On March 12th, Stephen Colbert included a three-minute segment in his opening Late Show monologue about the rumors of an alleged affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The rumors have been around since 2019, when Dan Wootton and Richard Eden began reporting of a cryptic rural-rivalry between the then-Duchess of Cambridge and Rose. Bread crumbs were left out and before long, William was sending out legal threats to British media outlets and selling out the Sussexes to deflect. The Rose story – whether it’s true or false – is central to everything that’s happened with the Windsors in the past five years, including the Sussexit. Well, Colbert aired out all of that tea in the Late Show segment. The Telegraph even noted, in their coverage the next day, that Colbert didn’t “warn” Kensington Palace about the segment, which led to a lot of flag-waving patriotism from Americans. Well, here’s something interesting: Rose is apparently threatening to sue Colbert.
Rose Hanbury is prepared to take legal action to shut down speculation that she had an affair with Prince William. In Touch confirmed that Hanbury’s lawyers sent a legal notice to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after Stephen Colbert poked fun at rumors she was unfaithful with William in 2019 — and linked the alleged affair to speculation about Princess Kate Middleton‘s whereabouts as she recovers from surgery.
“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,” Hanbury’s lawyers said in a statement. “We have written on our client’s behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false.”
Colbert rehashed the drama on The Late Show on March 12. “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 began. “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.”
Colbert is smart, his writers are smart and CBS’s lawyers are smart. These jokes likely made it through several layers of corporate bureaucracy, which is why they had such an impact in real time – it was the first time a major American talk show host even brought up the subject and Colbert threw in enough “allegedlys” and “guesses” to cover his tracks. Us Weekly also spoke to a defamation lawyer about whether Rose has a case:
“If you really go back and listen to what Stephen Colbert said, he was really just saying there are rumors and people are speculating no different than you and I are here,” attorney Neama Rahmani, who is not affiliated with the case and doesn’t represent either party, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 20. “We’re just reporting what other people are speculating. We’re not saying that it’s absolutely true that Rose had an affair with William or putting out a definitive statement because of the nuanced nature of what Colbert said.”
According to Rahmani, Colbert, 59, didn’t state the rumors as fact, which wouldn’t make a “a good defamation case” for Hanbury.
“She potentially can [sue], but I don’t think it’s going to be that good of a case,” Rahmani told Us. “These rumors have been going on for quite some time [and] obviously they resurfaced recently because of Kate’s disappearance and a doctored photo … Rose and [Princess] Kate [Middleton] have a relationship and there appears to have been a falling out.”
Yeah, as I said, I don’t think Rose would have much of a legal case, but it’s possible that she’s aiming for an on-air apology from Colbert or some kind of acknowledgement that she now claims the affair story is false, and let’s be real, she might get that. I could see Colbert agreeing to that, especially if he got corporate pressure from CBS. The thing is, if Colbert acknowledged it again – even if it was to apologize or say “Hanbury now says the rumors are false” – the Streisand Effect of this is kind of bonkers.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic’s Helen Lewis quickly published a piece called “I Hope You All Feel Terrible Now” in which she name-checked Colbert as some kind of ringleader for “why Kate had to announce.” Lewis wrote: “Stephen Colbert’s ‘spilling the tea’ monologue, which declared open season on the princess’s marriage, should probably be quietly interred somewhere.” Declared open season on Kate’s marriage? It was commentary on how William has treated Kate and William’s alleged lack of fidelity.
Never forget what James Palmer, the deputy editor of Foreign Policy, tweeted in 2021. This wasn’t some story randomly thought up by Stephen Colbert.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Rose Hanbury (left) arrives at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, London, on day one of US President Donald Trump’s three day state visit to the UK. Picture date: Monday June 3, 2019. .,Image: 531562646, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Rose Hanbury (left) arrives at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, London, on day one of US President Donald Trump’s three day state visit to the UK. Picture date: Monday June 3, 2019. .,Image: 531562646, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Sarah Rose Hanbury and David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, at the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, London, on 06 May 2023.,Image: 774271057, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- Sarah Rose Hanbury and David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, at the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, London, on 06 May 2023.,Image: 774271096, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by Rose Cholmondeley, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley as they attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by David Cholmondeley, Marquess of Cholmondeley and Rose Cholmondeley, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley as they attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
Hmm if she is reacting that strongly maybe they DIDN’T have an affair. Like some said maybe she was just facillitating Pegs affairs and she is sick of the direct link!?
I have no idea, but what I find interesting is that in the past WILLIAM was the one who removed this rumor from being reported. He threatened legal action. This is the very first time that Rose hiring lawyers has been reported. So, my question would be why she hasn’t denied this earlier. That is part of why she has an issue now.
