WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.759 Welcome, dear listeners to a tantalizing tale of royal intrigue, whispered secrets, 2 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:11.759 and alleged scandals that threatened to rock the very foundations of the British monarchy. 3 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:17.160 If you're a fan of juicy gossip, high society drama, and all things 4 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:22.519 Windsor, then you won't want to miss this deep dive into the enigmatic world 5 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:29.600 of Rose Hanbury, the ravishing marchioness at the center of some seriously salacious rumors 6 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.799 involving none other than Prince William himself. In this wild ride of a story, 7 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:40.719 we'll delve into the life and times of the woman who's got Buckingham Palace 8 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:48.079 quaking in its proverbial boots, from her aristocratic upbringing and glamorous modeling days to 9 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:54.119 her picture perfect marriage and curious connection to the royals. Will leave no precious 10 00:00:54.119 --> 00:01:00.320 stone unturned in our quest to unravel the mystery of Rose. But this isn't 11 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.760 just any old tabloid fodder. Oh no, my friends, this is a 12 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:10.359 story with far reaching implications for the future of the British Crown. Will the 13 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:15.079 House of Windsor whether this latest scandal, with its usual stiff upper lip or 14 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:22.200 will the simmering tensions finally boil over into a full blown crisis of epic proportions? 15 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:27.079 And what of the so called turnip tofts, the ultra privileged set that 16 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:33.200 counts Rose and the Royals among its members. Are they really as picture perfect 17 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:37.640 as they seem? Or is there more than meets the eye lurking beneath the 18 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:42.319 polished veneer, with a cast of characters straight out of a high society soap 19 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:48.959 opera, jaw dropping details that will leave you clutching your pearls, and enough 20 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:53.640 twists and turns to keep even the most jaded royal watcher on the edge of 21 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:57.799 their seat. This is one story you won't want to miss. So sit 22 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.359 back, grab a spot of tea or something stronger, we won't judge, 23 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:08.800 and prepare to be scandalized, tantalized and thoroughly entertained. Trust us, you'll 24 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:14.919 never look at the royals the same way again. Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness, 25 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:17.520 the rumors, and the royal rumpus. Well, well, well, 26 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:22.240 just when you thought the House of Windsor couldn't get any more dramatic than a 27 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:28.039 soap opera with crowns, along comes a saucy new subplot to keep US Commonwealth 28 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:35.879 commoners theorizing enter one Sarah Rose Hanbury, the mad for hats marchioness of Cholmundalay, 29 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:40.159 who's found herself smack dab in the middle of a right royal rumpus over 30 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:46.240 rumors of a rather close friendship with a certain future king. Cue the raised 31 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:53.759 eyebrows and scandalized whispers from behind gloved hands. Now, before we get into 32 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:58.599 the who, what, where an alleged why of this aristocratic intrigue, let's 33 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:04.120 take a gander at the real, the one beyond the breathless headlines and social 34 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:10.560 media speculation. Born Sarah Rose Hanbury in March nineteen eighty four to wealthy website 35 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:17.080 designer Timothy Hanbury and his fashioned maven wife Emma, Rose was seemingly destined for 36 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:23.719 a life of poshness from her first breaths, with her mother, Lady Elizabeth 37 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:29.759 Lambert, being one of Queen Elizabeth the sex cherished bridesmaids and lifelong chums, 38 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:34.759 Little Rose had some rather big royal shoes to fill. No pressure kid. 39 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:42.439 After a suitably swanky upbringing, flitting between stately homes and boarding at the exclusive 40 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:50.280 Stowe School, where Tatler Magazine's posh O meter practically explodes our heroine caught the 41 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:55.479 eye of Storm, the star making modeling agency that unleashed Kate Moss on an 42 00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:03.719 unsuspecting world. Suddenly Rose was gracing glossy magazine spreads left and right, hobnobbing 43 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:10.080 with the it crowd, and jetting off to exotic locales like that one time 44 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:15.519 she was papped partying in an itsy bitsy bikini with naughty little Cis Marina and 45 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:23.319 then PM Tony Blair on a two thousand and five Barbados getaway. Oh to 46 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:29.519 be fabulously privileged and sun kissed. But Rose wasn't just another pretty face. 47 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:34.600 She also had political ambitions. Before you could say kh chief of staff, 48 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:41.639 the brainy beauty had snagged a gig as a researcher for Conservative MP Michael Gove, 49 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:47.240 because why choose between looks and books when you can have both. Overachievers, 50 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:53.959 Everything changed one fateful Italian holiday in two thousand and three, when Rose 51 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:59.560 crossed paths with David, the seventh Marquess of Cholman Delay at a dinner party. 