Royal Scandal Erupts: Prince William’s Name Surfaces Again as Rumored Mistress Rose Hanbury Gives Birth

When Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, welcomed her daughter, Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley, in March 2016, the event was met with polite congratulations from England’s high society. But as photos of the newborn began to circulate, a different kind of attention settled over the stately halls of Norfolk and beyond—one thick with whispers and suspicion. All eyes, it seemed, turned to Prince William, the future King, whose name was suddenly on everyone’s lips.

Rose Hanbury had always been close to the royal circle. As a neighbor to William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, at Houghton Hall, her presence at royal gatherings was natural and expected. Yet, beneath the surface of this aristocratic camaraderie, rumors had long swirled about the true nature of her relationship with Prince William. In 2019, those whispers exploded into public speculation when tabloids published stories of an alleged affair between Hanbury and the Prince of Wales—a scandal that only intensified as people began to notice similarities between young Iris and the Prince himself.

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Despite the fact that Iris was born three years before the initial exposé, many online sleuths were convinced that the affair went back further than anyone realized. Social media platforms, especially X, buzzed with theories that William had fathered not just Iris, but all three of Hanbury’s children. The resemblance, some claimed, was uncanny—one user even remarked on how Iris and Princess Charlotte shared the same “dirty blond hair and big teeth,” features they attributed to William. The rumors reached a fever pitch when Hanbury’s son, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, was chosen as a page of honor at King Charles’ 2023 coronation, despite the years of speculation and gossip.

By 2024, the relentless rumors had taken their toll. When late-night host Stephen Colbert cracked jokes about the alleged affair—especially amid Princess Catherine’s mysterious absence from public life—Rose Hanbury decided she’d had enough. She worked with her attorneys to formally deny any affair, even sending a legal notice to Colbert in an attempt to quell the gossip once and for all.

Yet, the rumors refused to die. Prince William’s name continued to be linked to other supposed love children. Even before Rose Hanbury entered the picture, Princess Catherine had struggled with her husband’s inner circle—many of whom were women from William’s past. Online chatter connected the Prince to not only Hanbury’s children but also to aristocratic offspring from other relationships, including his former girlfriend, Jecca Craig. None of these stories have ever been substantiated, but the speculation persisted.

The royal family, after all, has a long history of scandal. Observers were quick to draw comparisons to King Charles III, whose affair with Camilla, now Queen Consort, dominated headlines in the 1980s and ‘90s. Some even pointed to Camilla’s son, Tom Parker-Bowles, noting his resemblance to the Windsors. The rumor mill didn’t stop there; it reached back another generation to Prince Philip, who was also rumored to have fathered illegitimate children—a theory fueled by the secrecy surrounding his will and dramatizations in shows like “The Crown.”

For every denial issued, new theories sprang up. The public’s fascination with royal intrigue, fueled by the accessibility of social media, made it nearly impossible for the truth—whatever it may be—to emerge unscathed. As Rose Hanbury’s daughter grew, so too did the speculation, with every new photograph reigniting debates about her parentage.

Through it all, Prince William and his family maintained a dignified silence, refusing to dignify the rumors with a public response. Rose Hanbury, too, did her best to shield her children from the storm, focusing on her family and her duties as Marchioness. Yet, the whispers in the corridors of power and the echo chambers of the internet remained.

In the end, the story became less about facts and more about the enduring power of royal gossip—a reminder that, in the world of crowns and titles, secrets are currency and rumors can linger longer than any truth. As long as there are royals, there will be whispers, and sometimes, a child’s birth is all it takes to set the world talking.