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At this point, the rumors about Prince William’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury have mostly died down. Kensington Palace refused to comment, British media refused to report on it for fear of being sued, and royal fans refused to believe it could happen. After all, Prince William and Kate Middleton appear to have the perfect marriage. Would he really jeopardize their futures by being unfaithful?

Whether he did or didn’t cheat on his wife with her friend Rose is almost irrelevant, because either way it’s clear the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are choosing to stay together. But this fact might offer some real insight into what it means for their relationship—and whether Prince William would ever cheat again.

Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Prince William was accused of being unfaithful in the past

Anyone who’s been paying attention to the royal family over the years knows that this wasn’t the first time Prince William was accused of being unfaithful to Kate Middleton. Back at Prince William’s birthday party in 2014, the Duchess of Cambridge felt uncomfortable with how much her husband was ignoring her and paying attention to a woman named Jecca Craig. Nothing was proven, but the incident raised some questions.

It’s all reminiscent of the very cozy relationship between Prince William and American Anna Sloan which made headlines in 2003 before the couple was married. Once again rumors of romantic involvement never amounted to anything, but it was still thought to be a contributing factor in their first breakup.

Prince William could get away with cheating

Rose Hanbury and Kate Middleton
Rose Hanbury and Kate Middleton | Stephen Pond/Getty Images

It’s a sad fact of life: with enough money and power, it’s a lot easier to get away with having secrets. If Prince William was able to get away with having multiple affairs, it’s only because he has staff who are sworn to secrecy and who will cover up any transgressions.

Again, there’s no hard evidence that Prince William cheated—and there probably never will be. But if he did manage to get away with having an under-the-radar affair with Rose Hanbury or anyone else, then he’s probably going to do it again. Most people who have the desire to cheat on their partners will find a way. Especially when they’re royalty.

Infidelity runs in the royal family

Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton | Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images

If Prince William did cheat, he’s in good company with the rest of the family. His father Prince Charles had one of most infamous affairs in history when he was unfaithful to Prince William’s mom, Princess Diana. Some royal fans point to the devastation of this affair as proof that the Duke of Cambridge would never do the same to his family.

Besides just Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip was also accused of cheating on her several times. Just like with Prince William, those affairs were never substantiated with hard evidence, but most royal fans assume they did happen. It just proves that power and money can help hide affairs in certain cases.

The public will never know the full truth about Prince William’s alleged affair

Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton | Pool/Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Unless Kate Middleton and Prince William get divorced—which is an extremely unlikely possibility at this point—then we’ll never know if he cheated on his wife. But that’s not anyone’s concern besides the couple themselves. If the Duchess of Cambridge is willing to forgive her husband for being unfaithful, then the public will have to find out how to do the same.

Then again, it’s equally likely that this is all vicious gossip made to smear the reputation of the royal family. If so, whoever started it should find something better to do with their time.