Prince William Affair Rumors Put An Awkward Spin On Kate Middleton's Codename For Couples Vacations

Despite all sorts of speculation that William, Prince of Wales cheated on Catherine, Princess of Wales with their neighbor and friend Rose Hanbury, there is no confirmation that such an affair ever occurred. However, those rumors put a very awkward spin on one of Kate's previous codenames.

According to the book "William and Catherine" by Andrew Morton, while visiting Seychelles in 2007, William and Kate went by the fake names Martin and Rose Middleton as opposed to using their real identities (via People). The trip happened after the couple got back together, since they had a temporary breakup in 2007. It's unclear how they chose those nicknames, but Kate being called Rose is especially ironic.

Morton wrote how that 2007 trip was a success. Marcia Moody, who penned the book "Kate" on the princess, said the same and discussed a decision Kate and William made. Per People, Moody wrote, "For the next few years, they would work and enjoy their lives, knowing that at some point when the time was right, they would be husband and wife."

A little over a decade after going by Martin and Rose Middleton, William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales were first hit with the affair rumors. According to a 2019 article in the Daily Beast, In Touch was the publication that helped the rumors about William and Rose Hanbury, who is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley by marriage, pick up speed — although the rumors were swirling on the down low before then. Courtiers said the account from In Touch "was totally wrong and false" and Kensington Palace wouldn't say anything about it to the Daily Beast about it.

The Daily Beast also reported that the Harbottle & Lewis law firm was hired by the royal family and sent a warning to at least one British outlet that wrote about the rumors. A message from the firm said, "In addition to being false and highly damaging, the publication of false speculation in respect of our clients' private life also constitutes a breach of his privacy pursuant to Article 8 of the European Convention to Human Rights."

Hanbury had her legal team speak up about the affair rumors in March 2024. They also denied the speculated scandal.

The ironic Rose Middleton name isn't the only fake name that Catherine, Princess of Wales used while on trips with William, Prince of Wales. Per People, the "Catherine, the Princess of Wales" book by Robert Jobson said, "Occasionally they checked into hotels, using the names Mr. and Mrs. Smith — which doubtless fooled no one."

Kate has had some cheeky nicknames for William, too. One especially silly one was Baldy, according to an insider for The Sun Online. The outlet reported that Duchess of Dolittle was a nickname William had for Kate, but that it was shortened to DoD.

An insider for the Palace spoke to The Sun Online on the practical application of fake names. They said, "Nicknames for the royals may seem like a bit of fun. But they do sometimes use them to identify one another while not making that information public." The royals could have more secret nicknames that aren't public, but it's not too much of a stretch to assume the name Rose may have been retired.