52 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.360 It was your classic boy from esteemed aristocratic family meets girl from esteemed aristocratic 53 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:10.199 family love story despite the twenty three year age gap, but really, what's 54 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:15.000 a couple decades when you're disgustingly rich. It was a match made in high 55 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:19.319 society heaven. Six years of courtship later, Rose and David tied the knot 56 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:24.839 in a low key ceremony at Chelsea Town Hall. So low key, in 57 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:29.079 fact, that they basically told the press talked to the hand when they came 58 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:33.759 sniffing around for deats. As if that wasn't enough excitement, Rose promptly popped 59 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:41.000 out adorable twin boys just months later, making them the youngest aristocratic twins born 60 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:46.759 since the Middle Ages. The new parents christened the little Lords Alexander and Oliver, 61 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:51.680 which are very respectable, very English, very plummy choices. Indeed, 62 00:05:53.439 --> 00:06:00.120 the newly minted marchioness and her husband then did what any self respecting aristocratic cusup 63 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:06.079 would do. They moved into David's family's jaw droppingly massive country estate, Houghton 64 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:12.279 Hall, which looks like something straight out of Bridgerton or Downton Abbey. In 65 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:17.800 fact, eagle eyed viewers might have spotted the gorgeous Palladian pile standing in for 66 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:25.040 the latter on screen, built in the seventeen twenties, the stately spread clocks 67 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:30.240 in at a wopping one hundred and six rooms, one thousand acres and one 68 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:38.079 very shiny art collection. Imagine the heating bills on that bad boy. Houghton 69 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:42.839 Hall just so happens to be a hop, skip and a jump from the 70 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:47.680 Prince and Princess of Wales's country home of Anmer Hall on the Queen Sandringham estate. 71 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:51.959 Yet it's a small world after all, especially when you're part of the 72 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:58.639 landed gentry. Before you could say fancy a spot of pheasant shooting, Rose 73 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:03.399 and David had become hard carrying members of William and Kate's ultra exclusive social set 74 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:10.240 nicknamed the Turnip Tofts, which is either a reference to Norfolk's cash crop or 75 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:14.199 a bunch of posh people who are thick as will you get it soon? 76 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:18.639 The Cholmundleys were popping up at all the same swanky soirees, charity galas and 77 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:25.879 royal shindigs as the Cambridges. They even snagged seats at a lavish Buckingham Palace 78 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:30.519 state banquet in twenty seventeen, where a beaming Rose decked out in a daffodil 79 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:35.959 yellow gown and enough diamonds to blind the Hubble telescope was seated just a table 80 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:42.560 away from Prince Harry. Tongues were already wagging about her chummy relationship with the 81 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:46.199 future King and Queen. Cut to twenty nineteen, and the rumor mill suddenly 82 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:54.680 kicked into overdrive with breathless and totally unsubstantiated reports of a falling out between Kate 83 00:07:54.759 --> 00:08:01.839 and Rose over her supposed inappropriate closeness to William. The sordid insinuations ranged from 84 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:07.839 an innocent flirtation to a full blown affair, although curiously no one seemed to 85 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:13.120 be able to get their story straight. Was it a harmless crush or a 86 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:18.360 passionate liaison, a one time indiscretion or an ongoing dalliance. The devil, 87 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:22.439 as they say, is in the details. For their part, the Palace 88 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:28.199 remained characteristically tight lipped on the matter, refusing to dignify the hearsay with so 89 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:33.000 much as an eye roll. After all, engaging with baseless gossip is a 90 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:37.480 big royal no no. Best to keep calm and carry on, stiff upper 91 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:43.080 lip and all that. Even the Cholmondles and the Cambridges kept things light and 92 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:48.320 breezy in public, gamely posing for photos at the same events with narry and 93 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:54.120 awkward air kiss or side eye to fuel the scandal fires, But the Internet's 94 00:08:54.120 --> 00:09:00.279 insatiable appetite for all things royal, especially of this salacious variety, cannot be 95 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:05.639 underestimated. Theories about the alleged tryst between the People's prints and the sultry marchioness 96 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:13.799 proliferated, with keyboard warriors parsing every micro expression and gesture for signs of trouble 97 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:18.960 in royal paradise? Did William smile look a little too forced? Was that 98 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:22.159 a flicker of jealousy in Kate's eyes? Is the crunching sound you hear? 99 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:28.159 The British aristocracy slowly imploding under the weight of this scandal. The plot thickened 100 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:33.960 in twenty twenty two thanks to some seriously spicy blind items from Gossip, a 101 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:41.240 Count deu moy hinting at an unnamed royal's extramarital activities with a mystery mistress. 