Rose Hanbury's lawyers send legal notice to Stephen Colbert over Prince William affair joke

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Reports have surfaced indicating that Lady Rose Hanbury, who has been linked in rumors to a past affair with Prince William, has taken legal action against Stephen Colbert following a joke he made about the alleged affair on a recent episode of his CBS late-night show.

According to the New York Post, during the March 12 broadcast of the 'Late Show', Colbert, 59, made jests about the alleged relationship between the 40-year-old Marchioness of Cholmondeley and the 41-year-old Prince of Wales, referencing rumors that circulated in 2019.

Lady Rose Hanbury takes legal action against Stephen Colbert 

Additionally, Colbert speculated on the status of their supposed relationship, suggesting they might still be involved romantically amidst Kate Middleton's recovery from abdominal surgery.

Hanbury's legal representatives reportedly issued a statement to In Touch, asserting, "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."

Colbert has yet to respond to requests for comment from The Post regarding the legal notice.

Kate Middleton undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, aged 42, underwent a medical procedure in January. Her public appearances have been limited since her hospitalization at the London Clinic, and on Friday, Middleton revealed that she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

In her emotional video, Princess Kate started by thanking well-wishers for their 'wonderful messages of support' amid her recovery during what has been 'an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family.'

"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous," she said. "The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of that treatment."

Calling the news a "huge shock," Kate said that she and Prince William "have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment."

Stephen Colbert's speculation on Kate Middleton's health and affair rumors

Colbert had previously referenced Middleton's health struggles on his show, suggesting online speculations linking her absence to William and Hanbury's rumored affair.

In a segment on his show, Colbert said, "Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, William, having an affair."

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

The Cambridge family and Lady Rose Hanbury's denial

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, married since 2011, have three children together—Prince George, aged 10, Princess Charlotte, aged 8, and Prince Louis, aged 5.

The couple shares a longstanding friendship with Hanbury and her husband, David Cholmondeley, with their son Oliver participating as a page of honor at King Charles’ coronation in May 2023.

Hanbury, through her attorneys, has vehemently denied the allegations of an affair with Prince William, calling them "completely false."

Royal expert Nick Bullen, speaking to Us Weekly, expressed that Hanbury is "very upset" by the ongoing speculation, emphasizing that there is no truth to the rumors.

Official responses and continued speculation

In 2019, Prince William's spokesperson addressed the initial rumors, dismissing them as "false and highly damaging."

Omid Scobie, another royal expert, addressed the alleged scandal in his book 'Endgame', suggesting that despite the lack of evidence supporting the affair, rumors persist due to a lack of official denial from the parties involved.

Addressing the matter in November 2023, Scobie highlighted how rumors can proliferate in the absence of official clarification, even when they lack substance.

“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 to Entertainment Tonight in November 2023.

“They never addressed it, so those rumors will never go away even though there’s no truth to suggest that they are true,” he added.

Public reaction on social media

The responses on social media reflect a range of sentiments towards the controversy surrounding Stephen Colbert's joke about Rose Hanbury and Prince William

One user wrote, "Absolutely Repulsive."

Another added, "Hollywood’s not what it used to be."

Another added, "I hope Rose Hanbury makes him pay an utter fortune..."

One user wrote, "They’re soulless."

Another added, "Colbert has never been funny."

One user commented, "Their level of debauchery, hatred and vitriol is ever increasing. They make no attempts to filter it anymore."

One replied, "Pathetically scratching for viewers. Lord knows, he's not funny."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.