Queen Camilla Spotted Chatting With Rose Hanbury

Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, is proving that she’s on good terms with the British royal family. Amid long-standing rumors of an alleged affair with Prince William, Hanbury, 40, was spotted chatting with Queen Camilla, 76, at the final day of the Badminton Horse Trials at Badminton House in England on Sunday, May 12.

Hanbury, who donned a blue suit for the outing, was photographed curtseying to the Queen, who was pictured in a blue dress, according to Hello!. The pair was joined by beauty entrepreneur Charlotte Tilbury before Hanbury joined other senior royals in the stands, including Zara Tindall’s brother, Peter Phillips and his daughters, Savannah and Isla.

The Sunday outing, which the Queen attended to present trophies to prize winners to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the event, per the Daily Mail, came amid a tumultuous time in the press for Hanbury. While she and her husband, David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, are considered close friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales and reside at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, close to the Wales’ country home Anmer Hall, Hanbury has mostly kept a low profile since March, when rumors of an affair with William resurfaced amid Kate Middleton’s health crisis. Some claimed that Kate’s decision to step back from the public eye – later revealed to be due to her ongoing cancer battle – was due to the rumored affair, which even caught the attention of late night host Stephen Colbert.

“I’m afraid I’ve got some troubling news about England’s royal family. Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, William, having an affair,” Colbert said during the March 12 episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. “I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say it with me, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley.”

Hanbury’s lawyer later released a statement to Business Insider denying the claims, stating, “the rumors are completely false.” The sentiment echoed that of a statement issued to the Daily Beast by William’s attorney in 2019, which claimed such reports were “false and highly damaging.” Nobody connected to the royal family publicly addressed the resurfaced rumors.

Hanbury’s connection to the royal family goes back generations. Her maternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, served as one of the bridesmaids at the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding in 1947. Meanwhile, Hanbury’s husband was appointed Page of Honour to the late Queen and also acted as Lord Great Chamberlain of the UK from 1990 to 2022. More recently, the couple’s son, Lord Oliver Timothy George Cholmondeley, served as one of four Pages of Honour for King Charles III’s coronation ceremony. The couple are also parents to Alexander Hugh George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage and daughter Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley.