Melodi
Disaster Cat
I hadn't heard about a mistress until now, but it is shared among the royal men to do so (I'm not suggesting that I approve of it). I almost posted at the time of Philip's funeral that even though the Prime Minister of England did not attend so that during COVID, the entire family could be there, there was one reasonably elderly lady sitting there who was not related. That was Philip's "Stagecoach Racing Partner." Believed and accepted by many to be his very long-term mistress after he settled down from being what my Mother called "A known philanderer."
Royal ladies (or those who marry in) are expected to accept mistresses as a part of life. One drawback to the newer practice of having non-royals marry, like the very popular new Queen of Denmark, who is an Australian, is that these women were not raised to put up with this. It was widely reported that the amazingly popular older Queen Regnent (aka A Ruling Queen) of Denmark abdicated suddenly because photographers found The Crown Prince with his mistress, and his Australian Wife was considering divorcing him. So the Old Queen told her daughter-in-law she would step down and let her be Queen (aka Queen Consort) if she would stay with her unfaithful husband, who would be King).
Now, in the "good" old days (for centuries), royal women might have been "allowed" to have an unofficial separation; many already had separate bedrooms even when they adored each other. It might even be tolerated for the Queen or Princess to live quietly at another residence if she showed up for royal events (read about the current King of Monaco and his unhappy South African Queen).
But it was unheard of for these women to divorce the King (or Crown Prince). That is one reason it took so long for the Queen to realize that Diana and Charles's relationship was so toxic that it had to end. It simply became too public, and Diana was talking about it. Rather than just moving to another residence and showing up with Charles for a State occasion (like the Prince and Princess of Monaco do today),
Finally, even if William doesn't have a mistress and breaks the usual royal male role and is faithful if Kate has continuing abdominal issues or even just a complete hysterectomy, she is probably still in some pain, feeling ugly, and hates how she looks in the mirror (I did). I had infections and breast surgery (with an infection) at the same time. One person who didn't know me said to someone he didn't realize was a close family friend, "That Woman looks like a Ruined Viking Shipwreck - yuck!" He nearly got a punch in the face for it. Instead, my friend said: "That is the wife of one of my best friends. She just had two major surgeries. If you say anything more, you will not like what happens to you."
If Kate looks terrible and feels wretched, the last thing she wants is a photo where she too may look like "A Ruined Viking Shipwreck." No matter how much William and the kids love her, she will feel horrible until she's much better, which can take months. If William does have a mistress, this would be a good time for a pause in that relationship or call it off altogether.
Royal ladies (or those who marry in) are expected to accept mistresses as a part of life. One drawback to the newer practice of having non-royals marry, like the very popular new Queen of Denmark, who is an Australian, is that these women were not raised to put up with this. It was widely reported that the amazingly popular older Queen Regnent (aka A Ruling Queen) of Denmark abdicated suddenly because photographers found The Crown Prince with his mistress, and his Australian Wife was considering divorcing him. So the Old Queen told her daughter-in-law she would step down and let her be Queen (aka Queen Consort) if she would stay with her unfaithful husband, who would be King).
Now, in the "good" old days (for centuries), royal women might have been "allowed" to have an unofficial separation; many already had separate bedrooms even when they adored each other. It might even be tolerated for the Queen or Princess to live quietly at another residence if she showed up for royal events (read about the current King of Monaco and his unhappy South African Queen).
But it was unheard of for these women to divorce the King (or Crown Prince). That is one reason it took so long for the Queen to realize that Diana and Charles's relationship was so toxic that it had to end. It simply became too public, and Diana was talking about it. Rather than just moving to another residence and showing up with Charles for a State occasion (like the Prince and Princess of Monaco do today),
Finally, even if William doesn't have a mistress and breaks the usual royal male role and is faithful if Kate has continuing abdominal issues or even just a complete hysterectomy, she is probably still in some pain, feeling ugly, and hates how she looks in the mirror (I did). I had infections and breast surgery (with an infection) at the same time. One person who didn't know me said to someone he didn't realize was a close family friend, "That Woman looks like a Ruined Viking Shipwreck - yuck!" He nearly got a punch in the face for it. Instead, my friend said: "That is the wife of one of my best friends. She just had two major surgeries. If you say anything more, you will not like what happens to you."
If Kate looks terrible and feels wretched, the last thing she wants is a photo where she too may look like "A Ruined Viking Shipwreck." No matter how much William and the kids love her, she will feel horrible until she's much better, which can take months. If William does have a mistress, this would be a good time for a pause in that relationship or call it off altogether.