Royal rumors galore.
Rose Hanbury has come back into the highlight, as rumors swirl around what’s occurring with Prince William and Kate Middleton.
“The dominion has been all aflutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, web sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence could also be related to her husband and the longer term King of England William having an affair,” Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday’s episode of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
What was the comedian talking about?
Middleton, 42, has barely been seen in public since her planned abdominal surgery in January.
Wild conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and the explanation for her long absence have abounded on social media.
Prince William, 41, has ignored questions on his wife’s condition and her recovery from her unspecified medical issue.
Circumstances got more odd when Kensington Palace released a Mother’s Day photo of Middleton smiling alongside her children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
The photo was subsequently recalled by news agencies, who claimed the photo was “manipulated.” A “kill notification” released by AP read, “At closer inspection, it seems that the source has manipulated the image.”
Middleton herself took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to elucidate why the portrait was “manipulated.”
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to precise my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” she wrote.
She ended by saying, “I hope everyone celebrating had a really glad Mother’s Day” — which was Sunday within the UK — and ending casually with “C,” for her first name, Catherine.
Kensington Palace has refused to release the unique unedited photo.
The snapshot was meant to place to bed the speculation about Middleton’s long absence from the general public eye, however it backfired.
“Canceling all plans this afternoon as I’m now down a really deep rabbit hole,” one royal watcher joked on X.
“I’m not generally into conspiracy theories but this Kate Middleton photo has got me feeling like a flat earther,” one other wrote.
As Colbert noted on his show, some speculation about Middleton has concerned Hanbury. Here’s all the things to know.
Who is Rose Hanbury?
Hanbury, 39, is a member of William and Kate’s inner circle. Her connection to the royal family goes back generations, since her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, was of the bridesmaids on the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 1947 wedding.
Since 2009, she’s been married to David Rocksavage, seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley.
The couple live at their family’s Norfolk estate, Houghton Hall, not removed from Anmer Hall (William and Kate’s estate).
The duo have been known to socialize with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
They attended Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral, and likewise attended King Charles III’s coronation in May 2023.
Their 15-year-old son, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, was considered one of the pages of honor on the coronation, together with Prince George.
Along with Oliver, they’ve two other kids: Oliver’s twin, Alexander Hugh, and Iris Marina Aline, who is 8.
Before she married, Hanbury worked as a researcher for Conservative Party Parliament member Michael Gove. She also reportedly used to work as a model.
What is Rose Hanbury’s title?
Hanbury’s official title is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
Cholmondeley is pronounced “Chumley.”
Colbert joked on Monday’s show, “What a lovely name!” and proceeded to pretend to think her name was, “Marching Band of Chicanery.”
What are the allegations?
Rumors in regards to the alleged affair between William and Hanbury, 39, 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,” in accordance with a screenshot shared by Cosmopolitan. The message didn’t specify that the royal was William, but fans drew that conclusion.
Has any royal ever confirmed or denied the rumors?
Hanbury, Middleton and Prince William haven’t spoken publicly in regards to the affair rumors. But, William’s attorney denied it and told the Each day Beast it was “false and highly damaging.”
Omid Scobie touched on the alleged scandal in his latest book in regards to the royals, “Endgame,” and believes that nothing happened between the Prince of Wales and Hanbury.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Scobie said he understands why gossip has spread that William cheated on his wife.
“Unfortunately, if a rumor’s left to sort of do its own thing, it may well run 20 laps around the globe before you even take into consideration what, how you should sort of address it,” the author explained.
“They never addressed it, so those rumors won’t ever go away although there’s no truth to suggest that they’re true,” he added.
Scobie claimed that Kensington Palace feared that the rumors would “impact negatively on William’s status” and alleged that the Firm used Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to divert attention away from the gossip.
The Post has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.