In 2019, Prince William was accused of having an affair with Rose Hanbury, and the rumors gained a resurgence after Stephen Colbert mentioned it on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
As the Prince of Wales focuses on Kate Middleton's recovery, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley is reportedly outraged by the assertion.
“I know people who know the Marchioness of Cholmondeley very, very well, and she absolutely was not having an affair with the Prince of Wales,” True Royalty TV founder Nick Bullen told an outlet.
“Even when those rumors broke a few years ago, she was very upset by them then," Bullen added. "She’s still very upset by them now.”
OK! previoulsy reported Colbert alluded to Hanbury being William's girlfriend by using her formal title in his monologue.
"I’m afraid I’ve got some troubling news about England’s royal family,” Colbert said on the March 12 episode of his late-night 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.”
"I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say it with me, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley,” Colbert continued. “Now there have been rumors of an affair between William and [Hanbury] since 2019. According to tabloids, back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he ‘laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it.’ Aha, always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating."
The Marchioness of Cholmondeley's legal team shut down the claims shortly after the show aired, telling an outlet: “The rumors are completely false."
When articles first alluded to Hanbury and the future king having an extramarital relationship, Kate's friends shared that the headlines were painful.
"Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online,” a source told a publication.
Although the claims were put to rest in 2019, fans began to wonder about the status of the Wales' union when Kate returned to Instagram without her wedding ring on.
“It’s deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace, but it’s not surprising that the affair rumors are being reheated," a source told an outlet. "What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?"
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In Omid Scobie's latest book, Endgame, he explored how the hearsay affected The Crown.
“Unfortunately, if a rumor’s left to kind of do its own thing, it can run 20 laps around the world before you even think about what, how you want to kind of address it,” the writer explained. "They never addressed it, so those rumors will never go away even though there’s no truth to suggest that they are true."
“For legal reasons, there are so many things that one can’t go into but I thought it was really important, even if a rumor is a rumor. And I really don’t see proof that there is more to this than just a tittle-tattle, you know," he continued.
Bullen spoke to Us Weekly.