will Be A Little Complicated
In case of a royal divorce, Princess Catherine would have a lot more freedom when it comes to remarrying than Prince William. For the longest time, the British monarchy did not allow its members to marry divorcees, nor were they allowed to remarry after getting a divorce. Since Catherine would technically be a civilian after divorcing William, she'll be able to do whatever she wants. William, however, would likely still have to seek King Charles III's seal of approval to remarry, much like the former had to do when he married Camilla Parker Bowles after divorcing Princess Diana. Given Charles' history, saying no to William remarrying would be hypocritical.
Still, in a hypothetical world where William opts to marry another woman, the wedding might not be as big of an affair as his nuptials to Catherine were. When Charles married Camilla, he did so in a civil ceremony instead of a religious one because of the royal family's stance on remarrying after a divorce. Princess Anne also took advantage of a loophole after her own divorce, marrying Timothy Laurence in Scotland, where the rules of England's church didn't apply.
That William will be able to remarry is a given at this point, but the world would watch carefully how he goes about it. Catherine, meanwhile, will have more freedom. Of course, if William is already king when he remarries, it stands to reason that he could do whatever he desires when it comes to remarrying.
It's Unlikely That The Couple Will Air Their Dirty Laundry After Their Divorce
Prince William and Princess Catherine's divorce would make a lot of royal biographers very rich. It goes without saying that there would be plenty of gossip and commentary to go around, but as for whether Catherine and William will write their own memoirs or even speak candidly about what went wrong in interviews is very unlikely. After all, consider how upset they are with Prince Harry for opening up about his dramatic exit from the royal family. Apparently, the Prince and Princess of Wales have refused to peruse the pages of Harry's bombshell memoir, "Spare."
"[William's] staff remain adamant that he and the Princess refused to open a book which has caused so much pain," a royal senior advisor told Robert Hardman for his book, "The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy." Of course, the couple have seen some of the main takeaways from the book in the news, and these tidbits reportedly left William "seething," according to a source who spoke to Entertainment Tonight. Royal expert Katie Nicholl told the outlet that Harry's memoir left the royal household shaken. "The idea of any reconciliation seems almost unthinkable, given what he has said, given the very personal nature of these attacks because that's what they are — they are verbal attacks on members of the royal family," Nicholl explained.
It might be safe to say that, having been on the receiving end of Harry's book drama, neither Catherine nor William would opt to do the same should they ever end their marriage. After all, Catherine's son is set to become king, so it stands to reason that she wouldn't deliberately do anything to jeopardize the monarchy, regardless of what goes down between her and William.
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