Kate Middleton Reportedly Considered Legal Action Over False ‘Rural Rival’ Feud Story
Kate Middleton is no stranger to tabloids creating fake feud rumors about her and other people in her life (people like her sister-in-law Meghan Markle, most notably). But this weekend, the Duchess of Cambridge is said to have seriously considered legal action over a story The Sun ran about her having a falling out with her "rural rival" and Norfolk neighbor, Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. (Kate and William's country home Anmer Hall is in Norfolk.)
The Daily Mail's Richard Kay reports that the rumors of conflict between Kate and Hanbury were "false," first of all, and "both sides have considered legal action but, because none of the reports have been able to offer any evidence about what the so-called dispute is about, they have chosen to ignore it," he wrote.
What were the rumors exactly? According to The Sun's Dan Wootton, royal insiders claimed to him that Kate told her husband Prince William that Hanbury and by extension, her husband David Rocksavage, need to be “phased out” of the her and William's closest friend group.
“It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out," Wootton's source alleged to the outlet. "They used to be close but that is not the case any more. William wants to play peacemaker so the two couples can remain friends, given they live so close to each other and share many mutual friends. But Kate has been clear that she doesn’t want to see them any more and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status.”
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