In the midst of the controversy surrounding the alleged “disappearance” of Kate Middleton, the name of Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley, has surprisingly returned to the headlines of the British press.
Hanbury, 39, had attracted media attention for her alleged relationship with Prince William.
Marchioness of Cholmondeley and Prince William
About six years ago, British tabloids published “compromising” photos of William with Rose Hanbury at a nightclub, fueling rumors of a possible romance. Despite the initial scandal, the affair soon faded into media silence.
However, just over a year ago, Rose’s name resurfaced with a vengeance when British tabloids reported that William had rekindled his relationship with her, even going so far as to spend Valentine’s Day together.
Despite reaching monumental proportions, the scandal suddenly disappeared from the British press, while the Rose Hanbury issue continued to receive extensive coverage in the international media.
The mysterious disappearance of media coverage of Rose Hanbury has been attributed to alleged censorship by the British monarchy, leading to speculation about possible royal interference in press freedom.
One of the hypotheses is that Buckingham Palace may have used a so-called “super-injunction,” a powerful legal tool used by influential individuals and corporations to silence the media.
Injunctions are court orders that prevent the publication of certain information that invades an individual’s privacy. The super-injunction goes further, however, by imposing such an extreme restriction that it prohibits even mentioning its own existence.
In other words, the media itself cannot reveal that such an injunction has been issued, lest the public suspect that the person or institution has something to hide.
They are not allowed to say anything at all about it, or to confirm or deny that they have received the gag order.
The continued silence of the British press fueled the theory that the monarchy had exerted pressure to silence the issue of Rose Hanbury in relation to Prince William.
However, Kensington Palace followed Queen Elizabeth II’s “never explain, never complain” mantra, at least behind closed doors.
The rumors gradually lost steam with the arrival of new news, especially after Hanbury attended the coronation of King Charles in May 2023 and photos of her and Kate at a festival on the grounds of their estate at Houghton Hall were leaked in the summer of that year.
Lady Rose Hanbury and Prince William
After a period of relative quiet, the name of the Marchioness of Cholmondeley is back in the headlines.
Over the weekend, on March 10, the British media outlet The Independent published a lengthy feature on Rose Hanbury, focusing on praising her style, her impressive 106-room residence, her connections to the monarchy through her family’s past, and her husband’s work, without mentioning her relationship with Prince William.
This sudden attention to Rose Hanbury by the British press has raised questions about the reasons behind this approach, especially in the midst of the controversy over the alleged “disappearance” of Kate Middleton.
Social media are speculating that this new coverage could be linked to an alleged marital crisis of the Prince and Princess of Wales, suggesting that the press is trying to introduce Rose into public life with a more favorable image.
Undoubtedly, this situation raises questions, especially given the prolonged silence surrounding Lady Rose Hanbury and her relationship with Prince William.