Back in 2019, unfounded rumors surfaced that Prince William and Rose Hanbury had an affair while Kate Middleton was pregnant with Prince Louis. The British tabloids then dubbed Hanbury the "rural rival" to Kate Middleton. The drama subsided after some time, firstly, because all parties involved denied the rumors. Secondly, there was no proof. And, most importantly, William and Kate's lawyers served legal warnings to at least one publication for promoting the rumors. But, since the release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix special, Hanbury's name has come up again in relation to the royal couple.
"Harry & Meghan" premiered in December 2022, in which Harry said, "[the Palace] were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us." Followers of the royals jumped back on to the 2019 cheating rumor, assuming that the royal family had been lying to protect Prince William after his infidelities, rather than stepping in to help Harry and Meghan when they were going through hardships.
Hanbury received a fair amount of backlash over the allegations and, according to a source for a since-deleted article by the Daily Mail, "The most loyal friends are sticking by her but others, they haven't." Despite the public's scrutiny and Hanbury's potential lack of support, she hasn't seemed all too phased, as she's still attended royal functions and made an appearance at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
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