Will probably told her he will handle it and he did by throwing his own brother and sister in law to the wolves.
Rose’s friends talked about Rose and Will having intimate “friendly” dinners on Kate’s Tatler article. So, no, she did have something going on with Will, she is just angry that putting Kate in her place didn’t end the story and people beneath her station are judging her.
Or angry that it brought attention from China concerning the family history and stolen items.
@sevenblue and @equality, BINGO to both comments.
She’s going to learn the hard way America doesn’t bow down to aristocracy- even British aristocracy.
@seraphina The funniest thing is that Britain really believes it can control what the world says about it. The days of the empire are over and social media is here to stay. Us Americans have zero sense of deference to them. It’s time for them to join the twenty-first century with the rest of us!
@blue –
It was Rose’s own *brother* who shared the info about the dinners – and how grateful Kate was for MOC to do that!
Rose’s own brother told a newspaper she and W had dinners a deux while Kate was away!
I think it’s a thing of the past, and she’s certainly not on that train wreck now, so she feels confident about putting Colbert on notice. She doesn’t want to be reminded of the time she went slumming..!
Also, everyone in journalism knows writing “allegedly” in front of something doesn’t protect you from anything. That said, I don’t think she has a case. Even if she can prove she is not having an affair w William WHILE Kate is sick with cancer, it’s all over the internet and Colbert is rehashing/requoting other sources. Also, it’s satire and comedy, not a breaking news moment…same reason why you don’t have a case going after the people at SNL. As with most royal “threats” in the past, the message they’re sending with a “lawsuit” is more important than whether they have a case.
The thing is, it wasn’t just the word ‘allegedly’, it was in reference to rumors and internet sleuths guessing about an affair.
It would be very hard to make a case about this as the guessing, rumors and speculating about it is something that did happen, regardless of whether the affair happened or not.
I thought the segment was pretty mean spirited, and, when coupled with Colbert’s remarks about “unhinged women” on Tik Tok, I’m feeling some major misogyny coming from his writer’s room.
Yes. Using allegedly is hardly even the issue, although it is yet another fire wall.
To win defamation in the U.S., the onus is on the plaintiff to show: the accusation is false, the person knew at the time it was false, they spoke maliciously and it caused you harm you can prove.
This involves embarrassing levels of discovery wherein Rose as plaintiff has to prove she did not have an affair. So all of the papers covering their dinners and fight with Kate would need to be explained. Her relationship with William would have to probed with great detail. Emails and text messages and gossip from dinner parties (involving at one juncture the Queen’s son) would be entered into evidence.
has Rose ever had an affair? This would be addressed, and I’m certain the CBS lawyers and investigators would have a field day with it.
Colbert made a joke as many comedians do. This is protected speech, even if “mean” per below comment.
They’re trying to intimidate and silence the American media like they do British media. It won’t work and was a really stupid thing to do, these people can’t handle being the butt of a joke for 2 minutes, my god. They need help.
Also, misogyny? Lol. No. He was making fun of British aristocracy, tea cart and snowflake pronunciations and all.
The issue is that, unlike the UK, in the US, truth is an absolute defense in a libel case. Would Rose really care to go through discovery if it went to court?
And the expense. I think this is like KP threatening the Spanish reporter, but not actually suing, she’s just making the point that she’s unhappy about it.
I’ve never been convinced of the affair stuff. I feel sorry she’s been dragged back into it all. Whether she knew about someone else or whether rumours were flying around about people she was associated with, well, who knows. Rural England can get pretty boring and very gossipy. Hotbeds of rumour. Believe me!
Same I feel like she was never involved with him other than as a friend.And now she may feel like she really wants to distance herself and her family from this awful mess.
I mean she’s got a good gig with that big house etc why would she put it at stake so irresponsibly? I think shes got her dream life and do not want to risk it.
@zinjazin, have you ever seen Will? Why would anyone want to be his friend, let alone a woman? He is always making crude, sexual jokes even to a very boring question like “what is your fav emoji?”. Check out Rose’s friend circle in media and politics. Rose isn’t some innocent, naive woman just minding her own business.
@sevenblue
Hi 🙂
Im saying maybe friends because I remember at the time there was reports about them being spotted taking “long walks” in the fields up in Norfolk.
Seemed to me maybe hinting at more of an emotional affair. Since they didnt mind being seen like that (sort of protected vy bei g out in the open? but seemed to have much to talk about.
Maybe both werent happy in their marriages but did not necessarily want to take it all the way to bed..
