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Who is Prince William’s alleged ‘mistress’, Rose Hanbury? The former model was signed to the same agency as Kate Moss, posed in a bikini with ex-PM Tony Blair, and went to William and Kate’s wedding

Prince William allegedly had an affair with Rose Hanbury – although there is no concrete evidence to suggest so. Photos: AP, WireImage
Royal expert Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival details the alleged affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury.
 

A very sensitive subject within the royal family, the rumours first surfaced back in 2019, after a British tabloid published the news around the speculation. According to Entertainment Tonight, Hanbury was a very close friend of William’s wife, Kate Middleton, and they have since been engaged in a rumoured “fallout” in recent years.

Rose Hanbury attends the launch party for the label Tsubi in The Shop at Bluebird, in 2006, in London, England. Photo: Getty Images

But Scobie has been cautious with how he’s approached the topic, acknowledging that they are merely “allegations”. “I was very careful in the book to really focus on this, as the allegations against William, Kate’s and their fallout with Rose Hanbury,” he told ET. “For legal reasons, there are so many things that one can’t go into, but I thought it was really important, even if a rumour is a rumour. And I really don’t see proof that there is more to this than just a tittle-tattle, you know.

 

“They never addressed it, so those rumours will never go away, even though there’s no truth to suggest that they are true,” he added in his interview.

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So, who is Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, exactly? Here’s what we know.

Rose Hanbury is a former model

Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley, attends a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in March 2022, in London, England. Photo: Indigo/Getty Images
According to Town & Country magazine, Hanbury is a former model who was signed with Storm Management, the same agency that discovered Kate Moss. It also counts royals like the Spencer twins, Lady Amelia Windsor and Lady Eliza Spencer, on its roster.

She was a researcher for Conservative Party Parliament member Michael Gove

 

Hanbury has also dabbled in politics, according to Harper’s Bazaar. She reportedly had a gig as a researcher for Conservative Party Parliament member Michael Gove. However, that wasn’t the first time she’d brushed shoulders with a politician. In 2005, she was photographed a bikini with her sister Marina, posing next to Tony Blair, who was the British prime minister at the time, per Marca.

She has links to the royal family

Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley departs Westminster Abbey after the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla on May 6, in London, England. Photo: WireImage

Born into British nobility, Hanbury has several links to the royal family. Perhaps most notably, her grandmother was a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth’s wedding. Per Harper’s Bazaar, her maternal grandmother Lady Elizabeth Lambart was one of the bridesmaids at then-Princess Elizabeth’s 1947 wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Express states that Lambart and the queen remained good friends until the former’s death in 2016.

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When did Rose Hanbury get married?

 
Hanbury got married to David Rocksavage, the seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley, in June 2009, per Marca. Rocksavage is 23 years her senior and the couple share three children: twins Alexander and Oliver, who were born the year that they got married, and daughter Iris, who was born in 2016. According to Town & Country, they now live in Houghton Hall in Norfolk, making them neighbours to Will and Kate’s Anmer Hall residence.

She attends plenty of royal events

Sasha Volkova, Rose Hanbury and Katie Readman attend the Leon Max Winter dinner and dance for “Too Many Women” in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer at Claridges Hotel in 2011, in London, England. Photo: Getty Images
The Stowe School alum has been invited to numerous high profile royal events over the years, from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding in 2011, to the banquet in honour of then-President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK in 2019. She was also snapped at King Charles’ coronation earlier this year.

The affair allegations, explained

Rose Hanbury attends the opening of Pantalon Chameleon store at the Duke of York Square in Chelsea in 2003, in London. Photo: Getty Images

In Scobie’s book, the royal expert stated that Will and Kate supposedly distanced themselves from their former friend Rose since the rumours first came to light in 2019. Because the couple didn’t address the rumours, they haven’t died down.

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The speculation started swirling again in 2022 when celebrity gossip X (formerly Twitter) account Deuxmoi made a rather, erm, interesting post that fans assumed was about Prince William, per New York Post.

Royalty
  • Omid Scobie’s new book, Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, covers the controversial alleged affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury
  • While there is no concrete evidence to suggest the future king of England did the supposed deed, fans haven’t let the rumours die down – so who is she exactly and what are her links to the royals?