Who is Lady Rose Hanbury?

With the world currently knee-deep in Kate Middleton conspiracy theories, there's one name that keeps popping up: Rose Hanbury.

If that name doesn't ring a bell, then you must not be keeping up with royal gossip, because obviously she is Prince William's mistress and Princess Kate's, er, ex-best friend. Well, at least if British tabloids are anything to go by.

The hashtag, #WhereIsKateMiddleton has been trending on X for weeks, with users questioning the whereabouts of the royal who hasn't been seen since December last year.

Now that mainstream media has picked up on the news, including American late-night host Stephen Colbert, Lady Rose Hanbury has addressed rumours of an affair.

While Kensington Palace is remaining tight-lipped, Rose responded through her lawyers, per Business Insider.

"The rumours are completely false," the statement read.

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Despite what has been said, the rumour mill continues to turn — especially since Colbert addressed William's alleged affair in a comedic monologue earlier this month.

"The kingdom has been all a flutter 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," said the comedian on Tuesday's episode of his show, The Late 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 said, referring to Rose's title.

"Now there have been rumours an affair between William and the Marching Band of Chicanery since 2019," he continued. 

"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."

Rose first made headlines in 2019 when reports emerged that the Princess of Wales had had a "terrible falling out" with one of her closest friends (that close friend being her).

Now that her name is back in the spotlight, it's worth knowing who she is and what her relationship with the Princess of Wales looks like now. Here's what we know.

Who is Rose Hanbury? 

You might feel like you have seen her before and that's only because she has an uncanny resemblance to Princess Kate.

Rose is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley and is married to David who is the Marquess of Cholmondeley.

He is 23 years older than his wife, at 63 years old.

She was once hailed as one of the best-dressed guests at the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales).

Rose was also a model who has connections to the British royal family through her paternal grandmother, Lady Rose Lambert, who was a bridesmaid at the Queen's wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.

She shares two sons with David, 15-year-old twins Alexander and Oliver, and a younger daughter, eight-year-old Lady Iris.

At the coronation, Oliver was one of King Charles III’s Pages of Honour.

Are Rose Hanbury and Princess Kate friends? 

Back in 2011, Rose and the Princess of Wales were thought to be so close that she and their husbands went on double dates with one another.

The couple were also guests at the royal wedding in 2011.

The Sun also reported in 2017 that Rose was seated next to Prince Harry at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Since 2019, Prince William and Rose have been tied to cheating rumours, with reports alleging that the pair spent quite a bit of time with each other behind closed doors.

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Things then went even further downhill when British socialite and food critic Giles Coren tweeted: "Yes. It is an affair. I haven't read the piece but I know about the affair. Everyone knows about the affair, darling."

It was quickly deleted thereafter, but the damage had already been done.

However, the rumours are entirely false according to Rose herself.

Per columnist Richard Kay, both women "have considered legal action but, because none of the reports has been able to offer any evidence about what the so-called dispute is about, they have chosen to ignore it".

Until March 16, neither William, Kate or Rose had addressed the rumours.

Feature Image: Getty.

This article was originally published on May 5, 2023 and has since been updated with new information.