Just my impression from the reporting at the time
There was no misogyny in that segment. He made fun of William trying to pretend affairs are not a Big deal and then made fun of how the name is spelled one way but pronounced in a way that doesn’t match how the English language normally works.
Colbert also treats his wife publicly with tons of respect which is not something William ever does.
Wait until she gets wind of US civil discovery.
That will be interesting.
I was just coming here to comment on this. The case would end up in the US courts. There’s already a high bar to prove defamation, and then there would be the discovery phase, in which lawyers for the defendant would make voluminous requests for travel logs, text message logs, phone logs, etc. Good luck with that, Rosie. LMAO.
Right Izzy…good luck with that. Can’t wait for discovery. Sounds like a KP play coming from Will and the Knife. Read he is back.
I’d be happy if she takes this to the next level. Take it even more mainstream!!!! How many times did we try to get this out in the world with the best hashtags on twitter? It was hilarious.
She wouldn’t actually sue in the U.S., because she’ d have to prove that Colbert lied AND knew that he lied. It’s not enough to be wrong. That means airing the dirty linen, for her and the Prince. Colbert was careful to talk about alleged rumors. He never said the affair happened.
The good thing is that it’s out in the open so William can’t squelch rumors by running to the tabloids with fake news about Harry and Meghan.
I seriously doubt that poor Rose is still “having dinners” with him. Ugh.
@Isabella and everyone who made sound and informed comments re: U.S. defamation law, I agree. The burden of proof is way too high and she would have a much better chance if she sued for “emotional distress.” But it was never about bringing the case to court. She just wanted to come out and appear as if she’s doing something.
And I’m someone who believes an affair took place in 2016 but probably is no more, hence why she feels confident and vindicated that she is NOT having an affair with William NOW, hence the lawsuit. But she should drop it if she doesn’t want the old stuff coming out, because Colbert’s lawyers obviously WILL go there if pushed.
It was already circulating on SM as Colbert plainly says. This is just more “blame the foreign media” BS. It’s all the fault of the US.
I smell British rag rats, in this… using American media to air what they can’t in their British papers. I really don’t like how the British press is infiltrating our newsrooms with their stupid ish about that messed up royal family. I think the higher ups at CBS made a deal with a BP, then told Colbert to work it into his monologue. If you watch Colbert do that skit he looks like, why would Americans care about this ish? On his face look.
Her name was also circulating in UK mainstream media. The Late Show showed recent headlines from Yahoo Entertainment, The Independent and Tatler, plus 2019 headlines from The Cut and Cosmopolitan during the 2:15 minute segment. Amazing anyone feels they could make a legal threats over someone mocking the pronunciation of your title, “The Marching Band of Chicanery,” “The Marcus Mumford of Chumba Wumba” and joking that ‘Rocksavage sounds like the name of a musician from the Flintstones.’
Ah yes, threatening to sue an american talk show host known for satire and humor in his opening monologue, and said monologue was completely vetted by legal and very carefully worded to address “allegations” and “rumors.”
Suing seems like a good way to…..bring up the rumors again.
When I first heard this I was like, they are rumors and Colbert carefully worded it that way so how does she think she has a case. Unless they think they have influence over what is poked fun at here in the US like in Britain. Wrong!!!
Her goal may be not to sue for the spilt tea, but to stop him from bringing her up again. “Keep my name out of your mouth,” essentially. Past is past.
It would probably have the exact opposite effect. Now he’ll go in on her about the whole thing just for trying to threaten him. She should have just let it die, but they just can’t resist that Streisand effect.
Her lawyers should have familiarized themselves with Colbert. He doesn’t back down.
She doesn’t get to dictate what he speaks about in that country.
Colbert was also quoting from earlier papers making reference to the alleged affair. There is no way CBS lawyers didn’t check this part of his monologue and a lot people forget that American defamation law is quite different than in the UK.
A lot of people in the UK (especially those in the upper classes) forget the world doesn’t revolve around the UK and hasn’t for a very long time.
When I saw that headline, my first thought was “well, bless her heart.”
Colbert doesn’t have to do anything, this is a stupid move to make and just keeps her name in the air.
It is a stupid move but go ahead and sue an American late night show for saying there are rumors.
Okay, Rose. Go ahead and sue. What do you think discovery is going to look like? Who might they try to depose? William, for one, obviously.
Sending a letter doesn’t mean squat. If you’re serious, file a suit, hon.
So why did she not sue Tom Sykes, when he claimed an Earl’s daughter had told him at an aristocrat dinner party?????
Lol, I had forgotten that. As mentioned above, up to now, W’s been the one trying to smother this. Now, suddenly, she’s getting involved and it seems odd.
