The recently resurfaced rumors of an affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury have taken a toll on Princess Kate Middleton amid her recovery from abdominal surgery.

“Kate taking her wedding ring off [in a recent family photo] just intensified all the drama surrounding their marriage and the rumors of William’s affair with Rose,” a source exclusively tells In Touch. “You can’t blame her for being at her wits end with the rumors about Rose and William completely haunting her. It’s hurtful, especially because she’s still recovering from major surgery.”

Rumors that William, 41, cheated on his wife, 42, first surfaced in 2019 after it was reported that Kate and Rose, 39, had a falling out. None of the parties involved have ever publicly commented on the unverified rumors. However, the allegations resurfaced earlier this month, as fans have come up with conspiracy theories about why details of Kate condition following her January 16 operation have been kept under wraps. 

Since being discharged from the hospital on January 29, Kate has been privately recovering at Windsor. It was confirmed by the palace that she was not expected to return to her royal duties until after Easter (March 31). However, after Kate was not seen in public for weeks, fans began wondering if there was something more going on that the family wasn’t sharing.

In an effort to debunk the rumors, Kate shared a photo with her three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – on Kensington Palace’s official X account on Sunday, March 10. This ended up causing even more of a buzz, as fans quickly noticed that the image had been Photoshopped, and many were convinced that it wasn’t even a recent picture of the princess. 

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate admitted on Monday, March 11. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone had a very happy Mother’s Day.”

Later that day, she was photographed in the back of a Range Rover with Prince William. Fans once again flooded the internet with new theories, with some claiming that the blurry images were also Photoshopped and others theorizing that the woman sitting next to William wasn’t his wife. However, the photo agency who distributed the pictures clarified that the shots were “not doctored.”

Rose has not weighed in amid the resurfaced affair rumors. The former model is married to David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and they have three children together.