Kate Middleton Had Issues With William's Inner Circle Long Before Rose Hanbury Entered The Picture

One of the most scandalous rumors surrounding the relationship of William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales is the rumor that William had an affair with Rose Hanbury. Hanbury and her husband David Cholmondeley are the Marchioness and Marquess of Cholmondeley. They were neighbors of William and Kate Middleton and in the same social circle when the rumors spread in 2019. A few years later in 2024, the infidelity rumors picked up speed again, causing Hanbury's lawyers to deny any truth to them in a statement to Business Insider.

However, long before that speculation kicked in, Kate had issues with other members of William's friend group. The trouble can be traced back to their relationship's early days. In the "Prince William & Catherine: A Royal Love Story" documentary, Heat Magazine editor-in-chief Lucie Cave mentioned how Kate's mother Carole Middleton founded the Party Pieces party supply business, which sadly failed and was sold in 2023.

Cave then mentioned Carole's previous career and how Kate reportedly got teased for it: "I think she got quite a lot of stick from it from [William's] friends at the very beginning. When all of them used to go out to the night clubs I think some of his friends used to make the joke 'doors to manual' when she walked through the door, which was a reference to her mother because she used to be an air hostess" (via Express).

Catherine, Princess of Wales reportedly did not let the "doors to manual" quip bother her, according to Katie Nicholl, the royal correspondent to Vanity Fair and one of the hosts of their "Dynasty" podcast on the British royal family. In one of their episodes, Nicholl said Kate Middleton ignored the rude comments: "To her full credit, Kate never rose to it — the snootiness of the upper classes leveled at what they called the en-masse Middletons" (via Mirror).

The Sunday Times' 2022 article for Kate's 40th birthday described "Doors to Manual" as being a rumored nickname for Kate. However, friends of William, Prince of Wales claimed reports of that teasing were nothing but an "urban myth." Even if that's the case, Andrew Morton's "William and Catherine" biography from 2011 shared reports that people did not think Kate was upper-class enough for William. Per Yahoo! Lifestyle, she was held in low regard by some who thought the future king would fall for someone in the nobility. One insider said, "It was felt that she wasn't from the right stock." It didn't seem to matter that the Middletons lived lavishly even before Kate and William got married.

Class differences between Kate and William's crowd weren't the only difficulty she faced in the earlier years of their relationship. Dating a prince meant dealing with tabloids and paparazzi.

The Sunday Times reported that Catherine, Princess of Wales had to quit her post-university job at the Jigsaw fashion brand due to paparazzi and photographers following her around. She began working for her mother's Party Pieces business. Tabloids called Kate Middleton "Waity Katie" for seemingly waiting to get engaged to William, Prince of Wales and for not having a career (despite the fact that paparazzi caused her to leave her Jigsaw job).

Kate didn't have any royal security while just dating William. A former royal aide spoke to The Sunday Times and commended Kate for how she dealt with the ever-present press. They continued, "It was never water off a duck's back, but she has extraordinary strength of character and resilience. I've never once seen or heard of her losing her temper."

Even as an official princess, Kate has dealt with not-so-nice nicknames. Author Omid Scobie published a royal family biography titled "Endgame" in 2023. Per Mirror, he reported that Kate was called "Katie Keen" since she is "keen to learn" (supposedly a cover for why she didn't work as much as other royals). Scobie's book claimed she was a working royal on a "part-time" basis and focused more on her family than royal engagements. He also wrote that she would do more only when her three children are older. Dr. Tessa Dunlop, a royal historian, had scathing words for Scobie, telling the Mirror that Scobie's reporting was akin to gossip magazines he has criticized.