IF there have been breakup rumors and speculations among celebrities in the country, there were also affair allegations hounding several well-known personalities in other parts of the world among which carries a royal intrigue.
Case in point: the Kensington Palace in the United Kingdom, the official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The British royal family has been the talk of the town amidst Kate Middleton’s, the Princess of Wales, monthslong absence from royal duties since January following her “planned abdominal surgery” and her latest photo editing controversy that triggered various conspiracy theories about her whereabouts.
Recently, there was another individual linked to the royal family that further made the internet abuzz: Rose Hanbury, the alleged mistress of Kate’s husband William, the Prince of Wales.
Rose’s name once again floated in the international headlines after comedian Stephen Colbert discussed the alleged affair during his monologue in his program, “The Late Show.”
“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 and the future king of England having an affair,” Colbert said.
Here’s what we know about Rose and her connection to the royals.
About Rose
A quick Google search of the name “Rose Hanbury” would lead one internet user to the information that she is known officially as Sarah Rose Cholmondeley, Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
The Sun reported that Rose was born to a website designer named Timothy Hanbury and a fashion designer named Emma Hanbury on March 15, 1984.
She is a former model who pursued a career in politics and worked as a political researcher for Conservative MP Michael Gove.
Rose, 39, is the spouse of David Cholmondeley, the seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley, whom she has been married to since June 2009. They have three kids: twin sons Oliver Timothy George and Alexander Hugh George, and a daughter named Iris Marina Aline.
The family lives in Houghton Hall in Norfolk, which is reportedly three miles away from Anmer Hall, Kate and William’s country home.
Link to royals
Reports said that Rose has long been connected to the royal family, even before she was linked to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, was said to be one of Queen Elizabeth II’s bridesmaids when she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947.
The Instagram page of Houghton Hall also shared a photograph of Rose and Kate attending a charity gala in 2016.
Rose’s son Oliver also served as one of the four Pages of Honour during the coronation of King Charles III last year. Oliver–along with Kate and William’s eldest child, His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache–was responsible for carrying the train of the King’s robes.
Affair rumors
Rose and William first became the subject of affair rumors when a publication reported the claim in 2019.
It was also around that year when Kate reportedly shrugged off her husband’s attempt to put his hand on her shoulder during “A Berry Royal Christmas” special, aired on BBC.
But royal expert Omid Scobie–the author of “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival”–told Entertainment Tonight (ET) in November 2023 that he also didn’t believe the affair allegations, saying that he did not “see proof that there is more to this than just a tittle-tattle.”
While the rumors have not yet been addressed, Scobie said that these “will never go away even though there’s no truth to suggest that they are true.”
Both camps have not yet issued a statement on the affair allegations, as of writing.
