Beyonce’s seventh album Renaissance has dropped, and fans will undoubtedly be scouring through the lyrics looking for insights into the mega-popstar’s private life.
The former Destiny’s Child star is not prone to speaking about her family life, but both her and rapper husband Jay-Z leave the odd hint into what has been going on behind closed doors.
Fans - know as the BeyHive - have been even more detective-like ever since rumours started swirling in 2014 that Jay-Z had cheated on his wife.
With new record Renaissance on shelves and available to stream on digital platforms, we look back at the A-list couple’s relationship since those reports first surfaced.
Did Jay-Z cheat on Beyonce?
The pair have hinted in their lyrics that there may have been infidelity in their marriage, and Jay-Z appeared to all but confirm that he cheated on his spouse in an interview in 2017.
Here is the timeline from the moment the family tension over the alleged infidelity broke out in public.
2014
Rumours had surfaced in some sections of the media earlier in the preceding year that Jay-Z might have had an affair.
But it was after the huge Hollywood Met Gala on May 7 that footage emerged of Beyonce ’s sister, Solange Knowles, lashing out at Jay-Z in a lift during the after party.
That intensified talk that Solange, now 36, had been attacking her brother-in-law because of his alleged cheating.
The video led to the family publishing a statement, saying: “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… have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.”
In a verse for the remix of her song Flawless, Beyonce seemed to reference the incident with the line: "Of course sometimes s*** go down when there's a billion dollars in an elevator."
In June, Beyonce and Jay-Z hit the road for their joint On the Run Tour but continued to be dogged by reports of their marriage being on the rocks.
A month later those rumours swirled even harder, with talk even of a divorce being on the cards.
“They are trying to figure out a way to split without divorcing,” a source told the New York Post’s Page Six.
The song Ring Off helped to fuel such chat with its lyrics: “So tired of the lies and trying, fighting, crying. Took that ring off.”
But the song was later said to have been about her own parents’ relationship.
2015
Jay-Z posted an Instagram video of the couple’s wedding, which took place in 2008, for the couple's anniversary, according to People Magazine.
It is no longer viewable, however, as the 99 Problems singer has deleted his account.
2016
In a sign that Beyonce might have used her music as a cathartic outlet, she released her album Lemonade, with the songs and videos centred around adultery and forgiveness.
Many fans and critics read into it that the 40-year-old artist was confirming that Jay-Z had been unfaithful.
The song Sorry referenced “Becky with the good hair”, leading to endless theories about who the potential mystery woman might be.
In May that year, the Crazy In Love singer attended the Met Gala - the scene of the infamous family row - alone, setting tongues wagging.
However, they were regularly seen together in the autumn at rallies campaigning for Hilary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, and performed together on Beyonce’s Formation tour.
2017
In February, Beyonce announced that she and Jay-Z were expecting twins.
The Instagram moment broke the record for most “liked” photo in the social network's history.
Rumi and Sir were born in June, although the news was not announced until the following month.
During the month of the twins' birth, Jay-Z released his album 4:44 which appeared to address the so-called marital problems that Beyonce had indicated existed on Lemonade.
He wrote: "Look, I apologize/Often womanize/Took for my child to be born to see through a woman's eyes."
In November, Jay-Z appeared to confirm his wayward dalliance outside of his marriage.
The 52-year-old told the New York Times in an intimate interview: “The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone’s face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself.”
Jay-Z said his emotional difficulties stemmed from his childhood, saying: "Even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can't connect. In my case, like, it's deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity."
2018
Mrs and Mrs Carter hit the road again, announcing their On the Run II tour, kicking off things in Wales in June.
That same month they released a joint album together called Everything Is Love, having first announced its existence during a show in London.
2019
Music royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z met British royals at the premiere of the Lion King live-action film, brushing shoulders with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Beyonce voiced the character Nala in the re-make.
2020
Bey debuted her second visual album, Black Is King. The film featured cameos by both her husband and their three children.
2021
The power couple starred in a viral ad for Tiffany and Co.
2022
The LP Renaissance was announced on Instagram, with the album’s first single Break My Soul being released on June 20.
