In view of recent statistics on newlyweds and infidelity, and what happened between Prince Williams parents, an infidelity warning is in order for royal newlyweds, Prince William and Princess Kate.
Contrary to popular opinion, newlyweds are not immune to infidelity.
Studies Show an Increase in Newlywed Infidelity
In fact, studies reveal an increase in infidelity among newlyweds. Many new brides and grooms who expected to “ live happily ever,” have found themselves taken by surprise. See Infidelity Advice for Newlywed Couples.
A 2009 study from the University of Washington Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors found that an increasing number of newlyweds are cheating on their mates.
Analyzing figures from the 2006 General Social Survey (the most recent infidelity data available from the General Social Survey at the time), it was found that approximately 20% of men and 15% of women under 35 (the age group of Prince William and Princess Kate), admitted to cheating on their spouses. This represents an increase of 15% for men and 12% for women, from 15 years earlier.
Last year, Noel Biderman, founder and CEO of the infamous Ashley Madison dating site for married people who want to cheat, reported that at least 500,000 of their members were newlyweds seeking extramarital affairs – an increase of 300%.
Disillusionment and Unrealistic Expectations
A significant amount of newlywed infidelity can be attributed to disillusionment and unrealistic expectations.
Often, the new couple does not anticipate the changes that inevitably occur in their relationship as they settle into the routine of married life.
Sex may not be as frequent, especially if children soon begin to arrive. See Study on Mothers Who Cheat. The new groom may experience disappointment in the transitions to the couple’s sex life.
The new bride may yearn for the strong emotional connection and her new husband had during their courtship when they shared their innermost thoughts, hopes, desires, and dreams. She could easily fall prey to emotional infidelity, which is the precursor to sexual infidelity. See How Emotional Infidelity Can Progress to Sexual Infidelity.
Many new couples make the mistake of allowing intimate conversations take a back seat to the business of daily living.
This relates directly to the differences in the main reasons why men and women cheat. See Why Women Cheat vs Why Men Cheat- They Cheat for Different Reasons.
One thing the newlyweds might want to do is familiarize themselves with the warning signs of marital dissatisfaction. See 17 Subtle Signs That Your Marriage or Relationship is About to End.
Will This Be a Problem for Prince William and Princess Kate?
One of the things that may work in Prince William’s and Princess Kate’s favor is that in addition to having an unusually long courtship ( more than 8 years), William and Kate lived together for a while before getting married.
Having already experienced domestic life together, they should at least have a pretty good idea of what to expect. So disillusionment and unrealistic expectations may not be a concern for them.
NOTE: This should NOT be taken as a suggestion that a couple should live together before getting married.
Pressures of Married Life
Many episodes of newlyweds infidelity stem from the difficulties, or an inability to adjust to the pressures and problems of married life. See Infidelity Advice for Newlywed Couples.
In addition to the usual adjustments the newlyweds must make, high profile marriages, such as those of celebrities or royalty come with unique pressures and problems of their own.
According to Newsweek magazine, one of the main reasons Prince William took so long to marry Princess Kate, was that he wanted to be sure she’d be able to cope with the pressures of a royal marriage.
William is said to be very protective of Kate in that respect, and friends say that the two of them are determined not to make their domestic happiness a casualty of royal life.
Family History of Infidelity
What may be more of a concern to the royal newlyweds than disillusionment, unrealistic expectations, or the pressures or married life, is the history of infidelity in Prince William’s family.
Two years after he and Princess Diana separated, Prince Charles admitted in a TV documentary that he had “strayed from his marriage vows, but insisted that he had only done so after his marriage was “irretrievably broken down.”
The following year, Princess Diana stated in a TV interview that she discovered in 1986 that Prince Charles had renewed his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. Exactly how long the extramarital affair between Charles and Camilla (who was also married at the time) had been going on before Princess Diana discovered it, is unknown. See Why the Wife is STILL the Last to Know.
Diana blamed Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla for the failure of their marriage, and admitted to having had an affair of her own with an army officer named James Hewitt. See Revenge Cheating is a Common Female Response to Infidelity and 3 Kinds of Revenge Affairs and Why They Should Be Avoided At All Costs.
Prince Charles is now married to Camilla Parker Bowles, who was rumored to have been his mistress for almost 30 years. See Will he leave you for her?
Could something similar happen to Prince William and Princess Kate?
How Adult Children Are Affected by Their Parent’s Infidelity
Studies have found that infidelity tends to run in families. No, it’s not hereditary, but sometimes with children parents grow up viewing infidelity as the norm - especially if one parent tolerated the other parent’s extramarital affair.
This is not likely to be an issue for Prince William and Princess Kate. But there is another phenomenon that may be cause for concern.
Strangely enough, many cheating men who were traumatized as children because their father cheated on their mother, end up doing the very same thing.
There are two recent high profile cheaters that we can point to as classic examples of this – Tiger Woods and Jesse James.
Tiger Woods’ high school sweetheart said in an interview that Tiger was often reduced to tears because his father, Earl Woods cheated on his mother Kultida.
Yet Tiger ended up falling into the very same trap. He reportedly slept with over 120 different women during his marriage to Elin Nordegren, which subsequently led to their divorce. See Why Tiger Woods Lied to Elin Nordegren about His 121st Affair.
Jesse James is another example of this phenomenon. Jesse said that during his childhood, he was deeply disturbed over his father’s infidelity. Yet Jesse, himself, cheated on Sandra Bullock, by having not one, but several affairs.
Both Tiger Woods and Jesse James were treated for sex addiction. See Signs of a Sex Addict.
It was reported that at the time of his parent’s interviews about their respective affairs, Prince William was highly upset with them for airing their dirty laundry in public.
Could Prince William end up cheating on Princess Kate like Prince Charles cheated on Princess Diana? We certainly hope not; but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Forewarned is Forearmed
Will the royal newlyweds become victims of newlywed infidelity?
Prince William and Princess Kate are very much in love and seem to have given serious thought to the pros and cons of a royal marriage before taking the plunge.
But infidelity can happen to anyone at anytime.
Hopefully, Prince William and his new bride will take into consideration these warnings about newlywed infidelity, and govern themselves accordingly.
________________________________________________________
*** © copyright 2011 Ruth Houston / All Rights Reserved.
Ruth Houston is a New York-based infidelity expert who is frequently called on by the media to comment on high profile infidelity and popular infidelity issues in the news. She is the founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com, the author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, and publishes the Infidelity News and Views blog. To interview infidelity expert Ruth Houston, or have her speak at your next event, call 718 592-6029 or e-mail InfidelityExpert@gmail.com
For related articles, see the list below:
Infidelity Advice for Newlywed Couples
Why Women Cheat vs Why Men Cheat - They Cheat for Different Reasons
Why the Wife is STILL the Last to Know
17 Subtle Signs That Your Marriage or Relationship is About to End
40 Fatal Signs That You’re about to Be Dumped
Happy Husbands Cheat Too, and Even Good Marriages are Susceptible to Infidelity
10 Innocent Actions that Can Lead to Infidelity
How Can I Keep Him From Cheating on Me?
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Relationship for 2011
How Emotional Infidelity Can Progress to Sexual Infidelity
Will You Be the Next Woman to Get Cheated On?
Online Resources to Help You Catch or Monitor a Cheating Mate
FREE Infidelity Tip Sheets for Men and Women with Cheating Mates
For other articles on celebrity infidelity, visit www.CelebrityInfidelity.com
For infidelity advice, visit www.InfidelityAdvice.com
Comments