Footage of Beyonce’s sister Solange Knowles viciously attacking her brother-in-law Jay Z in an elevator back in May fuelled reports that all was not well in the power couple’s six year marriage.
And now, a new report suggests that the row may in fact have been about the nature of Jay Z’s relationship with his one-time protégé Rihanna.
A source told New York Post’s Page Six that Solange’s elevator outburst came after she concluded the rapper was planning to meet Rihanna later at a club without wife Beyonce. ‘Solange was like, “Enough is enough – you must be [screwing] Rihanna,”‘ the insider said.
They then added: ‘To many people who know them, they know it’s not out of the realm of possibility.’
Perhaps aware of the rumours, Beyonce ensured she posted an Instagram image showing she and Rihanna posing together after the Met Gala.
Rihanna and Beyonce have long been the subject of a supposed rivalry, with the Crazy In Love singer giving a somewhat cryptic response when asked about the Barbados-born star back in 2011.
‘There is room on this earth for many queens. I have an authentic, God-given talent, drive, and longevity that will always separate me from everyone else,’ she told Complex magazine.
‘I’ve been fortunate to accomplish things that the younger generation of queens dream of accomplishing. I have no desire for anyone else’s throne. I am very comfortable in the throne I’ve been building for the past 15 years.’
Meanwhile, additional sources told the newspaper that it is not a matter of if but how Beyonce and Jay Z will split.
Currently the only time they spend together is on their joint On The Run tour where the newspaper alleges they are travelling with marriage counsellors.
However, with the Bey and Jay brand now big business, the couple have more than their marriage to lose.
‘There’s face-saving involved – they don’t want to be looked at like other celebrities out there,’ the source said. ‘They are business people first, entertainers second. Husband and wife comes somewhere down the line.’
Adding fuel to rumours of a split, recent pictures show Beyonce’s ‘IV’ tattoo on her ring finger – signifying she and her husband’s birth dates and their wedding date – has been lasered off.
The star has also been changing and adding lyrics to songs on tour. On the track Resentment, instead of singing, ‘Been riding with you for six years,’ Beyonce deliberately tweaked the line to, ‘Been riding with you for 12 years,’ the time she and Jay Z have been a couple.
The couple have not commented on rumours surrounding their marriage, but Beyonce has instead posted several images to her Instagram and Tumblr accounts showing the couple looking happy and enjoying days out with their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.
Back in May, Beyonce, Jay Z and Solange sought to play down the elevator incident, where hotel surveillance footage was leaked to TMZ showing Solange screaming and lashing out wildly at her brother-in-law, 44, with both her arms and legs, while her sister stood beside them looking curiously impassive.
In a joint statement, they said: ‘As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it.
‘Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.’
Source: Daily Mail