I’d say it’s a good hint that the affair is long dead. He’s moved on and doesn’t feel the need to clean it up anymore. So she’s on her own now. Or maybe her NDA was only for a few years..
She may have. As far as we know, her lawyer may have been sending threat letters far and wide within Britain. That kind of BS doesn’t work as well with a major US media outlet though.
Tom Sykes didn’t name Rose. He said William had been having an affair with a neighbor. Which Willy may regularly do with people who aren’t Rose, in London or in Norfolk. So legally, safer.
I’m so tired of the RF lording over the press, now even international talk show? I hope Colbert won’t have to apologize and goes further to poke the bear.
Get use to the lording, This whole fiasco was a revelation to me. Not that KP is incompetent. Or what a propaganda machine the UK press is for the royals.
No, the revelation is how respectable American news agencies are now carrying water for the British royals and are attacking Meghan directly. I couldn’t have predicted that a respected and long time New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd writing like a reporter for the Daily Mail or the Telegraph.
Maureen Dowd is a right wing shill so attacking Meghan seems right up her alley. And NYT has had other opinion pieces defending Meghan so they can seem “balanced”. *eyeroll*
Yes, I’m sorry, Kit, but MsIam is correct: MD hasn’t been respected in about a decade. It was a slow decline, but for those of us who used to respect her integrity, we noticed it happening. Sad, frankly.
Maureen Dowd conveniently hates Hillary Clinton and any other woman who speaks up for women’s rights.
Of course she’s in Kitty’s corner and hates Meghan. Pick Mes are everywhere and Maureen is one of the nastiest.
Maureen Dowd is a despicable right-wing hack. Don’t pay her any mind; she’s ridiculous.
She is not going to sue. This is a distraction and a bad one at that. If she sues in a US court (Because that is where the libel happened) then she is going to have to prove that it isn’t true which means Colbert’s (CBS/Paramount) lawyers will show evidence why they say it is true and neither her nor Wills will want that out in open court.
100% this. Totally agree @Gaah
Not only would she have to prove it’s not true, being that she’s at the very least considered a limited public figure (i.e, people who are ‘public figures’ within certain activities, and in this case, it would be in the already widely reported rumors about Will), she would have to prove that Colbert KNEW it was untrue and that he acted with actual malice.
She’s not going to sue. But bless her if she thinks she has a case.
I’d sue if someone accused me of having an affair w William too
Ha! Underrated comment. That made me laugh out loud.
If I was Rose I would be more concerned with the Chinese wanting their stolen artifacts back after seeing her magazine spread!
This is more about the Scrutiny from the Chinese social media that all of this has stirred up, as all the attention on Rose and the Chomoldelay household meant old articles on her, specifically ones with pictures of her with all the “appropriated” very valuable Chineses artefacts that her husbands family mysteriously accumulated during their time trading in China in the 1800’s surrounding her in the pictures and calls for those artefacts to be returned to the Chinese people.
“I’m being told it’s pronounced Chumly. Counterpoint. No it’s not. Learn to speak English.” 🤣🤣🤣🔥🔥🔥. That’s what they should sue over.
I think that’s the line that got them all riled up!
Brit here…The correct pronunciation IS Chumly.
“Chumly” is a pretentious affectation; it is NOT the correct pronunciation.
That’s the joke. It’s called a sense of humor in America.
Perhaps American humor is too sophisticated for the Brits. (Hint, this is also a joke based on Brits claiming they’re so much more sophisticated than Americans.)
I love how they edited down what Colbert called her to just “[Rose]”. For anyone who missed it, the missing phrase there was “Marching band of Chumba Wumba”.
The time of the colonialists lording over the globe is over!
I thought Rose was smarter than this. I was wrong. She has no case, and Streisand effect.
Rose worships Donald Trump. So… yeah. She’s not smart. Just entitled, petty, and apparently allegedly a thief lol.
I wish it would go to court and then Stephen lawyers could ask Rose in the stand . Did you or your husband ever have sexual relations of any kind with William ?
I don’t know if the report that the Chinese government is looking into this is true or not, but I agree it’s a bad look for Chumley. Rose’s estate is magnificent and it hosts art shows and cultural events, so that’d be off putting PR wise. Though you get the feeling a lot of these country piles are full of loots from the Empire days (if they haven’t been sold off already).
These fools don’t know that Colbert’s show isn’t evening news? She’s more concerned with a comedy talk show in the U.S. than all of the vitriolic British tabloids?
There was a point during the Dubya administration that some poll showed more viewers got their news from the Daily Show than actual evening news. I don’t know if that was ever true, and Colbert was just a series regular, not the host, but I gotta say even though I know the difference between satire and news, I do have a lot of confidence is Stewart/Colbert/Oliver to at least not promote disinformation.
