8 Signs Rose Hanbury Has A Good Relationship With The Royal Family
They may be the royal family's golden couple, but Prince William and Princess Catherine have been plagued by numerous controversies throughout the years. The most scandalous is the unfounded claim that William cheated on Catherine with her friend, Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Though Rose Hanbury isn't the first woman Prince William is accused of cheating on Princess Catherine with, she is the most notable.
The rumors first surfaced in 2019, when various tabloids reported the Princess of Wales and Hanbury — dubbed Catherine's rural rival by the Daily Mail – had a major falling out. The two women were supposedly vying for the attention of William, and indeed, the crown. "William wants to play peacemaker so the two couples can remain friends, given they live so close to each other and share many mutual friends," a source told The Sun. "But Kate has been clear that she doesn't want to see them any more and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status." However, such claims are highly suspect, as Hanbury has been anything but shunned by the royal family.
The marchioness, a former model and political researcher, comes from a highly-connected aristocratic family with close ties to the crown. For instance, her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Longman, was a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth II's wedding, and her husband was the queen's Lord Great Chamberlain for over 30 years. Far from an enemy of the crown, here are signs Rose Hanbury has a good relationship with the royals.
Rose Hanbury attended the Buckingham Palace state banquet
In 2017, Buckingham Palace hosted King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. Amid the royals and dignitaries in attendance, the state banquet had a surprising guest: Rose Hanbury. The Marchioness of Cholmondeley was seated next to Prince Harry for the prestigious occasion.
Two years later, Hanbury was also present at the Buckingham Palace state banquet hosting then-U.S. President Donald Trump. Her appearance came amid explosive reports that Prince William had been having an affair with Hanbury, who in turn, had a falling out with pal Princess Catherine. The reports were published just months before the banquet. According to The Daily Beast, William's lawyers tried to suppress the story from the British press. "If the stories of Kate freezing Rose out are true, then whatever caused the falling out must have been very serious," said The Sun's former royal editor, Duncan Larcombe.
On X, formerly Twitter, Ellie Hall, royal reporter for the now-defunct BuzzFeed News, criticized folks for unduly speculating Hanbury's presence at the banquet. "Ever since I tweeted about Lady Rose Cholmondeley née Hanbury and her presence at the State Banquet last night, my @ s have been full of rampant speculation and unfounded assertions (much of it mean-spirited on all sides)," Hall wrote. "I prefer facts." Indeed, if the affair rumors were true, it's unlikely that Hanbury would have been invited to the 2019 state banquet. Her presence indicated a positive relationship with the royal family.
Princess Catherine's sister named her daughter Rose
Prince William and Rose Hanbury's relationship may not be as shady as people think. In June 2022, Princess Catherine's sister, Pippa Middleton, welcomed a daughter, whom she named Rose. Somewhat inevitably, social media was buzzing following the baby's name reveal, with folks accusing Pippa of betraying her sister. "Not Catherine's sister Pippa Middleton naming her daughter after Prince William's affair Rose Hanbury," tweeted one user. The notion that Pippa trolled her sister by naming her baby after William's supposed mistress is an incredibly far-fetched prospect, not to mention the sort of thing we'd expect to see in a daytime soap — or a plot in the royal parody "The Windsors." In actuality, Rose is a common baby name in the U.K., and it's also the flower of Pippa's daughter's birth month.
Since Pippa named her daughter Rose, it's unlikely that Catherine and Rose Hanbury are on bad terms. Moreover, following Rose's birth, sources told Us Weekly that Catherine was overjoyed for her sister, and had already met the little one. Catherine and William also attended the baby's christening the following March, suggesting there was no bad blood between the sisters, and by extension, the Princess of Wales and Hanbury.
Rose Hanbury attended King Charles III's coronation
Exemplifying her close connections and good relationship with the royal family, Rose Hanbury attended the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. Her appearance at the event appeared to once and for all quell ongoing allegations of a rivalry between Hanbury and Princess Catherine. "There has never been any enmity between Kate and Rose," an insider told The Daily Beast. "The rumors were all a load of rubbish. The family are ancient allies of the Crown and they will be there."
Hanbury attended the ceremony in a chic, understated white dress and black Aquazzura heels. The outfit drew comparisons with Catherine, who had previously worn the same shoes and a very similar dress. However, it's unlikely that Hanbury was copying Catherine. The Princess of Wales is, after all, hardly the first person to wear a white dress and designer heels to a royal event. Indeed, Meghan Markle also wore those very same shoes and a white dress back in 2018.
