Rose Hanbury breaks silence on Prince William affair rumors amid Kate Middleton speculation

Celebrities

By Lauren Sarner

A rose by any other name. 

Rose Hanbury has broken her silence about the rumors of an affair with Prince William. 

According to Business Insider, through her lawyers, Hanbury said that “the rumours [sic] are completely false.”

Hanbury, 39, who is a member of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s inner circle, is in the spotlight after Stephen Colbert gave the affair rumors the late-night treatment on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last week. 

“The kingdom has been all aflutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband and the future king of England William having an affair,” Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday’s episode. 

Amid the drama about Middleton’s whereabouts — since the Princess of Wales, 42, has barely been seen in public since her planned abdominal surgery in January — the comedian trolled Prince William’s alleged affair with Hanbury, which has been a rumor since 2019. 

Wild speculations and conspiracy theories about Middleton’s whereabouts and the reason for her long absence have abounded on social media.  

To add fuel to the fire of internet conspiracies, William has ignored questions about his wife’s condition and her recovery from her unspecified medical issue. And then, there was the debacle with their UK Mother’s Day photo of Kate and their three kids, which photo agencies recalled, claiming the photo was “manipulated.” 

Middleton has since been spotted visiting a local farm shop near Windsor Castle.

But, as Colbert said, the rumors have come back around to speculate that Middleton’s absence from the spotlight is connected to her husband’s alleged affair. 

“Oh no, my heart goes out to poor Kate,” Colbert said on his show.

“So, I think we all know who the alleged other woman is. Say it with me –– the Marchioness of Cholmondeley –– what a beautiful name!” he joked, referring to Hanbury’s formal royal title.

Hanbury (whose title is pronounced “Chumley,”), has a connection to the royal family going back generations, since her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, was of the bridesmaids at the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 1947 wedding. 

Since 2009, she’s been married to David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.

The couple live at their family’s Norfolk estate, Houghton Hall, not far from Anmer Hall (William and Kate’s estate). 

The couple are frequently photographed at the same events as William and Kate. Hanbury and her husband attended Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral, and also attended King Charles III’s coronation in May 2023.

Their 15-year-old son, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, was one of the pages of honor at the coronation, along with Prince George.

In addition to Oliver, they have two other kids: Oliver’s twin, Alexander Hugh, and Iris Marina Aline, who is 8. 

“Now there have been rumors of an affair between William and the Marching Band of Chicanery since 2019,” Colbert said. “According to tabloids back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. Always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating.”

Colbert then went into a fake British accent. “’Ha ha, imagine me having an affair! It is to laugh. It reminds me of a jape –– knock, knock, who’s there?’” he said, pretending to be William. “‘Oh, it’s my illegitimate son. I’ve knocked up my mistress.’”

Rumors about the alleged affair between William and Hanbury began in 2019 when In Touch reported the claim.

Hanbury was also rumored to be close friends with Middleton before having an alleged falling out around 2019, but that claim was never verified.

The Instagram gossip account Deuxmoi posted a tip in 2022 that claimed a British royal couple’s “extramarital affair is an open secret,” according to a screenshot shared by Cosmopolitan.

The message didn’t specify that the royal was William, but royal watchers drew that conclusion. 

William’s attorney denied it and told the Daily Beast it was “false and highly damaging.”