Prince William’s alleged affair with British socialite Rose Hanbury back in spotlight

Kate Middleton's husband Prince William has found himself in headlines again over his alleged affair with British socialite Rose Hanbury. 

Rose was considered very close friend to William and Kate, but unsubstantiated claims that her connection to King Charles III's eldest son was more than friendly set the internet on fire in 2019. 

It was also claimed that William was unfaithful to his wife Kate during her third pregnancy due the same reason. In fact, since then, she has been referred to as the ‘rural rival’ to Prince and princess of Wales. And the palace and Kate reportedly asked William to remove her from his circle of friends.

Rose is wife of David George Philip Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and her official title is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. She was described as a "beguiling socialite" and worked as a model before marrying David in 2009.

David, who has connections to the palace through his own high social status, counts King Charles among his friends. While, Rose also enjoys strong ties back to the royal family with her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, reportedly serving as one of The Queen's bridesmaids at her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip. She reportedly lives near the Wales’ country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

She made headlines again after appearing as a guest at the Queen's funeral last year in September, where senior royals were also in attendance.

But, the story took a new turn after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix show Harry & Meghan, where the Duke claimed: "They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us."

Harry's claims set tongues wagging as some speculated whether the Duke meant that his elder brother and Rose’s alleged affair was covered up by Buckingham Palace officials who ‘lied’ to kill the story and instead focused on Harry’s then-pregnant wife Meghan Markle.

There was speculation that Rose had been excluded from royal engagements as a result of the rumours about her and Prince William, however that claim has since been debunked as she attend the Queen's funeral with her husband. While she wasn't pictured with any members of the royal family.

Marca News, citing the UK press, claims that the heir to the throne spent Valentine's Day with his alleged mistress. The two were reportedly having a romantic dinner together and were spotted at a fancy Italian restaurant in the London capital. The outlet, citing a waiter at the restaurant, reports William had given Rose a pearl necklace for Valentine's Day.