Was it a cease and desist letter? Either way, it was a dumb move! Bc after Ks announcement, no one was thinking of or talking about Rose anymore. But they definitely will now. Also, Colbert wasn’t the only one talking about her – she should blame the UK tabloids for resurfacing the rumors with new articles and that “Who’s Rose H.?” article. After those articles were released, she was mentioned on several SM sites- which were prior to SC’s monologue. She will have to sue a lot more people since that rumor has been circulating on SM for years. Willy Nilly’s “injunction” doesn’t carry weight in the US.
Yes, this is what I don’t understand. Colbert flat out said that he was talking about rumors in the tabloids and online. Aside from drawing even more attention to the rumors, what sense does it make to threaten to sue Colbert — without at all addressing the British publications that originated and perpetuated the rumors? This could be an interesting hot mess. Either Rose joins in alongside Harry and the others who are suing some of the tabloids OR it becomes blatantly obvious that she’s deliberately ignoring the homegrown tabloids where the rumors originated. Not to mention how much fun the tabloids will have should any of this actually go to court — which might require testimony from Rose and, erm, other interested parties. Whether this is coming from Rose or KP, the risks that go along with this seem pretty high — vs just ignoring it. Most Americans don’t care about William and have never heard of Rose. I’m guessing that the British audience for Colbert is not huge. Is there someone in the mix who actually benefits from calling attention to the rumors? Camilla sowing strife? William hoping that Kate dumps HIM?
This seems like a really bad tack to take. What am I missing here?
Yeah, I think the threat to sue is for the English audience. It caters to their stereotype of Americans. Plus you know how dare an American entertainer come after our English rose……. wave the flag…..
“I hope you all feel terrible now”
Oh give me a break! 🙄 No dear, I don’t. Slept like a baby. It’s not my fault that this ridiculous institution is propped up by public interest and attention and are yet somehow growing more and more incompetent at public relations. The minute the public stops paying attention for better or worse this lot is DONE.
Two things can be true: a young woman has cancer and that is terrible and I wish her healing and her family the comfort of that. AND the institution they belong to is outdated and ridiculous, they’ve been lazy for years in “working for it”, and the monarchy should be abolished. No problem holding both thoughts in my head. In fact a move to private life would allow them and their children all the peace and quiet they could want.
Well it’s looking that she’s about as dumb as all her other aristo inbred friends, just feeding the fire with all this talk.
Was it Colbert or John Oliver who did a whole segment on “slap suits” years ago? He knows what he’s doing and I hope he doesn’t apologize. For all the stuff they say on late night TV the message it sends letting some aristocrat from England tell an American late night talk show host what he can and can’t say is terrible.
slippers4life, I hope that John Oliver does something about this legal letter. It would be hilarious.
I don’t know if it’s possible to score them on which one is funnier because they’re both amazing, but Oliver has the accent.
Oh boy. I’ve been a Colbert fan since his Daily Show days, and I feel I kind of “know” him. I do know his staff are very loyal and adore him. That said, when the news broke about the letter, I can assure you his writers stopped whatever they were doing and said, “oh, HELL no!” I go to bed early, but I always watch his monologue in the morning. I can’t WAIT for tomorrow morning. I will be STUNNED if he apologizes, and VERY surprised if he doesn’t address it. And trust, those writers spent their weekend doing a very deep dive. China WILL be part of the discussion . Like Jks, I too thought she was smarter than this. What a ridiculous unforced error on her part. They clearly did not research Stephen Colbert, or they would know he’s never lost a suit. And many have sued him over the years. CBS’s counsel cover his ass for him before he goes on stage. Oh shoot, that reminds me, I’m out of popcorn. Off to the store!
Stephen Colbert is also a very Christian man. I think, because of Kate’s cancer announcement, he might back off and even apologize.
And as a Christian man, he probably doesn’t have much respect for adulterers. Or bullies. I expect Colbert to take great delight in taking on the lawyers & I agree with Alice, there will be mention of China!
I understand why you see the two as related, but I really caution people from being blinded by emotion because “cancer.” KP was trying to erase their lies and deception. “Cancer” is supposed to silence people.
That is an insult to everyone with cancer who is not using it a shield to deceive and get out of trouble.
William is absent. The joke was about William. He is still absent. He is a crap husband. He doesn’t get to escape scrutiny because his wife is suffering, when he threw her under the bus himself!
