Kate and William’s buried cheating scandal — Fact or fiction?

Kate Middleton and Prince William caught the world’s imagination with their heartfelt university romance and subsequent wedding.

However, the royal fairytale has not been without its highs and lows.

A few years ago, news started making rounds that the Prince of Wales and future king apparently cheated on his wife, with her friend no less.

How the scandal unfolded and the truth which was eventually set free is yours to find out here:

War of the roses

Our tale begins with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, who is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth’s longtime friend, Lady Elizabeth Longman, and came to be part of various royal circles since birth.

Married to David George Philip Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquis of Cholmondeley, Rose moved into the Houghton Hall, in the county of Norfolk, after tying the knot with her husband.

While it is unclear exactly when Kate and William were introduced to the Marchioness, the couple grew close to the Cholmondeleys once they moved into the Anmer Hall in 2015, located near the latter pair’s residence.

Friendly at first, having been spotted together on multiple occasions, both the Prince and Princess of Wales apparently came to know two different versions of Rose Hanbury — for Kate, a friend, and for her husband, an alleged mistress.

News of the affair

William’s alleged affair with Rose was first disclosed by In Touch, when a 2019 report by the American publication revealed that the Prince was likely to have pursued a romantic connection with his and Kate’s close friend and neighbour.

What fueled the unfounded rumours further were reports that the future queen demanded from her husband that the Marchioness be “phased out” from the social circles which she frequented with him, according to The Sun.

However, one of the most damning news regarding the scandal came from notorious Instagram gossip blog DeuxMoi, who published a blind item which brought the whole deal to the forefront of every online circle.

Described as an “open secret” by the anonymous tipster, names involved in the controversy were not outlined in the social media account’s story from 2022.

As soon as news broke online, the topic trended on Twitter (now called X) for days, while an unfortunate hashtag pertaining to Prince William’s sexual preference also made continuous rounds (#PrinceOfPegging, if you must know).

Aftermath

The closest an address of the rumours came from near the Crown was when a royal source told Us Weekly back when the scandal first broke, “It’s not unusual to have a few hiccups in a marriage, especially after eight years, and Kate and William are no different.”

The insider further added that the couple were stronger together, “regardless of their ups and downs”.

Nevertheless, the situation got so dire that Rose Hanbury attempted to clear the rumours at her own end.

Her legal team told Business Insider in 2024 that “the rumours are completely false.”

While the loudest public mention of the scandal came from comedian and late night host, Stephen Colbert, who included the reference to Prince William’s affair in one of his old monologues.

“I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say it with me, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley,” he proceeded to name drop the alleged royal mistress in March 2024.

The host continued, “Now there have been rumors of an affair between William and Rose 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.”

Furthermore, in a shocking turn of events, The Mercury News published a report which revealed, “At least 21 stories that hinted at an alleged affair between Prince William and socialite Rose Hanbury, or that reported on an alleged ‘falling out’ between Hanbury and Kate Middleton, have been deleted from U.K. media outlets.”

While Vulture reported that at least six other stories were also edited to remove more salacious and indecent information regarding the controversy post publication.

Notably, the last major royal event attended by Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, was King Charles’ coronation in 2023.