Since those Prince William and Rose Hanbury affair rumors made headlines, fans have put on their detective caps to better understand why the two may be involved in a forbidden love affair. However, one problematic rumor that has run rampant X, formerly known as Twitter, is that Rose and her husband, David Cholmondeley, are in a marriage of convenience, with the latter supposedly having a male lover. “Just read that #RoseHanbury’s husband has a male lover, and he only needed Rose to produce Heirs to his estate & that they have an open marriage leaving Rose to fully engage with Prince William,” one user tweeted. Another person echoed similar sentiments, speculating that the controversial French photographer François-Marie Banier was the lover in question and that he and David live together in France. “People asking how to pronounce Rose Hanbury Cholmondeley, Prince William’s mistress’ name, when they should be asking why her husband lives in France with his boyfriend,” they wrote alongside a clipping of Kate Moss’s Financial Times interview describing the French estate in question.
While it’s likely that neither Rose nor David will ever entertain the idea of clarifying the rumors, the latter’s relationship with François has made headlines in the past. In 2010, amid François’s high-profile legal battle against L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, the Daily Mail revealed that he and David had a close bond, with him even accepting the role of godfather to the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley’s twins, Oliver and Alexander.
