Lady Rose Hanbury denies having an affair with Kate Middleton’s husband, Prince William.
In a statement made to Business Insider via her lawyers, Hanbury, 40, who married David Cholmondeley, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, 63, called the rumors “completely false.” On the other hand, Kensington Palace declined to comment to the publication.
According to The Cut, Hanbury, a former model, had been subject to rumors in British tabloids regarding an alleged affair with Prince William since 2019. Hanbury and her husband Cholmondeley reportedly live just four miles away from Will and Kate’s country retreat, Anmer Hall. Reports that Kate and Rose had a falling out eventually surfaced but were refuted by royal sources.
Fast forward to 2024, Hanbury has been caught up in the middle of the “Katespiracy,” a term coined by users on X (formerly known as Twitter) to discuss the conspiracy theories behind Middleton’s disappearance from the public eye since December of 2023.
Kensington Palace issued a statement on Jan. 17 announcing that she had successfully undergone a planned abdominal surgery and would remain in the hospital for up to fourteen days to recover. The statement also mentioned that Middleton wouldn’t return to public duties until after Easter.
It didn’t help when major news outlets, including Getty Images, Reuters, and the Associated Press, removed an image of Middleton with her three children from circulation over suspected “manipulation.”
Last week, Middleton revealed that she edited the photo herself through a statement through her social media.
Middleton’s disappearance combined with her photo-editing scandal led some people to believe that a “soft launch” for Hanbury and William’s relationship was beginning.
Stars are beginning to join in on the “Katespiracy,” including Stephen Colbert who discussed it on The Late Show last week and Kim Kardashian who jokingly wrote on Instagram that she was “on [her] way to go find Kate.”