@WiththeAmerican, from what I see, Colbert is the kind of comedian who likes to punch up. At any other time, there would be no way he would back down. He did Trump’s pee tape jokes for years even though a lot of journalists backed down from discussing it because of lack of evidence. Here, as someone who lost a lot of people in his life and as a religious person, I would see him apologizing about joking about K&W even though Kate wasn’t the butt of the joke. Just something I saw from him, he is sensitive to people losing their loved ones. I mean, there is no way he would due to legal action, just to send good wishes to a family dealing with cancer. I can’t be wrong of course, but I have watched his shows for years and years. He is a very sensitive man unlike his comedy persona.
@Seven yes! I agree he is sensitive like that. I imagine he might send good wishes to Kate and family, while going in on Rose for a moment over the Chinese claims about the stolen artifacts.
Colbert’s legal time is probably living for this. Ding Ding wake up emergency legal response, an aristo most Americans have never heard of is suing us for basically saying she exists.
Threaten to sue and actually suing are 2 entirely different things.
It is a bit worrying that in the year 2024, someone in a foreign county is expected to tell Kensington Palace beforehand that they are going to poke fun at the royal institution.
Maybe they didn’t have an affair. I understand why Rose spoke up. Who wants to be publicly vilified as a cheater – especially when the PoW is receiving an outpouring of support in light of her cancer diagnosis. She could be receiving death threats for all we know, and she has 3 kids that have to be aware of the rumours because they travel in the same circles. Stephen Colbert brought the rumour forward in MSM. George Conway (Kelli’s ex 🙄) even mentioned it. At some point she had to take a stand. To be fair there doesn’t appear to be any proof, just lots of speculation. Colbert won’t apologize and I’m not here to argue that he should but Rose quite rightly doesn’t want to be a punchline in a drama that will now follow her to her death… I’d be upset too.
Whose fault is this though? Is it Colbert’s fault or is the fault of the British tabloids and Tatler and the lies being weaponized to protect William?
If Rose has a problem, she needs to speak to the source. The source of her problem is William, who throws everyone under the bus to protect himself.
Heidi, Rose should have sent the legal letters to the bm. Instead, she was silent. If she really wants to do something now? Laugh it off. It was funny. That’s what she should say and do. That’s it.
By sending a legal letter to Steven Colbert, it actually gives all of this more meat. Way to go Rose, you just accomplished the opposite of what you intended. Or, if she did intend this, then who is she distracting from?
Just so Helen Lewis knows, I, for one, don’t feel terrible about anything. Conscience clear.
Just so we’re clear about the type of person Helen Lewis is: https://glaad.org/gap/helen-lewis/
😬
Helen Lewis is one of the worse people in British journalism and that’s saying something. There’s an English playwright who I’m a big fan of, by all accounts really nice guy who is super private, minds his own business, just writes nice little plays, but he wrote some stuff that’s quite left wing politically and anti-Brexit, and Helen Lewis wrote the most insane hatchet job that was entirely her prying into his personal life and trying to imply that he’s gay (which he isn’t gay, and even if it was, it’s not okay to put anyone, and definitely not okay to out people who aren’t celebrities). Like who even cares what some obscure playwright does in the bedroom. Just nasty low brow tabloid hack obsessed with people’s genitalia.
I’ve hated her ever since.
Then she pivoted to full TERF and is making pots of money by being the voice of TERFdom.
Same 👍
Citing Atlantic’s Helen Lewis, no, I don’t feel bad. I’m merely an observer, agog at the malice, stupidity and incompetence that the KP, Will and Kate created for themselves, and amazed at how hysterically touchy they are at a fraction of the abuse Duchess of Sussex got. Angela Levin, the hateful spiller of bile on the Sussexes for years, was instantly insulted on a show when someone disagreed with her and said she didn’t think anyone should be rude to her. She couldn’t take it. I think anyone who has hated on the Sussexes should have the exact same thing and quantity heaped upon them as instant comeback. They wouldn’t be able to take it. Piers Morgan ran out of a job on screen because someone gave him some clap back. Mind, I qualify that with how elegant and classy some Sussex supporters are, and I don’t advocate being as filthy a person as Jeremy Clarkson, I just want the criminals to feel the heat. I don’t understand the dichotomy of criminally hate bashing one woman, and getting up in arms instantly and protectively for another. This moral compass only kicks in for certain people? It should be the same for all, or they cannot claim a conscience.
@therese Exactly! It’s ok for thee but not for me! On the upside, it’s fun to watch these numbskulls flail publicly:)
With apologies to Shakespeare.
“Me thinks the lady doth protest just a wee bit too much.”
