Who is Rose Hanbury? What you need to know about her connection to Prince William and Kate Middleton

The British Royal Family is currently facing a controversy amid the public absence of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales following an abdominal surgery in January and the furor surrounding the edited family photo released on Mother's Day in the United Kingdom.

As speculations on Kate's health and the state of her marriage to Prince William, the Prince of Wales keep spreading online, another name has been included in the picture: Rose Hanbury, who is being linked to the heir to the British throne.

So who is Rose and how is she connected to the Prince and Princess of Wales? 

Rose, Marchioness of Cholmondeley 

According to British publication The Independent, Rose Hanbury is a member of the British aristocracy. She became the Marchioness of Cholmondeley after marrying David Rocksavage, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.

The Marquess of Cholmondeley is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for George Cholmondeley, 4th Earl of Cholmondeley.

Rose first met David, who is 23 years her senior, while on holiday in Italy in 2003. They announced their engagement six years later and got married in 2009. The couple is blessed with three children: Alexander, Oliver, and Iris.

Her family has close ties with the British Royal family 

Rose is the daughter of web designer Timothy Hanbury and fashion designer Emma Hanbury. Her link to the Royal family started from her grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, who was a well-known figure in the royal circle. Elizabeth was a bridesmaid in Queen Elizabeth II's 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

A former model and researcher 

Before marrying the Marquess of Cholmondeley, Rose was a model under top modeling agency Storm, when she was 23. She once made headlines in 2005, after being photographed on holiday with her younger sister, Marina, and Tony Blair.

She also worked as a researcher for Conservative politician Michael Gove but left after giving birth to her twin sons.

Her family resides near William and Kate's old residence

The Marchioness of Cholmondeley lives at Houghton Hall in Norfolk with her husband and their three children. Their house is located three miles away from Anmer Hall, the former home to the Prince and Princess of Wales. Rose is also said to be friends with Kate.

Present on royal occasions

As someone close to the British royal family, Rose has attended numerous royal events at Buckingham Palace. In 2017, she was spotted at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, where she was seated next to Prince Harry.

She also attended the coronation in May last year of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Her son, Oliver, was a Page of Honor, while her husband was appointed Lord-in-Waiting to King Charles.

Rumored affair with Prince William

American TV host and writer Stephen Colbert mentioned Rose's name during the March 12 episode of his show "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert."

"The Kingdom has been all a flutter about the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton," Colbert said. "Well now, 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 went on to name-drop Rose as the woman at the center of the rumor mill. He said that speculation about Rose and William first came up in 2019, when Kate was pregnant with their third child, Prince Louis.

"According to tabloids back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it," Colbert said, jokingly adding, "Always a good response when you're wife accuses you of cheating."

As of writing, neither William, Kate, nor Rose publicly addressed the speculation.

—Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA Integrated News