Kate Middleton Accused Of Planting Pregnancy Rumors Following Recent Scandals

Over the past six months, multiple publications have reported that the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, is expecting a second (and according to some reports, a third) child with Prince William. While the royal family shot down the rumors at a military event in London in February, William, 31, saying that their 10-month-old son, George, was enough for them “at the moment," one outlet is now accusing the 32-year-old Duchess and her publicity team of planting the never-ending baby news.

According to a report from CelebDirtyLaundry, Middleton’s pregnancy rumors are speculated to allegedly been leaked by the palace press office in an effort to distract from recent scandals, including the semi-nude photo of the Duchess published by Bild.de and Middleton’s decision to attend her cousin's wedding at the controversial Dorchester Hotel in central London. (A chain owned by the Sultan of Brunei, an individual known for enacting Shariah law, which advocates for homosexuality and adultery to be punishable by death by stoning.)

"One month ago, Kate Middleton and Prince William were riding on the positive buzz from their tour, mostly thanks to Prince George,” reads the tabloid report, pointing out that Middleton’s recent scandals have “sadly overtaken” the royal family’s positive press. “The royals are now desperate for some PR control,” continued the report.

The gossip site goes on to allege that the recent reports regarding Middleton's second pregnancy, in which many publications have cited a “royal insider” as their main source, might have been planted by the Duchess’ team. “All these pregnancy rumors aren’t just cooked up by the tabloids. It’s possible that the palace press office has decided that another pregnancy is the best way to guide the media away from obsessing over Kate’s exhibitionist ways and the royals’ connections to the Sultan of Brunei-owned Dorchester hotels.”

Clarence House has yet to address the latest pregnancy rumors, only sharing an image of the Duchess’ photo op with Olympic sailor Ainslie Ben during a solo visit to the Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich, outside London, Tuesday.

Life & Style was the last to speculate that Middleton is once again with child. According to the tabloid's May 26 print issue, the Duchess is pregnant with a baby of an unknown gender and noticeably underweight due to a bout of Hyperemis Gravidarum, the same acute form of morning sickness that plagued her during her pregnancy with Prince George in 2012. “She is so tired at the end of the day, she collapses on the bed,” a source told the magazine. “She is way beyond exhausted. It’s a particularly worrying time for William. He is very concerned."