Kate Middleton is getting ready to celebrate her 38th birthday. The mom of three has kicked off celebrations with close friends at Anmer Hall, the country home she and Prince William share.
The so-called "Turnip Toffs" are often seen together at instances celebrating William or Kate. This time, they joined the couple and Queen Elizabeth for church services at St. Mary Magdalene, where the royal family also celebrates Christmas services. Also in attendance were Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who just returned from spending the holidays in St. Bart's with Pippa Middleton's in-laws.
There was another interesting pair in attendance at the church service. The Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, David and Rose, were spotted among the crowd. They appeared to be mingling with members of the royal couple's group, although it's unclear if they were all in attendance together.
It marks the first time that Rose Hanbury has been seen in close proximity to the couple since reports of an alleged fallout between the two couples surfaced. The supposed fallout was believed to be due to rumors of an affair between William and Rose, as well as how Kate was framed in the retelling of events by the media.
Kate Middleton has kicked off her birthday celebrations! The Duchess of Cambridge turns 38 on Thursday, January 9. As usual, she's starting off her celebrations in Norfolk with some of her closest friends.
Prince William and Kate are known to have their friends visit their Anmer Hall home. There, they partake in a number of countryside activities, like shooting. They also sometimes spend time with the Queen at her Sandringham estate.
On Sunday, the group of friends joined William, Kate, and Queen Elizabeth for church services at St. Mary Magdalene. Among those spotted were Tom van Straubenzee and fiancée Lucy Lanigan-O’Keeffe. Tom and William are lifelong friends, and Lucy is a teacher at Thomas's Battersea, where Prince George and Princess Charlotte attend school.
There were also James Meade and his wife Laura. Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, were also in attendance. While all these faces are almost expected at a celebration for Kate, there were two more people among the crowd who got everyone talking.
Spotted on the fringes of that crowd were the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley. If the title doesn't sound familiar, perhaps the name Rose Hanbury does. The marchioness found herself in the middle of some ugly rumors about a supposed affair with Prince William last year.
Rose was once a prominent member of their friend group, which is known as the "Turnip Toffs." However, reports surfaced that Kate was responsible for phasing her out of the group. This wouldn't exactly be easy when their Houghton Hall home is just 3 miles from Anmer Hall.
When news of the alleged falling out first surfaced in March 2019, sources told the Sun that Kate was adamant about discontinuing the friendship. "It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out," the source said. "They used to be close but that is not the case anymore."
"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," the source continued. "But Kate has been clear that she doesn’t want to see them anymore and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status." With the rumors that were circulated, that would have been understandable.
To their credit, no one involved ever addressed the allegations of cheating. While there were brief discussions in the media of legal action by both couples, none of it ever came to be. In fact, reports in May indicated that William and Kate were concerned with how the rumors were affecting Rose and David.
"They are very concerned for Rose," a source told Hollywood Life. "She’s a married woman with children, and she’s not used to this kind of public scrutiny. She’s a friend of not only Kate’s but also the entire family, so this is upsetting for everyone."
William's press secretary and head of staff, Miguel Head, explained in a recent interview that not responding is the key to the royals' way of tackling rumors.
"They [William and Harry] had a very healthy attitude to a lot of what was written about them, which is that they largely just completely ignored it," Miguel told the Harvard Gazette. "So, our rule of thumb was we only commented reactively on stories if the stories were judged, in our view, to have a detrimental reputational impact. And the bar for that was quite high."
While this is the first time that Will and Kate have been spotted intentionally spending time with the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, it isn't the first time they've been in the same place since all the rumors emerged. All parties were in attendance at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in June. The Cholmondeleys were seated far from the Cambridges, however.
This subtle move could be a way for the Cambridges to step into the new decade drama-free. They've done an excellent job of appearing to be happy and committed to their marriage. With that ugliness behind them, they're free to move forward to more important matters.
Following last year's rockiness for practically all members of the royal family, all eyes are on them in 2020. As we look to see more of Charles and William stepping up and stepping in for the Queen, we're getting a better look at the future of the monarchy. Only time will tell how William and Kate rise to their roles in that respect.
