The gossip generated many salacious headlines, leaving some fans wondering whether the Duke of Cambridge and his wife, Kate Middleton, actually had a solid marriage. As many probably already know, the royals are parents to three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
William and Kate married in April 2011, according to Hello Magazine, in what was one of the most highly-anticipated wedding ceremonies for Great Britain at the time. And although it’s unrealistic to expect the royal couple to have no issues at all, they appear strong despite the occasional rumor.
In fact, Life & Style reported in April 2020 that the Duke of Cambridge is supposedly planning a “super special” event for the couple’s ninth wedding anniversary.
Although there appears to be no truth to these rumors, here’s everything we know about the gossip surrounding William and Kate’s once-close friend, Rose Hanbury.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s public legal feud with British newspapers suggests that the media can cause a lot of damage to both a relationship and someone’s personal reputation. The same could possibly be said of the rumor about Prince William and Rose Hanbury, although we’ll leave that one up to the court of public opinion.
Here’s what happened: The rumors about an alleged affair were seemingly spurred by a March 2019 article from The Sun, which discussed the supposed deterioration of the close friendship that once existed between Kate Middleton and her then-best friend, Rose Hanbury.
The article spoke about an alleged conflict between the two women, saying, “It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out. They used to be close but that is not the case anymore.”
Both parties live in Norfolk, according to the outlet. Rose, who is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley (pronounced chum-lee) lives with her husband, David Rocksavage, and their three children, live just three miles away from Kate and Will at their home, Anmer Hall.
The Sun added that William tried to patch up the situation, an effort that had supposedly failed. “Kate has been clear that she doesn’t want to see them anymore and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status,” the source said.
Some assumed the supposed “falling out” involved an alleged affair between Hanbury and Prince William.
Rose Hanbury, born in 1984, is two years younger than Kate Middleton and was a model before she married. According to The Sun, Rose modeled for the agency Storm, the same agency that discovered Kate Moss.
Not only that, but she also worked as a “political researcher for the Conservative MP Michael Gove,” per The Sun.
Rose also comes from an illustrious family, and her “paternal grandmother Lady Rose Lambert was a bridesmaid” at Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1947. Talk about a cool connection.
Rose ended up marrying David Rocksavage, who was once called the most eligible bachelor in England, according to Vanity Fair. Part of the reason for David’s appeal was that he inherited an estate worth £112 million, according to The Sun.
Rose married David and they have twin boys Alexander, Earl of Rocksavage and Oliver, Lord Cholmondeley, as well as a daughter, Lady Iris, who were supposedly playmates with Kate and Will’s children.
Some degree of rumors is to be expected when you’re as famous as Kate Middleton and Prince William. Not only that, but the royal family has been plagued by scandals over the decades, so in a way, the rumors about William and Rose Hanbury are, unfortunately, nothing new.
Speaking about those rumors, a source alleged to the Daily Mail that William “has always had a roving eye.” And in terms of the affair rumors, it has supposedly been very tough on Kate and Will, compelling them to take legal action, as a source claimed to Hollywood Life.
The source claimed, “Kate and William generally ignore these sorts of nasty rumors, but this one has really rocked them, that’s why lawyers are involved. The rumor is so ugly and so false, they couldn’t just ignore it.”
Despite the rumored legal action, Hollywood Life adds that Kate isn’t giving the rumor her attention, “Luckily Kate’s extraordinarily strong, she’s so good at rising above these kinds of things.” The source added that Kate trusts William and believes in the strength of their marriage.