Also: if there’s nothing/was nothing there to begin with? Unclutch those pearls and move on, cuz it sounds like you got more trouble than rumors about banging Wills coming down the pike
I think she’s tired of being tied to William. If she didn’t have an affair and just facilitated it, she’s no longer obligated to provide cover for him and his mistress(es). Also, the tabloids are bringing her children into this. The Chumleys aren’t in the same position as they were with the late Queen. Their time in the spotlight should be over for a generation. Maybe Rose has tried to get on with her life, but keeps being dragged back in to the Waleses’ messes. She’s fed up and wants to be left alone and out of this conversation. Threatening to sue a US based comedian is foolish, but maybe she’s trying to send a message to Prince Huevo to get his house in order before she does.
She’s annoyed, so she called up her attorney, who probably told her there’s no case under US law, but the attorney agreed to send what I always call a Mean Lawyer Letter (TM).
I’ve sent a few. You write some grumpy legalese on letterhead so the other person knows your client is Quite Displeased. Send the letter, bill the client, move on.
I would not mess with comedian. Colbert might bring out that French article about the husband alleged gay lover in Paris, from Paris Match (French People Magazine),
Does anyone here think Rose had any consent in this? All of her riches don’t make up for the fact that when the heir wants you, you can’t easily say no. Even her husband’s power couldn’t stop an affair if that’s what the heir wanted. Their peers understand this which is why they won’t allow social sanctions against her. We as Americans don’t have this type of power structure and probably shouldn’t be harassing a woman who’s ability to consent is questionable.
Well, no. It’s not the 12th century. No one “has to” have sex with anyone they don’t want unless of course it involves actual force/coercion. I know a couple of girls who turned William down (pre-Kate or in the early days of their relationship when they were off and on) and these were just normal middle class girls in a club or at St Andrews.
I don’t know if Rose had the affair or not but if she did, she did so willingly.
As a Brit, and someone closely connected work-wise and socially with the English aristocracy, that’s just not how it works here at all. I’m sure a woman might be tempted to sleep with him because of his position as future king, but that’s not the same thing as not being allowed to say no.
I realise Americans sometimes have very unusual ideas about Britain that comes from watching TV or whatever, but that really is very far from the reality of what the English social structure is actually like.
Lol, if Peg had the power to force women to, ahem, date him, there would be a mass exodus of women leaving Salt Isle.
Rose probably has more power than Kate, and no, she wouldn’t be forced to have sex with the then Duke of Cambridge.
people really are trying hard to make the British aristocracy victims as a tool to silence people in America. It’s not hitting very well.
Hey Rosie and Davey,
Here’s a deal for you, we’ll gas up an apology that drops when all the cultural artifacts currently possessed and/or displayed in the Chumbucket are returned to the original/rightful owners. We all understand that your yourselves didn’t take them, but some your ancestors removed them without permission. Bottom line: many stolen, non-English artifacts are still in your possession; generating attention and maybe generating money for you and your home. Until then, articles like this one are outrage clickbait pieces where the generational wealthy, entitled white kids and their hanger-ons can play “hero/victims” in public and at cocktail parties.
Rose-if you can stand heat, you should have never had the dinners in the kitchen.
Chumbucket! 💀
Here in America, satire is protected speech. It’s why TV shows like SNL and nighttime talk shows can mock and tease, spilling tea left and right.
Undoubtedly CBS wouldn’t have aired this segment without the blessings of their legal teams. Americans aren’t sycophantic brown-nosers who must ask “the Crown” in advance for permission. The British mentality must come to grips with the bald truth that the days of Empire when you could bully the world are OVER.
My guess is there will be no public (or private) apology from CBS or Stephen Colbert. Mrs. Rocksavage will learn that her aristocratic privilege means nothing to American business interests.
All of this.
And I don’t understand the high regard in which Rose is held by some on this site. Sure, she manages an estate filled with stolen goods and doesn’t make a complete hash of it. Good for her. Now she should spend some time researching the provenance of her estate’s furnishings, and return everything that her husband’s ancestors stole.
This. There are so many people in the UK and US who run around licking the boots of anyone who’s rich and powerful. Rose shows off stolen loot while pouting in bed on her Instagram, in between helping Tories steal from the working people and worshipping Donald Trump.
Please, people, have some dignity! Have higher standards! Admire people for better reasons!
I don’t blame her, she’s been accused of an affair with zero evidence, l would do the same
Jean, then she should have sent the legal letters to the bm when the story broke. That she waited YEARS and after the bm dredged this up and then sent a legal letter to someone in the US is idiotic.
Hey Rose, go read Alex Tiffins peice, he even has names of people in your country set “who confirmed it 👀maybe ask willy what HE’S going to do
He’s not going to do anything while his wife is sick. I think your “sources” were very imcorrect. There’s no way William was flying to the country for his “mistress” while his wife found out she has cancer.
