Why Kate Middleton and Prince William Divorce  Process Are Spreading and Where They Came From*Ahem: unsubstantiated divorce rumors.

Remember when the Palace initially announced Kate Middleton’s post-surgery break and the response was relatively chill? Times have changed and there is no chill to be found, none at all, not even an iota.

Cut to several months and one baffling attempt at Photoshop later, conspiracies about Kate’s whereabouts now range from “she’s growing out bangs” to “she and Prince William are getting a divorce.” So…[awkward silence]…are they? All signs point to absolutely not, but let’s go over the origins of this theory.

There’s also the fact that Kate—who certainly wasn’t being subtle when it came to Photoshop—didn’t take time to add in her ring, which left some suggesting the move was intentional.

As columnist Sarah Vine put it in the Daily Mail, the ring’s absence seemed to be “deliberate, a statement in its own right. If it’s not there, could that be because she doesn’t want it there? It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Even Kate’s friends were said to be “completely baffled,” with one acquaintance telling the Daily Beast, ““It’s fair to say we were all completely baffled when the picture came out with the wedding ring missing, especially as it was Photoshopped.

It just seemed guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage.”

Old rumors (emphasis on rumors) about Prince William’s alleged affair with the Marchioness of Cholmondeley have been dusted off amid Kate’s absence from the spotlight—but, to be clear, there are no specific reasons these rumors are in circulation again.

They’ve simply taken on a life of their own thanks to some UK publications writing (or possibly just updating) articles about Rose at the most side-eye-inducing moment possible.

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