Royal proximity
From model to Marchioness, Rose Hanbury has been connected to the crown her whole life—unfortunately, not always in a good way. Rose Hanbury’s family has had close ties to the royal family for decades.
As per the Daily Mail, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley’s maternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambert, had been a close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II ever since they were children.
Lambert was even one of Queen Elizabeth’s bridesmaids during her wedding to Prince Phillip in 1947, one of 2 non-royals to be a part of such a prestigious event. Hanbury’s ascension to Marchioness was undoubtedly helped by her strong connections to the royal family, which extend to her great-grandfather.
The Marchioness’ maternal great-grandfather, known by his title as the 10th Earl of Cavan, was also reportedly good friends with King George VI. This only solidified Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with Lambert, paving the way for Hanbury to be in such proximity to the Crown.
Lambert ended up marrying publisher Mark Longman, with none other than the Queen in attendance at their wedding day. It’s safe to say that without the strong connections to the British monarchy, Hanbury would have a tough time climbing the ladder to noble status. After all, it’s not every day one runs into a Marquess at any old English pub.
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Model to Marchioness
How exactly does one go from model to Marchioness? Just ask Rose Hanbury, who worked at the same modeling agency as the legendary Kate Moss while she was in her twenties.
Hanbury first got her education at Stowe boarding school, one of England’s most prestigious schools.
After graduating from Stowe, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley went on to have a fairly normal college experience, electing to study at The Open University, the largest public research university in the U.K.
After getting her undergraduate degree, Hanbury went on to become a model when she was 23 years old. She went on to sign with Storm Models but not much is known about her former modeling career.
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Politics in Parliament
After her stint in modeling, Rose Hanbury shifted gears to work in politics. While it’s unknown what the Marchioness studied at university, reports suggest that she may have pursued a degree in politics, which would make sense given her desire to work in the field.
While the timeline of her work in Parliament isn’t clear, Hanbury worked as a political researcher in Westminster for Michael Gove, one of the conservative members of Parliament.
As per HuffPost, she worked for Gove for 6 months before leaving her post in 2009. At the time, Hanbury was reportedly dealing with bouts of morning sickness due to her pregnancy with twins.
While Hanbury seems to have left her political career in the past, she was spotted at the state dinner in 2019, which welcomed former President Donald Trump.
She was seen walking with Michael Gove’s wife, journalist Sarah Vine, at the event, which some believe may be a sign that she has continued to remain close to the couple, or has her own set of conservative beliefs.
Rose Hanbury met her future husband, David Cholmondeley, when she was just a teenager. According to SheKnows, the 2 met while vacationing in Italy in 2003.
At the time, Hanbury was just 19 years old, 23 years younger than Cholmondeley.
Cholmondeley has a long history with the royal family after being born into a wealthy British family, and he was appointed as a permanent Lord-in-Waiting to King Charles III following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
According to Vanity Fair, Hanbury and Cholmondeley’s pairing caused quite a stir in England, especially when the 2 announced their engagement in 2009.
At the time, Hanbury was already pregnant with twins, and the 2 quickly tied the knot days later at Chelsea Town Hall.
The couple moved into Houghton Hall after their wedding, a sprawling mansion in Norfolk, England, just a few miles from Kate Middleton and Prince William’s vacation home.
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Affair rumors
Rose Hanbury had a bit of a thorn in her side when she became the center of rumors regarding an alleged affair between her and Prince William.
The gossip began in 2019 after several reports claimed that William may have been stepping out on Middleton with his Norfolk neighbor.
While Hanbury and her husband had been friends with the royal couple for years, a source told In Touch, “Kate sees their friendship in an entirely different light now. [The controversy] has rocked the palace and their marriage.”
Hanbury remained quiet over the scandal at the time, but a source for Kensington Palace quickly denied there being any romantic relationship between Prince William and the Marchioness.
Speculation of the alleged affair came after Hanbury and Middleton had already been pitted against each other, with The Sun running a story in March of 2019 that the 2 had had a falling out, dubbing Hanbury the “rural rival.”
Despite the rumors being shut down quickly by those close to the Crown, suspicion had already crept in about Middleton and Prince William’s marriage.
An insider told Us Weekly at the time, “Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online.”
Conspiracy theories
Before Kate Middleton publicly announced she had cancer, dozens of conspiracy theories flooded the internet.
One of which is a resurfacing of Rose Hanbury’s alleged affair with Prince William, which led the Marchioness to make a statement over the ordeal.
The controversy was ignited again when Stephen Colbert mentioned Hanbury in the opening monologue of “The Late Show” in March of 2024, saying, “The Kingdom has been all aflutter about the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton.” “Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband and future king of England, William, having an affair.”
While Kensington Palace didn’t respond to requests for comment over the rumors, Hanbury decided to speak up, 5 years after she originally remained quiet on the subject.
In a statement through her lawyers, she said, “The rumors are completely false.” Despite her denying the gossip, social media lit up with more conspiracies, including a potential secret Hanbury-Prince William love child.
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