LOL. William doesn’t care even a little bit about Kate.
So you’re accusing AT, someone with blood cancer, of lying? if cancer makes someone untouchable, please be consistent.
Where has William been, because we have only seen him be creepy with young girls at the BAFTAs and slam drinks at a pub. He was not on that bench with his wife.
Jeanne, there’s are a lot of assumptions in your statement and question. It’s been obvious to anyone who was looking that WanK’s marriage is over. IIRC, this supposed affair was going on when Bone Idle was pregnant with Louis. It came out the same time the hate and vitriol ramped up in the bm. I doubt there are many of us here that don’t believe Billy Idle has had mistresses all along.
@WiththeAmerican – AT = ?????
This seems like a really, really bad idea! There’s simply no way that Colbert didn’t get the go ahead from CBS’s legal department, and it would just dredge up everything again. I would have thought that with the story of Kate’s cancer taking over headlines everywhere and the, erm, renewed social media focus on the Cholmedley “artifacts” that one might simply let sleeping dogs lie. Even if she gets an apology, I don’t think that helps very much. Plus, the American media and legal system is not for the faint of heart.
Sorry, Rose, chalk this up in the “we fought a war so you can’t control us” column.
She really doesn’t know Americans. Her British aristocracy standing doesn’t mean sh&@t in the US. She will get the attention in the US alright and not in a good way . I see they stole some artifacts fromChina and that’s circulating around SM 😆. That’s only the beginning.
As mentioned before, Americans don’t like to be told esp by a foreign entity that interferes with our constitutional rights. A foreign entity in which they feel the US is still part of their colonies .
The US is being used in the middle of the BRF and BM bulls$&t and the more people become aware, the more flag waving Americans will rebel(inc MAGAs ).
Alex Tiffen a Scottish journalist on Twitter came out on a tweet that is still posted that William had an affair with Rose Hanbury.
https://x.com/RespectIsVital/status/1604262973568081927?s=20
https://twitter.com/RespectIsVital/status/1485045528949923841?lang=en
https://x.com/RespectIsVital/status/1479541990073192453?s=20
https://www.google.com/search?q=twitter+slex+tiffin+princecwilliam+affair+rose+hsnbury&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
https://twitter.com/respectisvital/status/1475936930986610693
The doozy
What I don’t get is why is Rose only just now issuing cease & desist letters? She could have done this years ago, the rumors have been present since 2019? I understand she may be receiving way more attention than ever before, especially after a major late night show name dropped her. The average person didn’t know who she was until Kate went MIA for 3 months. But I’m just surprised it took Kate disappearing and the tabloids getting bored with no Kate sightings before her cancer revelation for Rose to finally get a lawyer involved.
We’ll probably never know if Rose and William ever had an affair. Charles and Camilla lied originally about having an affair and then it came out the rumors were true so it’s hard to believe Rose or William’s denials. Maybe it was just a few late night dinners, inappropriate but nobody crossed a physical line. Maybe it was just a one time thing that Kate eventually found out about. But the rural rivals story didn’t just out of a vacuum so something went down, we just don’t know the specifics.
I lived in a small mountain town for a year in my late twenties. My father came to visit me without my mother for a weekend. I had to deal with rumors that I had a married lover. I even had to deal with them at work as other townsfolk called my boss to complain about the wanton woman he hired and coworkers heard the rumor. No kidding.
I tell this story because maybe Rose didn’t have an affair with William and didn’t have a love child with him. Yet, her name is being drug through the mud again.
Lilly, I understand what you’re saying, but she should have gotten legal letters to the bm immediately. I don’t care that Billy Idle got it quashed, because she should have protected herself. That she left it and is now doing it in the US, opens up more questions than it supresses. This was a huge misstep for her to say the least.
I hope that you got LOTS of apologies from people when they found out your Dad visited you. I hope you and he were able to laugh about it.
Yeah that’s not the same. Having dinners with a married man is a sure way to start rumors and I would assume you told your boss it was your Dad and any other busybody. They could have both immediately denied it and threatened lawsuits if it wasn’t true. Or true and trying to hide it.
Rose and her lawyers are underestimating how litigious America really is, and how hard it is to threaten comedians into silence. The Late Show likely budgets for these kinds of lawsuits. John Oliver even openly dares entities to sue the show.
That’s a lot of trouble to quell a rumour that’s years old. If this was that troublesome for her, she could’ve said something years ago and she didn’t. To threaten legal action now is ridiculous. Let sleeping dogs lie.
I can’t be the only American (or non British person, really) who read the title and rolled my eyes while muttering “b, shut the f up.”