Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, is taking legal action against Stephen Colbert and his late-night show after the comedian made a joke about the alleged affair between Hanbury and Prince William. According to Hanbury's attorney, the 40-year-old friend of the royal family has sent a legal notice to Colbert and CBS, demanding they retract the allegations and confirm that the rumor is false.
The controversy began during the March 12 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where the host joked about the speculation surrounding Kate Middleton's absence from public life and its potential connection to an alleged affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury. Colbert quipped, "I think we all know who the alleged other woman is. Say it with me -- the Marchioness of Cholmondeley -- what a beautiful name! Now, there have been rumors [of] an affair between William and the Marching Band of Chicanery since 2019."
Colbert went on to mock Prince William's alleged response to Kate Middleton's confrontation about the rumored affair, as reported by In Touch, saying, "According to tabloids back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off saying there was nothing to it. Always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating. Ha ha, imagine me having an affair! It is to laugh."
I see Rose Hanbury has finally had enough of the insane insinuations being spread by the Sussex Sycophants Squad. #FOSussexSquad pic.twitter.com/FRl0zmlng9 — (@intrested_19) March 19, 2024
Hanbury's lawyer released a statement addressing the legal action, stating, "The rumor appears to have entered into the mainstream media recently as a result of another joke made about it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. We have written on our client's behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false."
On March 16, Hanbury herself publicly denied the rumors, declaring, "The rumors are completely false." The Marchioness has been reportedly upset by the allegations since they first surfaced in 2019, with True Royalty TV founder Nick Bullen recently claiming, "I know people who know the Marchioness of Cholmondeley very, very well, and she absolutely was not having an affair with the Prince of Wales. Even when those rumors broke a few years ago, she was very upset by them then. She's still very upset by them now."
The affair rumors have also taken a toll on Kate Middleton, with a source revealing, "Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online." The speculation about the state of the royal couple's marriage has resurfaced in recent weeks as the Duchess of Cornwall has been recovering from an undisclosed surgical procedure, leading to her absence from public engagements.
In 2019, when the affair rumors first emerged, a source told Us Weekly that the allegations had forced Prince William and Kate Middleton to "sit back and examine their relationship, which they realized they should have been doing more often." The couple, who married in 2011, share three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Rose Hanbury's decision to take legal action against Stephen Colbert and CBS marks a significant escalation in her efforts to combat the persistent rumors surrounding her alleged involvement with Prince William. By targeting a high-profile American talk show host and demanding that media outlets retract the allegations, Hanbury is sending a clear message that she will not tolerate the spread of what she maintains are false accusations.
