The rumors began to spread over a year ago that Prince William, future king of England, had cheated on his wife, Kate Middleton, with one of Middleton’s own friends, Rose Hanbury. Gossip Cop was well aware of the rumor and debunked it from time to time, but the accusations of an affair never died off, even after the royal family’s lawyers released a rare statement. Despite denials straight from the royal family pertaining to these rumors, there are still some who believe that Prince William did in fact cheat on his wife and there’s plenty of evidence they use to back up their claims.
The rumors first started in the early part of 2019. Giles Coren, of The Times Of London, tweeted, then quickly deleted, “Yes, it is an affair. I haven’t read the piece but I know about the affair. Everyone knows about the affair, darling.” The tweet was in regards to the sudden rise of rumors of a connection between Rose Hanbury and Prince William.
Why The Rumor Refused To Die
There were two main factors that made the rumor so appealing and salacious, particularly for tabloids: first of all, Middleton was pregnant with the couple’s third child, Prince Louis. Secondly, Hanbury was made out to be a close friend, if not best friend, of Kate Middleton.
While there are very details about how the supposed affair got started, what we do know is that Hanbury, Middleton, and Prince William have run in similar circles for years. Hanbury is married to David Rocksavage, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, which makes her a Marchioness. As such, she’s often seen at the same events as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Kate Middleton’s “Feud” With Rose Hanbury
All anyone can say for sure about how the rumor got started was that early reports only mentioned a so-called “feud” between Hanbury and Middleton. The Sun was one of the first tabloids to cover the alleged bad blood between the duchess and the Marchioness. According to that report, Middleton told Prince William that it was time to “phase” Hanbury out of their friend group. Since the reason behind the sudden friction between Middleton and Hanbury was left unsaid, tabloids and royal watchers began to fill in the details themselves. This was the jumping off point for the affair rumors to really begin taking off in earnest.
Part of the reason that the rumors spread so easily is due to the actions of Prince William’s father, Prince Charles. It was widely reported that Prince Charles cheated on his then-wife, Princess Diana, with his current wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, during the couple’s fraught marriage. Since his father had engaged in extramarital affairs during his own marriage, it is assumed by some that Prince William is likely to do the same. Such assumptions could be why so many believe it’s possible that Prince William would betray his wife’s trust by carrying on an affair.
There’s little evidence or details of the supposed affair between Rose Hanbury and Prince William. No one knows when the affair began or ended. There’s been no word on how the spouses found out about it, where the affair took place, et cetera. Despite the dozens of sources who spoke out about the supposed affair, none of them provided these simple details. Though plenty of tabloids have claimed that the alleged affair had caused serious damage to Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton, there’s also been no evidence of any tension between husband and wife.
The Truth About The Affair
In reality, where the tabloids refuse to live, it’s obvious that no affair between Rose Hanbury and Prince William took place. Though there’s no shortage of sources willing to talk to the press about Prince William stepping out on his wife, not one of them has any convincing details that prove beyond a reasonable doubt that such an affair took place. Even the details the so-called sources did provide just didn’t add up. Most of the “insiders” who spoke with tabloids claimed that Hanbury and Middleton were close friends and neighbors whose children often played together.
It’s true that Hanbury and her husband do live about three miles away from Prince William, Middleton, and their kids, making them neighbors of a sort to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But the home Hanbury and her family occupy is actually close to Prince William and Middleton’s country home in Sandringham, Norfolk. The family only goes there on breaks and weekends to enjoy the country air. It’s a bit of a stretch to call Hanbury a neighbor in that regard, since the two couples are really only neighbors on holidays.
In that same regard, it’s a bit far fetched to call Middleton and Hanbury “best friends,” or even “close friends.” They have appeared friendly towards each other at social gatherings, but there’s not much evidence that the two are more than acquaintances at best. And while the two women do have the same number of children, it’s unlikely that their kids are terribly close. As we mentioned earlier, Hanbury and her family probably don’t see Middleton’s family all that often since they’re only really neighbors for part of the year. Besides, their children’s ages don’t quite match up.
Prince George, Middleton’s oldest, is 6-years-old, a full four years younger than Hanbury’s twins, Oliver and Alexander, who are 10-years-old. When the boys are older, perhaps the four year age difference won’t seem so wide. But for now, that is quite a gap in age and ability, making it unlikely that the boys would have much in common. Princess Charlotte is close in age to Hanbury’s daughter, Lady Iris, which makes them much more likely playmates.
Prince William Isn’t The Only Victim
In all likelihood, the rumors of an affair between Rose Hanbury and Prince William are totally made up. Attorneys for the royal family even released a statement, which is rare for The Firm, which mostly operates under the creed “don’t complain, don’t explain” when it comes to tabloid rumors. Still, the amount of attention and speculation towards this particular rumor threatened to spiral out of control, and an innocent woman’s reputation was at stake. While Prince William and his wife knew what they were getting into when it came to representing the royal family, Hanbury was under no such obligation. To involve her in rumors of infidelity, by name, was a cruelty too far for the royal family, it would seem.
It’s our opinion here at Gossip Cop that the reason Middleton and Prince William decided to distance themselves slightly from Hanbury was probably to protect her from damaging rumors. Of course, we don’t have any evidence to back up this belief, but the tabloids have even less evidence to support their claims of an affair, so fair’s fair.