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Talia Lakritz and Maria Noyen
Updated
- Rose Hanbury is a British noblewoman whose family has been linked to the royals for years.
- She and her husband, David Cholmondeley, are neighbors of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
- Media reports have speculated about Hanbury's ties to William and Kate on and off since 2019.
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Rose Hanbury found herself thrust into the spotlight in March as questions swirled about Kate Middleton's absence from the public eye, which Kate later confirmed was because of her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Hanbury, 40, is a British noblewoman who lives in a stately home close to Kate and Prince William's countryside residence.
She's no stranger to royalty.
Here's a closer look at her aristocratic upbringing, career, relationships, and how Hanbury, who inherited the Marchioness of Cholmondeley title upon marriage, became part of rumors surrounding the Prince and Princess of Wales.
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Rose Hanbury's family has moved in royal circles for generations.
Hanbury's maternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth II's, the Daily Mail reported. She was also a bridesmaid at the Queen's wedding to Prince Phillip in 1947. In the above photo of the wedding party on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, she's the fifth bridesmaid from the left.
The Queen Mother also attended Lambart's wedding to Mark Longman in 1949.
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After graduating from university, Hanbury worked as a model and political researcher.
Hanbury attended the prestigious Stowe boarding school, whose famous alumni include Prince Rainier of Monaco, Richard Branson, and Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Chelsea Davy, Buckinghamshire Live reported.
Hanbury then studied at The Open University, which offers distance learning but is headquartered in Milton Keynes, England.
She signed with Storm Management, the same modeling agency that represented Kate Moss, when she was 23 years old, Tatler reported. She also worked as a researcher for the British member of parliament Michael Gove.
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She's married to David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and they have three children.
Cholmondeley —pronounced "Chumley" — is a lord-in-waiting to King Charles III, attending official functions with the monarch and occasionally representing him at events.
They have three children: Alexander Hugh George, who carries the title Earl of Rocksavage, Lord Oliver Timothy George, and Lady Iris Marina Aline.
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Their son Oliver was a page of honor at Charles' coronation.
Oliver, second from the left in the above photo, helped carry the train of Charles' robe as he processed into Westminster Abbey for the coronation. He also appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside Prince George after the ceremony.
Hanbury and Cholmondeley attended the coronation, as well.
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The couple owns two historic homes, but they primarily live at Houghton Hall in Norfolk.
The couple's real-estate portfolio includes two historic homes in the UK: Cholmondeley Castle, a gothic country house in Cheshire that is Grade II* listed — meaning it's been designated of special interest or national importance — and Houghton Hall, a palladian-style mansion in Norfolk. Parts of both residences are open for public visits on select days.
The Financial Times reported that Cholmondeley inherited Houghton Hall, where he and Hanbury primarily live with their children, in 1990.
Built in the 18th century, the 106-room home is filled with renowned art and artifacts. It's roughly a 10-minute drive from Anmer Hall, a country home that Queen Elizabeth II gave Kate and William after their 2011 wedding. When they aren't in Windsor, the Wales' have been known to spend time there with their children.
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Her charity work includes supporting East Anglia's Children's Hospices, the National Gallery, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
In 2016, Hanbury and Cholmondeley hosted a fundraising gala for EACH at their Houghton Hall home, which William and Kate attended. Hanbury became a patron of EACH in 2018, Cambridge Network reported.
Kate is also a patron of the organization, occasionally visiting on royal engagements.
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She and her husband have been friends with William and Kate for years.
The Cholmondeleys and the Waleses have run in similar circles for years and have even attended many of the same events. Kate and William were photographed being greeted by the Cholmondeleys as they arrived for a charity event hosted at Houghton Hall in 2016.
In 2023, the Daily Mail reported that Kate made an appearance at a music festival at Houghton Hall after attending a dinner hosted by the Cholmondeleys.
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Stephen Colbert mentioned Hanbury on his late-night talk show while discussing Kate's absence from the public eye.
Kate underwent a "planned abdominal surgery" in January, after which Kensington Palace said she would be taking time away from royal duties to recover and would be expected to resume work after Easter.
In the months that followed, the internet was flooded with "Katespiracies," unsupported rumors about Kate's condition and whereabouts.
On March 13, Colbert waded into the ongoing discourse around Kate's absence from the public eye and mentioned Hanbury during his opening monologue on "The Late Show." He referenced unverified rumors from "internet sleuths" that William had an affair with Hanbury.
At the time, Hanbury's lawyers told Business Insider that "the rumors are completely false." Kensington Palace declined to comment.
On March 22, Kate said that she'd been taking time away from the public eye because she has cancer and is undergoing treatment.
William and Kate, who have been together for nearly 13 years, haven't indicated their relationship is in trouble. While discussing Kate's cancer diagnosis on camera in March, the Princess of Wales remarked that having William by her side was "a great source of comfort and reassurance."
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Reports that Prince William had an affair with Rose Hanbury have been quietly deleted from some news websites.
Rumors about a relationship between Hanbury and William have been swirling since at least 2019.
According to the Daily Beast, lawyers representing William issued a firm warning to "at least one British publication" that allegations of any relationship were "false and highly damaging" and that to cover them would be to infringe upon his privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The talk about Hanbury and William ebbed and flowed in the years that followed, sometimes given a wider audience on social media as well as US and UK media publications.
However, a July 2024 Vulture investigation revealed that some UK news outlets have quietly deleted or substantially amended coverage related to the Hanbury-William relationship.
Vulture said it was unclear whether the outlets that erased or edited sentences or stories, including the Daily Mail and The Sun, did so at the request of representatives for William or Hanbury.
The outlets, Kensington Palace, and representatives for Hanbury didn't respond to July 10 requests for comment from BI.
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