Royal Fans' Nickname For Rose Hanbury Cuts Deep Amid Prince William Affair Rumors

The royal family has been firmly back in the headlines recently — and with them Rose Hanbury. Unfortunately for The Firm, all eyes are on Hanbury amid Kate Middleton's PR nightmare, with the chatter surrounding them reigniting the long-running (but never officially proven) royal affair rumor claiming that William, Prince of Wales, may have gotten a little too close to Catherine, Princess of Wales', former best friend. 

The latest round of speculation began after Middleton announced in January that she was taking some time away from her royal duties to recover from abdominal surgery. Things didn't quite add up with how much time Middleton was expected to be away for though, and it only got more bizarre from there. First, a TMZ photo showed the princess supposedly taking a drive with her mom, which had fans asking questions. 

Then there was that instantly notorious family photo of Middleton and her kids. One major thing royal watchers noticed in the snap, aside from all the editing errors, was that she wasn't wearing her wedding ring. That's where Hanbury comes in, as fans wondered whether the princess was sending the world a message by going ring-free, which resulted in a pretty brutal nickname for William's rumored mistress: Camilla 2.0.

Social media users haven't let up on the Rose Hanbury rumors to the extent that they've even dubbed her "Camilla 2.0." Referring to a profile on Hanbury published by The Independent on March 10, 2024, one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, called her, "The mistress [...] Camilla 2.0." Another commenter chimed in, writing, "Royals busy soft launching Camilla 2.0." A third person referred to Kate Middleton's much-discussed step away from the spotlight and the conspiracy theories swirling around it by asserting, "They're going to replace her with Rose Hanbury Camilla 2.0."

It's safe to say the nickname isn't exactly a compliment. It is, of course, a reference to King Charles III's now wife, Queen Camilla, as the two famously had an affair during Charles' marriage to the late Princess Diana. Their close relationship was quite the headline-generating scandal at the time, with Diana famously remarking, "I remember saying to my husband, 'Why is this lady around?; He said, 'I refuse to be the Prince of Wales that never had a mistress'" in the documentary "Diana: In Her Own Words" (via The Mirror). 

Prince William has never publicly confirmed nor denied an affair with Hanbury, and, as noted by royal expert Omid Scobie, that may well be why the rumor has become so rampant. "They never addressed it, so those rumors will never go away even though there's no truth to suggest that they are true," he argued in an interview with ET.

As the Rose Hanbury rumors gain traction once again, it's not just social media sleuths who are theorizing about whether the royals' recent odd behavior may have something to do with her. In fact, even Stephen Colbert brought attention to the conjecture during the March 12, 2024, episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." He reasoned, "I think we all know who the alleged other woman is," referring to Hanbury by her official title, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Colbert continued, "Now there have been rumors of an affair between William and [The Marchioness of Cholmondeley] since 2019," before detailing past tabloid reports about their alleged relationship. 

But as the entire world spills the tea, there's some support out there for Hanbury, who's notably been thrust into the spotlight without hard proof of any wrongdoing. "Now don't all come for Rose Hanbury. If the rumors are true, then #PrinceWilliamEXPOSED is the one who wronged Princess of Wales," one X user pointed out, while another argued, "Forget Kate for a second, let's talk about Rose Hanbury. She's being dragged through the mud. She's got kids who will probably be teased about this. She's not a public figure, at least not one who has a palace standing behind her." Whatever is really going on, it's safe to say the rumor mill won't be slowing down anytime soon.