Has Kate rowed with‘rural rival’?
She reportedly tells William to shut out model friend Rose Hanbury from their Norfolk circle after ‘terrible clash’
THE Duchess of Cambridge has reportedly told her husband to banish one of their female friends from their social circle following a ‘terrible’ falling out.
Kate and William have long been close to their Norfolk neighbours, the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley. But speculation about a serious rift between Kate and the Marchioness – former model Rose Hanbury – is said to have intensified in recent weeks.
It gained further momentum yesterday with a report that the Duchess wants Rose ‘phased out’ as one of her confidantes, though the cause of the apparent friction remains a mystery.
The report in The Sun newspaper claimed that the alleged rift is ‘much worse’ than has previously been suggested. And it said attempts by William to try to effect a reconciliation between the two women has been coolly rebuffed.
William is said to be good friends with the Marquess, David Rocksavage, who at 58 is 23 years older than Rose.
At their Devon home yesterday, Rose’s parents, Tim and Emma Hanbury, expressed surprise at the reports. Asked whether her daughter had discussed them, Mrs Hanbury glanced at her husband before replying: ‘Nothing to say about it.’ Mr Hanbury then intervened, saying: ‘Got no comment. There is no comment.’
The first inkling that something was awry came when Daily Mail diarist Richard Eden reported that friends of the Duchess claimed ex-model Rose was ‘a rival to her rural crown’.
Among their Norfolk set – affectionately nicknamed the ‘Turnip Toffs’ – it was Kate who was always presumed queen bee. ‘On the face of it, it’s bizarre, but Kate seems to see Rose as a rival,’ one source was quoted as saying.
While Kate and William stay at tenbedroom Anmer Hall, which was previously rented out to a kitchen timber boss, Rose and her husband live in splendour three miles away at Houghton Hall, one of the country’s finest Palladian houses, surrounded by 1,000 acres of parkland. The Cambridges moved to Anmer on the Sandringham Estate in 2014 when William joined the East Anglian Air Ambulance charity.
One source told The Sun: ‘It is well known that Kate and Rose have had a terrible falling out.
‘They used to be close but that is not the case any more.
‘William wants to play peacemaker so that the two couples can remain friends, given they live so close to each other and share many mutual friends.
‘But Kate has been clear that she doesn’t want to see them any more and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status.’
Rose and her husband have twin boys, Alexander and Oliver, and daughter Iris. The boys have been playmates of Prince George.
At William and Kate’s wedding eight years ago, Rose was widely considered to be the best-dressed guest. In 2016, the Royal couple attended a black-tie gala at Houghton Hall. And the two couples are said to have shared dinner dates.
Rose was on the books of the same modelling agency that discovered Kate Moss. The Marchioness was also briefly a researcher for Tory MP Michael Gove.
She first came to national attention in 2005 when she and her elder sister Marina – both wearing pink bikinis – posed alongside the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Her husband, the party-loving Marquess, used to be described as the ‘greatest catch in England’.
When he succeeded his father to the title, he not only became a Hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain but came into a legacy of nearly £120million – the largest sum ever bequeathed in Britain.
He had relationships with several extremely glamorous women, including model and actress Lisa B, French film star Isabelle Adjani and heiress Sabrina Guinness, but friends believed that he would never marry.
Rose and David first met at a party at Villa Cetinale, the Italian home of the disgraced politician Lord Lambton. They married at Chelsea Town Hall in 2009.
The Marquess is a friend of Prince Charles and would often be invited to Sandringham for tea. When he was 14 the Queen selected him as Page of Honour. Now she sees him once a year as he shuffles backwards in front of her in his role as Lord Great Chamberlain at the State Opening of Parliament.
Last night the Cholmondeleys were unavailable for comment.
A member of staff answering the intercom at Houghton Hall said: ‘They are not available today.’ When asked if the couple knew of the allegations reported in The Sun, the employee said: ‘We are fully aware.’
Last night a Royal source said the rumours of a rift were untrue and upsetting. Kensington Palace declined to comment.
‘Kate made it clear… she wants her phased out’ ‘William is trying to play peacemaker’