The Royal Scandal:

RUMORS ARE FLYING THAT WILLIAM MAY HAVE CHEATED WITH ONE OF KATE’S CLOSEST CONFIDANTES.

Did Prince William cheat on Duchess Kate — with one of her closest girlfriends?

It started with a tweet. Responding to reports that Kate Middleton had suddenly and mysteriously cut ties with her BFF, Rose Hanbury, British writer and TV host Giles Coren wrote on Twitter that “it is an affair… everyone knows about the affair.” Though he later deleted the March tweet, it was too late — the damage had been done. Rumors

swirled that Prince William had cheated on Kate with Rose, 35, who, along with her husband, David Rocksavage, 58, had long been part of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s inner circle. “It’s Kate’s worst nightmare,” reveals an insider. “She’s devastated.” Things have only gotten worse since. Star’s exclusively learned that the talk about Rose and William, 36, has rocked the palace, with staffers speculating, taking sides and gossiping among themselves about the fate of the future king and queen of England. And the core royal family members are not immune to the scandal. “It’s tearing the Windsors apart,” notes the insider. “Everyone is up in arms.” But the truth is the alleged infidelity doesn’t have Kate heading to a divorce lawyer. Despite the fact that tension between her and William is “at an all-time high,” says the insider, “Kate’s determined to save her marriage.”

BATTLE ROYAL Still, the insider says that Kate, 37, is deeply hurt by the rumors — which she feels have a lot to do with Rose’s higher social status. As a former commoner, Duchess Kate has worked hard to fit in with her husband’s family. But Rose, a onetime model who’s descended from

nobility, has been accepted from birth. In fact, her grandmother, Lady Rose Lambert, was even a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding to Prince Philip. “Rose and William have known each other forever,” the insider says. “Kate’s always felt insecure about it.” But Kate also has a “competitive streak,” especially where her husband is concerned, the insider says: “She banned William from being friendly with another woman he had a crush on back in the day, and if Rose were trying to steal her man, she’d fight for him.” Meanwhile, William is feeling the heat. As damaging to his marriage as the rumors have been, they may prove even more harmful to his relationship with his brother and monarch grandmother. “Prince Harry would never cheat — he’s learned from their parents’ mistakes,” says the insider. “And he would never want to disappoint the queen.”

Matters Of The Heart “Kate has made such an effort to be perceived as the ‘perfect princess,’” says an insider, “and she would be devastated by any trouble with William. She’d even have another baby, if it came to that, to save the marriage.”

The Eight-Year Itch? “After being kept on a tight leash all his life as the heir to the throne, William may have wanted a bit of freedom,” says a source about the prince (above with Rose, left, and Kate, whom he wed in 2011). “But he would never leave Kate.”