The future king and queen consort of England, Prince William, and Princess Kate, have had ups and downs like any other relationship. When reports surfaced in 2019 that William had an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, the Prince of Wales and his wife faced one of their toughest problems. Hanbury is a personal friend of the Cambridges and attended both the funeral for Prince Philip in 2021 as well as their wedding in 2011.
The former model has a long history of association with the royal family; William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II married Philip in 1947, and Lady Elizabeth Lambert was a bridesmaid. David Cholmondeley, Hanbury’s spouse, was Elizabeth’s Lord Great Chamberlain from 1990 until her death in 2022. The Marquess of Cholmondeley rose to the position of lord-in-waiting once William’s father, King Charles III, assumed the throne.
2019 saw the start of rumors that William and Hanbury were having an affair after several publications claimed that Kate and her pal fell out over the suspected adultery. Although Kensington Palace never addressed the rumors, royal watchers never gave up looking for hints.
Regarding Prince George (born in 2013), Princess Charlotte (born in 2015), and Prince Louis (born in 2018), a Middleton family friend exclusively revealed to Us Weekly in June 2019 that Kate “finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online.”
The source went on to say that the rumors had actually motivated the pair to give their marriage greater attention. The insider said: “It made her and William take a step back and evaluate their relationship, which they realized they should have been doing more frequently.”
The couple, who met while studying abroad at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, were “doing a great job at getting their marriage back on track again” when the rumors hit the news, according to a second source. Even after eight years, “it’s not uncommon to have a few hiccups in a marriage,” the insider told Us. “Kate and William are no different.” They remain in good shape. They are devoted to one another and prioritize their children above anything else, despite their ups and downs.
The Duke of Cambridge has maintained contact with Rose Farquhar, his first serious girlfriend, despite the fact that William and Kate have been together for most of their adult life. When William was finishing up his A-levels at Eton College in 2000, the former military pilot and Farquhar became friends and started dating. They first met at the Beaufort Polo Club. (In 2003, the future king finally got to meet Kate.)
Following their divorce, William and Farquhar kept running into each other at weddings and other social gatherings. His ex traveled to New York City to study acting when the Duke of Cornwall departed for the University of St Andrews. Farquhar tried out for The Voice UK in 2016 before beginning her work in business development.
William was there when Farquhar married George Gemmell in December 2022. The Earthshot Prize co-founder was seen on camera at the moment entering the church of St. Mary the Virgin in Gloucestershire, England, through the rear door for the ceremony.