102 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:48.080 According to the anonymous tip, the royal in question had a penchant for ahem 103 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:54.240 pegging don't google it gran, which his prim and proper wife allegedly refused to 104 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:01.440 entertain Apparently the misses didn't mind her husband sewing as well, as long as 105 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:09.559 things didn't get too emotional. Q a gazillion monocle popping emojis. While Doomoy 106 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:15.840 never named names, that didn't stop royal watchers from wildly speculating. Before you 107 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:20.879 could say hide the Corgies, social media was flooded with side by side photos 108 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:26.519 of a beaming Wills with Rose at various public events. Her apparent absence from 109 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:31.639 high profile royal shindigs in the wake of the rumors only added fuel to the 110 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:37.480 fire. Some wondered if she'd been quietly phased out of the Cambridge's inner circle 111 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:41.960 to quash the persistent whispers once and for all. In a curious twist, 112 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:48.759 none other than the artist formerly known as Prince Harry appeared to drop a not 113 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:56.799 so subtle hint about the Palace's supposed efforts to shield Will's reputation at all costs 114 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:03.720 in his and Megan's headline making NETFLI docuseries. They were happy to lie to 115 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:09.159 protect my brother, the Royal in exile, declared dramatically to the cameras his 116 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:15.639 brow furrowed in consternation. Hm, what lies could those possibly be? Has. 117 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:20.799 Just when the whole messy situation seemed poised to fade into the royal rear 118 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:26.759 view mirror, author Omeed Scobie came out with the explosive claim that Kensington Palace 119 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.919 had gone into full damage control mode when the Wills and Rose story first broke 120 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:39.080 back in twenty nineteen. In his bombshell book Endgame, Scoby alleged that the 121 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:45.399 Palace offered up juicy exclusives to the press in exchange for squashing reports of the 122 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:52.399 alleged affair Q a resounding record scratch. Meanwhile, Kate's mysterious disappearance from public 123 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:58.480 life for several months in twenty twenty four only served to reignite the smoldering infidelity 124 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:05.240 rumors. The usually ubiquitous princess was nowhere to be seen for weeks on end, 125 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:11.320 prompting fevered speculation about the state of her marriage. Was she hold up 126 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:16.399 in her ivory tower, turning a blind eye to her husband's supposed indiscretions, 127 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:22.960 or was she quietly plotting her revenge Circe Lanister's style, the mind and the 128 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:28.600 Daily Mail boggled. The situation came to a head with the revelation that Kate 129 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:37.679 had reportedly undergone an unspecified abdominal surgery in January. While the Palace was characteristically 130 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:43.159 vague about the details, citing the princess's right to medical privacy, the timing 131 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:50.480 struck some as awfully convenient. After all, what better way to explain away 132 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:56.399 a prolonged absence than a health scare requiring convalescence away from the prying eyes of 133 00:12:56.440 --> 00:13:01.679 the public. Very interesting. Indeed, Kate's oddly staged return to the spotlight 134 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:07.200 in March only raised more questions than it answered. In honor of the UK's 135 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:15.519 Mothering Sunday, Kensington Palace released a painfully posy family portrait lensed by none other 136 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:20.879 than Will's himself. Decked out in matching periwinkle outfits, the princess and her 137 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:26.840 brood flashed Megawat's smiles at the camera, but only the most naive observer could 138 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:33.480 ignore the undercurrent of tension simmering beneath the surface. Then there was the rather 139 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:39.600 glaring matter of Kate's naked ring finger, her iconic sapphire and diamond sparkler know 140 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:46.440 where to be seen, Whether an innocent oversight or a deliberate statement, the 141 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:52.159 absence of the late Princess Diana's bauble ignited a firestorm of conjecture. After all, 142 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:56.519 what woman in her right mind would ditch a priceless piece of jewelry with 143 00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:01.519 such sentimental significance, unless, of course, said jewelry was tainted by the 144 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:07.879 specter of a husband's wandering eye. The interwebs, ever, eagle eyed sleuth's 145 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:15.399 added fuel to the conspiracy fire after identifying some curious photoshop fails in the too 146 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:20.679 perfect portrait? Was that a weird warp in Charlotte's teeny hand? Did Louis 147 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:26.000 arm look a tad too long for his body? How many faberget eggs does 148 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:33.440 it take to airbrush an entire royal out of existence? The digital clues, 149 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:39.000 real or imagined, only solidified the growing perception that all was not quite right 150 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:45.840 in the Cambridge household. Unfortunately, for the Palace's poor, overworked pr team, 151 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.840 the obvious attempt at projecting stability and marital bliss backfired in spectacular fashion. 