The Rise and Fall of Rose Hanbury: Rumours of an Affair with Prince William

• Rose Hanbury is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, and was once a close friend of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
• Rumours of an affair with Prince William caused a rift between the Marchioness and the royal couple, and she has since been referred to as a “rural rival” to the Duchess of Cambridge.
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix show added fuel to the fire, with claims that Buckingham Palace officials “lied” to protect Prince William and cover up the alleged affair.

British socialite Rose Hanbury has found herself in the media spotlight several times after being linked to rumours of an affair with King Charles’s eldest son, Prince William.

While the rumours were never confirmed, they caused a rift between Rose Hanbury and her close friends, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Here is everything we know about Rose Hanbury and the scandal that rocked the royal family.

Rose is the wife of David George Philip Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and her official title is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. She was a model before marrying David in 2009 and has strong ties back to the royal family through her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, who reportedly served as one of The Queen’s bridesmaids at her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip.

Rose reportedly lives near the Wales’ country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk, which is also the residence of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The Marchioness was considered a close friend to the royal couple until rumours began to swirl in 2019 that her connection to Prince William was more than friendly. It was also claimed that the prince was unfaithful to his wife during her third pregnancy.

Since the rumours surfaced, Rose has been referred to as the “rural rival” to Kate and her husband. The palace and Kate reportedly asked David to remove Rose from his circle of friends. She made headlines again after appearing as a guest at the Queen’s funeral last year in September, where senior royals were also in attendance.

The story took a new turn after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix show, where the Duke claimed that Buckingham Palace officials “lied” to protect his brother, Prince William.

Some speculated whether the Duke meant that his elder brother and Rose’s alleged affair was covered up by palace officials who instead focused on Harry’s then-pregnant wife, Meghan Markle.

There was speculation that Rose had been excluded from royal engagements as a result of the rumours about her and Prince William.

However, that claim has since been debunked as she attended the Queen’s funeral with her husband. While she wasn’t pictured with any members of the royal family, it’s not the first royal engagement she’s been to since the rumours surfaced.

Marca News, citing the UK press, claims that the heir to the throne spent Valentine’s Day with his alleged mistress. The two were reportedly having a romantic dinner together and were spotted