Online detectives speculate that Kate Middleton’s absence may be connected to an alleged relationship between her husband, Prince William, and Rose Hanbury. A neighbour of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the former model has been spotted during royal occasions including the coronation of King Charles III
 "Why rumours of Prince William’s affair with Rose Hanbury have resurfaced amid Kate’s absence")
As digitally changed features of Princess Kate’s controversial Mother’s Day portrait control the headlines these days, focus is also being drawn to Kate and William’s close circle, particularly the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
Some online detectives are speculating that Kate’s absence may be connected to an alleged relationship between her husband, Prince William, and Hanbury, as stated by Stephen Colbert in his Tuesday night monologue on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Who is Rose Hanbury?
For many years, Sarah Rose Hanbury — more popularly known as Rose Hanbury — was closely associated with the Prince and Princess of Wales. She was frequently captured on camera during royal occasions such as the coronation of King Charles III, the memorial ceremony for Prince Philip, and the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Rose was born to website designer Timothy Hanbury and fashion designer Emma Hanbury. Her connection to the royal family dates back several generations. Her maternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambert, was one of eight bridesmaids at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh.
After attending the prestigious Buckinghamshire school Stowe, she signed with Storm, the renowned modelling agency that discovered Kate Moss, at the age of 23. In 2005, she was featured in tabloids after being pictured on vacation with Tony Blair and her younger sister, Marina.
The 39-year-old now manages an estate for her husband, David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, after working as a researcher for Conservative MP Michael Gove, according to The Independent.
The pair resides in Houghton Hall, a Grade I-listed historic mansion in Norfolk, with their three children: daughter Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley, age eight, and twins Alexander Hugh George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, and Lord Oliver Timothy George Cholmondeley, both 15 years old.
Their house is very close to Anmer Hall, the home of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
While on vacation in Italy in 2003, Rose Hanbury met David Rocksavage, who was 23 years her senior. Six years later, on the eve of a low-key ceremony at Chelsea Town Hall in 2009, they announced their engagement.
In addition, she works for several nonprofit organisations, such as the East Anglia Children’s Hospice.
She has drawn attention recently for her glitzy attire at royal events, such as the 2017 state dinner at Buckingham Palace where she was seated near to Prince Harry.
Is she dating Prince William?
Over the past few days, tweets about rumours of an alleged affair between William and Rose have been trending.
Thanks to Stephen Colbert bringing it up on his Late Show With Stephen Colbert, it became widely known.
He joked, “The Kingdom has been all a flutter about the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, Williiam, having an affair.”
The affair allegations between William and Hanbury initiated in 2019, with various sources and social media whispers contributing to the narrative, though none have been substantiated.
Regarding official responses, there has been no public acknowledgment or rebuttal from Hanbury, Middleton, or Prince William.
What is the royals’ response?
The claims of an affair between William and Hanbury began in 2019, and while there have been rumours on social media and from other sources, none of them have been verified.
As for official responses, neither Hanbury nor Middleton nor Prince William have made any public acknowledgement or refutation.
A former royal courtier told the Daily Beast that Colbert’s remarks were “deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace, but it’s not surprising that the affair rumors are being reheated. What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?”
What’s the controversy around Kate’s latest image?
On Sunday, Kensington Palace, the home and office of the royal couple, issued a picture, which it claims was taken by Prince William, of his wife Kate, formally known as Catherine, with their three children. The photo shows the Princess of Wales sitting down surrounded by Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Prince George.
Kate has her hands around Charlotte and Louis’ waist, while George is standing behind, wrapping his arms around his mother.
The first official photo of the future queen since her abdominal surgery two months ago was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts with a message from Kate as Britain celebrated Mother’s Day: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months… Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.” She signed with her initial C (for Catherine).
The British royal family was hoping to put to rest the intense speculation around Kate who was last seen in public on Christmas Day. However, now a bigger controversy has erupted as major news agencies have withdrawn the photograph over concerns that it has been manipulated.
The photograph has been retracted by the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP), and Getty Images.
AP was the first to pull the image as it “did not meet” the agency’s photo standards. It also noted an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”.
When AP determined the photo appeared to have been manipulated, it issued what is known as a “photo kill,” an industry term that retracted the image and instructed clients to remove the photo from their systems. “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” AP said in its advisory. “No replacement photo will be sent.”
