London: Days after stirring up controversy by posting a digitally altered photograph of her family, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton's life is under public scrutiny again following rumours of an affair between her husband Prince William and her once close friend Lady Rose Hanbury, the wealthy Marchioness of Cholmondeley. These rumours are not exactly new, but they have intensified after Kate's absence due to her abdominal surgery.
Lady Hanbury, is reportedly linked to the British Royal Family as her own affluent family holds a prestigious place in Britain's aristocratic circles. According to Global News, there has been speculation for years that Hanbury is Prince William's alleged mistress, though it has never been proven. The rumours of a romantic relationship between Hanbury and Prince William sparked as early as 2019.
The rumours of the alleged affair were thrust back into the limelight after The Late Show host Stephen Colbert dedicated three minutes of his monologue on Tuesday to the topic, saying he had some "troubling news" about the Royal Family, reported CBS8.
"As we were talking about this show yesterday, the kingdom has been all fluttered by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate's absence may be related to her husband's and the future king of England William having an affair," he said. The host also mentioned that Hanbury is married to one of William's close friends, David Rocksavage.
"So, I think we all know who the alleged other woman is -- say it with me -- The Marchioness of Cholmondeley ... now, there have been rumours of an affair between William and [Hanbury] since 2019. According to tabloids back then when Kate supposed confronted him about he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. 'Haha,' always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating," Colbert further said.
This sent social media buzzing with rumours about a romantic affair between the Prince of Wales and the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. According to some rumours, Prince William is possibly the father of one of Hanbury's three children.
Who is Rose Hanbury?
Hanbury, 39, is a former model and the daughter of Timothy Hanbury and Emma Longman, both designers. The family was connected to the British royals, as Hanbury's maternal grandmother Lady Elizabeth Lambart was one of Queen Elizabeth II's bridesmaids at her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip. She has known Prince William and Kate Middleton for years and their children even attend the same school.
Hanbury is married to David Rocksavage - the surname being taken from his title, the Earl of Rocksavage - the seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley and has three children with him. The couple started dating in 2003 and got married in October 2009. According to CBS8, Hanbury once held the position of researcher for Michael Andrew Gove, a Member of Parliament and current Secretary of State for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities, and now manages her husband's estate.
Their palatial residence Houghton Hall is located near the royal estate Sandringham, which helped in a strong relationship between the two couples after Kate moved in following her 2011 wedding to Prince William. Hanbury and Kate struck a partnership when the latter visited her husband at Sandringham.
Hanbury was also seen sitting next to Prince Harry at a Buckingham Palace state banquet and in 2022 she attended the memorial service for Prince Philip and the funeral for Queen Elizabeth, signifying her close relations with the royals. Her son, Lord Oliver, served as one of the pages at King Charles' coronation.
Rumours of affair
Rumours of an affair between Prince William and Hanbury first surfaced in 2019 after a UK tabloid reported an alleged fallout between Rose and Kate, once close friends, around the time when Kate was seen giving a cold response to William's public displays of affection, sparking speculation of a fight and possible divorce. It was claimed that Hanbury was William's mistress for some time.
The tabloid claimed William cheated on his wife while she was pregnant with her son Prince Louis. Kensington Palace has denied those rumours, and William, Kate and Hanbury have never directly addressed the claims, however, the speculations have not stopped. Last year, Hanbury attended King Charles' coronation but there were no pictures of her with Kate, adding fuel to the fire.
Now, with Kate's months-long absence from public view following her abdominal surgery earlier this year, and a digitally altered photograph of herself with her three children, the rumours have taken a new shape as people noticed she was not wearing her wedding rings i the picture. The photo was retracted and Kate apologised "for any confusion". Rumours about her absence also blew up.
Social media chatter
After Colbert's explosive remarks, social media is buzzing with rumours about a possible rumour between the Prince and Hanbury, discussing every detail. Some of the rumour-mongers claimed William was the actual father of Hanbury's daughter Iris.
Social media influencer Benny James lashed out at Prince William, recalling the harsh opinion towards Meghan Markle and Prince Harry when they forgoed their royal duties and moved away from the family. "Like father, like son. The apple don’t fall far from the tree," he said.
However, some came out in defence of Prince William and said the rumours were part of a coordinated attack to drag his and the royal family's reputation to the mud.
Despite the flurry of speculations, the royal family has remained tight-lipped on the matter and William, Kate and Hanbury have not addressed the rumours publicly, which has only piqued the interest of the public. "Unfortunately, if a rumour's left to kind of do its own thing it can run 20 laps around the world before you even think about what, how you want to kind of address it," said royal expert Omid Scobie.
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