'It's Completely False': Prince William's Friend Rose Hanbury Shuts Down Affair Rumors After Stephen Colbert Joked About the 2019 Scandal

In 2019, British outlets alleged that Prince William and longtime friend Rose Hanbury had an affair, and the scandal recently had a revival after Stephen Colbert mentioned it on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

But the Marchioness of Cholmondeley's legal team quickly shut down the claims, telling an outlet: “The rumors are completely false."

"I’m afraid I’ve got some troubling news about England’s royal family,” Colbert said on the March 12 episode of his late night show. “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's opening monologue was his way of poking fun of the "Where is Kate?" trend, as the Princess of Wales focuses on recovering from her abdominal surgery.

"I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say it with me, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley,” Colbert continued. “Now there have been rumors of an affair between William and [Hanbury] 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."

When the story initially broke in 2019, friends of Kate's shared the claims were painful.

"Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online,” a source told an American publication.

OK! previously reported fans began to wonder about the Wales' marriage after Kate returned to Instagram without her iconic sapphire and diamond ring.

“It’s deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace, but it’s not surprising that the affair rumors are being reheated," the source told an outlet. "What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?"

Despite the ongoing assumptions beind made about the marchioness and the future king, insiders made it clear that William and Kate remain united.

“They are often seen together at school events, and really it is remarkable how one and often both of them will always be at every match, every music concert and every prize giving," the insider shared. "The relationship has always seemed incredibly strong despite the immense pressure they are under, so it’s fair to say we were all completely baffled when the picture came out with the wedding ring missing, especially as it was photoshopped."

"It just seemed guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage," they continued.

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In Omid Scobie's controversial book Endgame, the editor discussed the impact the hearsay had on The Crown.

“Unfortunately, if a rumor’s left to kind of do its own thing, it can run 20 laps around the world before you even think about what, how you want to kind of address it,” the writer explained. "They never addressed it, so those rumors will never go away even though there’s no truth to suggest that they are true."

Scobie noted the palace was worried the headlines would “impact negatively on William’s reputation."

“For legal reasons, there are so many things that one can’t go into but I thought it was really important, even if a rumor is a rumor. And I really don’t see proof that there is more to this than just a tittle-tattle, you know," he continued.

Hanbury's legal team spoke to Business Insider.