Rose Hanbury's son was a Page of Honour at the king's coronation
Rose Hanbury and her husband David Rocksavage, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, have three children together: twins Alexander Hugh George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, and Lord Oliver Timothy George Cholmondeley, and daughter Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley. Oliver served as a Page of Honour at King Charles III's coronation. Pages of Honour play a pivotal role in the coronation, tasked with holding the ceremonial robes of the king and queen. The youngster undoubtedly wouldn't have been given this prestigious role if his mom had bad blood with the royal family. Moreover, the esteemed role was previously fulfilled by Oliver's dad, who served as a Page of Honour for Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.
Oliver joined Prince George as a page, and the pair were photographed laughing together, appearing to get along swimmingly. Along with the other pages, Oliver also featured in an official photograph of the king and queen.
King Charles III gave Rose Hanbury's husband a prominent royal role
In addition to hailing from an aristocratic family, Rose Hanbury married into royal blood. Her husband, David Rocksavage, Marquess of Cholmondeley, held the role of Lord Great Chamberlain from 1990 until the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. The role required him to accompany Her Majesty to the State Opening of Parliament, though upon her death, he was replaced by Rupert Carington in line with royal tradition. "David always knew he would not have the job for life," an insider told the Daily Mail. "It was an honor to carry it out for as long as he did."
Following the queen's death, Rocksavage was appointed Lord-in-Waiting by King Charles III. The role requires Rocksavage to work closely with the king, attending royal events and ceremonies and serving as a representative on behalf of the monarch.
The marquess' esteemed role is a testament to his and his wife's close relationship with the royal family. It has been noted that, since Rocksavage is over a decade younger than King Charles, he will likely also serve again as Lord Great Chamberlain to Prince William when he is king. Such a direct role to both William and Catherine undoubtedly signals a good relationship with the couple, regardless of the scandal that has engulfed the quartet.
Princess Catherine attended a music festival with Rose Hanbury in 2023
In August 2023, Princess Catherine was invited to attend Houghton Festival, the U.K.'s only 24-hour music festival, with Rose Hanbury. If one is envisaging Catherine wearing wellies and getting grubby in the mud, they'd be mistaken. Glastonbury this was not, with the festival being held on the grounds of the Cholmondeleys' expansive Norfolk home.
Catherine reportedly headed to the festival with Hanbury and her husband after having dinner at the noble couple's stately home. "After dinner, one of the guests suggested that Catherine go to the festival," an insider told the Daily Mail. "Catherine was nervous about the idea, but, after much discussion with her protection officers, she went with lots of security. William wasn't there."
The princess reportedly enjoyed fine dining at the festival, and her party left staff a whopping £700 (around $889) tip. This was supposedly Catherine's first music festival, and the fact that Hanbury was able to convince the then-41-year-old mom to let her hair down and release her inner raver is evidence of the pair's good relationship.
Rose Hanbury reportedly offered Princess Catherine well wishes when she was hospitalized
Proof that Prince William can't escape affair rumors, Princess Catherine's absence from public life at the start of 2024 resulted in the return of a familiar name: Rose Hanbury. Stephen Colbert joked about William supposedly having an affair with Hanbury on his eponymous late show. "Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate's absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, William, having an affair," Colbert said, per the New York Post. "I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say it with me, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley." Following the remarks, Hanbury sent Colbert a legal notice and publicly denied the affair for the first time. "The rumor appears to have entered into the mainstream media recently as a result of another joke made about it on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' We have written on our client's behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false," Hanbury's lawyers told In Touch.
Following various outlandish conspiracy theories regarding Princess Catherine's disappearance, she revealed in March 2024 that she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. Amid the drama instigated by "where's Kate?" conspiracies, Hanbury reportedly offered Catherine her well wishes following her hospitalization. According to an insider, "The Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, David and Rose, have sent their prayers and love to the Princess amid her health worries" (via The News International).
Rose Hanbury attended a royal event with Queen Camilla
Throughout the years, Rose Hanbury has been present at various exclusive events, and in May 2024, she attended the Badminton Horse Trials with Camilla, Queen Consort. Further proof of her good relationship with the royal family, Hanbury was seen curtseying to Camilla. Following her appearance at the event, there were reports that the marchioness has developed a close relationship with the queen consort.
Interestingly, Prince Harry alleged in his memoir, "Spare," that it was King Charles III and Camilla's reps who fed stories of Prince William's supposed affair to the press. Such allegations paint Hanbury's closeness with the queen in a more sinister light. "Towards the end of April 2019 ... Willy rang ... He was seething actually," Harry wrote. "I gathered that Pa and Camilla's people had planted a story or stories about him and Kate, and the kids, and he wasn't going to take it anymore. Give Pa and Camilla an inch, he said, they take a mile." The timeline Harry gives lines up with the date the initial story about William and Hanbury's supposed affair first broke. However, the cheating claims were damaging for both William and Hanbury. Therefore, it's difficult to reconcile Harry's claims with the marchioness' reported bond with the queen consort.