Is Prince William’s Alleged Mistress Rose Hanbury Divorced? Inside Her Marriage to David Cholmondeley

Rose Hanbury was once a close personal friend of Kate Middleton — living only blocks away from each other — however, she gained notoriety in 2019 after she was believed to be Prince William’s alleged mistress. Gaining her title of Marchioness of Cholmondeley through her marriage to David Cholmondeley, royal fans are curious if she’s divorced her husband amid the controversy.

Who Is Rose Hanbury Married To?

Rose married David, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, in 2009. That same year, the pair welcomed twins Earl of Rocksavage Alexander Hugh George and Lord Oliver Timothy George in October. The duo later welcomed baby No. 3, Lady Iris Marina Aline, in March 2016.

Is Rose Hanbury Divorced?

While rumors have swirled about a possible separation, Rose is not currently divorced from her husband.

Why Was Rose Hanbury Rumored to Have Had an Affair With Prince William?

Rumblings of a possible affair between Rose and William first circulated in 2019. Around the same time, Kate and William allegedly had a falling out with Rose but the rumored affair was never verified.

The buzz surrounding the affair reignited in 2022 when gossip account Deux Moi posted a tip from an anonymous source claiming that an unnamed royal’s infidelity was common knowledge to those in the inner circle.

“This British royal’s extramarital affair is an open secret in London and amongst the English artisto set and is the talk of every party and news desk [sic],” the message read. “At a recent media party, I was told the real reason for the affair was the royal’s love of pegging, which the wife is far too old fashioned to engage in.”

According to the gossip site, the unnamed royal family member’s wife allegedly “doesn’t mind” the affair and “prefers her husband getting his sexual needs fulfilled elsewhere as long as things don’t become emotional, which was the cast with the last woman.”

In the past, the Prince of Wales’ brother, Prince Harry, had seemingly alluded to the palace’s efforts in keeping William’s reputation intact. Not addressing the infidelity rumors directly, Harry said as part of his December 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan that the palace was willing to tear other members of the royal family down to boost the future king's image.

“They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,” Harry said, with his wife, Meghan Markle, claiming that she “wasn’t being thrown to the wolves, I was being fed to the wolves” in response to the media coverage they received while in the United Kingdom. Harry didn’t specifically allude to the infidelity rumors, but the comment left many watchers on edge.

In addition, royal biographer Omid Scobie detailed in his 2023 book, Endgame, that Kensington Palace allegedly “pulled out all the stops” to bury the story that William had an affair with Rose, even going as far as offering The Sun additional royal stories “in exchange for standing down on the rumors.”

However, Rose has denied the cheating allegations, with her lawyers telling Business Insider in March 2024, "The rumors are completely false."