Royal watchers are on red alert after it belatedly emerged today that there were some very interesting scenes on display at the Buckingham Palace State Banquet. Initially unnoticed amid the controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s visit, it turns out that Kate Middleton was faced with sharing the evening with reported former close pal and so called ‘rural rival’ Rose Hanbury.
WATCH THE VIDEO OF KATE ARRIVING AT THE DINNER!
The duo, who famously fell out amid mysterious circumstances, were once again under the same roof at the event, but the seating arrangements hinted to some that the reunion was being managed to avoid any unnecessary awkwardness.
Rose’s husband, David, Marquess of Cholmondeley, who holds the role of Lord Great Chamberlain, is a regular at state and ceremonial occasions, and was seated on a table close to Kate, while his wife was seated, separately, on the other side of the room.
This was not out of the ordinary, with many invited couples similarly split, but the arrangement has still been the subject of much talk in the UK newspapers today.
‘Whatever the truth about them supposedly falling out, the attention during the evening would have been humiliating for Kate,’ says a royal source.
The appearance follows months of whispers about Kate’s alleged tensions with the former model, who lives a stone’s throw from Kate and William’s home, Amner Hall, with her 58-year-old husband. The two couples were once said to be close friends but UK reports have stated they have recently drifted apart.
Daily Mail diarist Richard Eden oddly described Rose as ‘a rival to [Kate’s] rural crown’.
‘On the face of it, it’s bizarre, but Kate seems to see Rose as a rival,’ he quoted a source as saying.
Whatever the nature of their alleged falling out, it seems that duty comes first, and all concerned made it through the night with their tiaras intact.
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