Omid Scobie Was ‘Careful’ About Addressing Prince William Affair Rumors in New Book
Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton have distanced themselves from former friend Rose Hanbury since affair rumors surfaced in 2019, according to royal expert Omid Scobie’s new tell-all.
Nearly four years before Scobie, 42, released Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival, William, 41, was accused of cheating on Kate, also 41, with Hanbury, 39, who is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Neither William, Kate nor Hanbury — who is married to David Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley — ever addressed the rumors.
The alleged scandal was brought back into the spotlight after Endgame hit shelves on Tuesday, November 28, but Scobie isn’t convinced there’s any truth to the speculation. Instead, he wanted to dig deeper into the trio’s strained friendship.
“I was very careful in the book to really focus on this, as the allegations against William, Kate's and their fallout with Rose Hanbury,” Scobie told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on Thursday, November 30. “For legal reasons, there are so many things that one can't go into.”
Prince William and Princess Kate’s Relationship Timeline
He added: “But, I thought it was really important [to mention], 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.”
Scobie further pointed out that because William and Kate “never addressed it” themselves, the rumors will likely “never go away.” He added, “There's no truth to suggest that they are true.”
Hanbury was a longtime friend of William and Kate, even attending their 2011 wedding. Two years after the cheating allegations were brought to light, Hanbury was spotted at Prince Philip’s 2021 memorial service. Hanbury’s 13-year-old son, Lord Oliver, also served as a page of honor at the coronation of William’s father, King Charles III, in May. (Oliver joined William and Kate’s eldest child, Prince George, as one of the four pages.)
When William’s rumored infidelity first came to light, a source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2019 that the speculation inspired William and Kate to work on their marriage.
“It forced her and William to sit back and examine their relationship, which they realized they should have been doing more often,” the source exclusively told Us of the couple, who share sons Prince George, 10, and Prince Louis, 5, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 8.
Scobie also spoke with several close friends of William while researching for Endgame who further reiterated that the drama made the pair stronger as a unit. According to Scobie’s book, William and Kate have a true “partnership” and a “lifetime commitment.”
Ahead of the book’s release, a second source exclusively told Us that the married couple are “more in sync than ever,” adding, “They cherish what they have with each other. For them, family comes first, and it always will.”
Per the insider, William and Kate have leaned on each other in light of various challenges, including Queen Elizabeth II’s death and their estrangement from his brother, Prince Harry. “William tells anyone who will listen that he couldn’t do it without Kate, and she echoes that right back,” the source noted.