152 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:58.879 Instead of tamping down on the rose rumors, the Bizarro portraits sent them skyrock 153 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:07.200 into the stratosphere, once again casting an unflattering spotlight on the air to the 154 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:13.279 throne's personal life. As one top brass courtier sniffed to the Daily Beast, 155 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:18.639 what else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing 156 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.759 her wedding ring? In other words, come on, Kate, read the 157 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:28.960 heavily embroidered room. Now. It must be said that despite all the digital 158 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:33.440 ink spilled, there's been nary a peep from the Cholmandalies, the Whaleses or 159 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:41.320 their respective camps directly addressing the swirling innuendo. Rose herself has kept a regal 160 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:46.639 radio silence on the matter, quietly going about her charitable commitments and landing lucrative 161 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:52.799 brand deals. A duchess has to keep herself in tiaras somehow. Her dashing 162 00:15:52.919 --> 00:16:00.080 husband, David, meanwhile, seems characteristically unperturbed, maintaining his sarah commonial duties 163 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:07.279 as Lord Great Chamberlain with nary a paparazzi bating grimace. Perhaps the most telling 164 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:14.480 reaction, however, comes from future King Wills himself. The usually media savvy 165 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:19.840 Prince has remained curiously tight lipped in the face of the feverish speculation, avoiding 166 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:25.879 the hot button topic like a regifted fruit cake at Christmas. His stone faced 167 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:30.320 stoicism has only served to fan the flames of conjecture, much to the Palace's 168 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:37.279 ever growing chagrin. So where does this leave our mysterious marchioness. Is she 169 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:41.000 destined to go down in history as the Wallas Simpson of her generation? Or 170 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:47.840 will she eventually clear her name and reclaim her rightful place in the royal pecking 171 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:53.240 order. Will the Windsors weather this latest scandal with their trademark never complain, 172 00:16:53.759 --> 00:17:00.360 never explain, sang fois? Or will the simmering tensions finally boil over into 173 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:07.799 a full blown crisis a lah squidgygait, And perhaps most importantly, will Wills 174 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:15.079 and Kate's marriage emerge stronger than ever or quietly dissolve in a whirlwind of acrimony 175 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:22.000 and pr spin. Only time and omeed Scobi's next book deal will tell how 176 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:26.960 this right royal rumpus shakes out in the end. But one thing's for certain. 177 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:33.240 The ravenous public appetite for all things Windsor shows no signs of abating any 178 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:40.920 time soon. Stay tuned, loyal subjects. Something tells me this monarchy isn't 179 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.160 quite ready to go quietly into that good night. Now, who wants a 180 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:51.039 dubenet and gin well, there you have it, folks, the scandalous, 181 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:56.680 the salacious, and the downright jaw dropping story of Rose Hanberry, the marchioness 182 00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:04.119 who's got the royal world. From high society high jinks to palace intrigue. 183 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:10.160 This tale has it all whether you're a die hard windsor watcher or just a 184 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:14.559 sucker for a juicy scandal. We hope you've enjoyed this deep dive into the 185 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:18.759 privileged world of the British aristocracy, and who knows, maybe we've even shed 186 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:25.359 a little light on the mysterious machinations of the monarchy itself. But before we 187 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:29.599 go, we want to take a moment to thank you, our loyal listeners, 188 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.920 for tuning in and indulging your guilty pleasure with us. We know you 189 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:37.920 have a lot of choices when it comes to podcasts, and we're honored that 190 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:41.440 you've chosen to spend your time with us. If you've enjoyed this wild ride 191 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.200 of a story, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to hit 192 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:51.680 that subscribe button and leave us a rating and review. Your feedback helps us 193 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:56.519 to keep bringing you the most fascinating and entertaining stories from around the world. 194 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:00.359 And of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our 195 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:07.440 amazing sponsors at Quiet Please Podcast Networks. Their commitment to quality programming and storytelling 196 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:12.240 is what allows us to keep doing what we love, entertaining and informing you, 197 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:17.599 our beloved audience. So once again, thank you for listening, thank 198 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:21.599 you for subscribing, and thank you for being a part of the Quiet Please 199 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:26.079 family. Until next time, keep your ears open and your mind curious. 200 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:32.920 You never know what scandalous stories might be lurking just around the corner. This 201 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:37.039 podcast was brought to you by Quiet Please Podcast Networks, the home of compelling 202 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:38.799 stories told quietly.