Duchess Kate’s ‘Rural Rival’ Rose Hanbury Attends Trump State Dinner

Nearly 200 guests attended the state dinner at Buckingham Palace held for Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, but one of the attendees stuck out, and it had nothing to do with the president.

Hello Magazine noted that the Norfolk neighbor of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, and the woman alleged to be feuding with the Duchess of Cambridge as a result of infidelity rumors, entered the hall at the end of the procession, and was seated near the royal couple.

For years, Hanbury has been a staple of state dinners, but recently her contact with the royals and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in particular, has cooled. She is married to David Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley and Lord Great Chamberlain, who has a ceremonial role at the Palace of Westminster. He was also in attendance at the event to honor Trump.

Rose Hanbury and her husband live at Palladian Houghton Hall in Norfolk, near to Anmer Hall — the rural residence of Prince William and Kate Middleton. For years, the couples have been in the same social circle, with the women reportedly being close friends before the rumors started swirling about a possible dalliance between Prince William and Hanbury.

Town & Country acknowledged that the Marchioness of Cholmondeley did attend the dinner last night, and was seated “fairly close” to the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William.

Both couples have allegedly considered legal action to dispel the rumors of an affair, with Richard Kay of The Daily Mail saying that both Hanbury and the Duchess of Cambridge “have considered legal action but, because none of the reports have been able to offer any evidence about what the so-called dispute is about, they have chosen to ignore it.”

On Twitter, investigative journalist Ellie Hall identified the woman photographed with Hanbury to be Sarah Vine, a Daily Mail columnist and wife of politician Michael Gove.

As reported in The Inquisitr, the rumored bad blood between Kate Middleton and Rose Hanbury first surfaced in March, and was initially dismissed as a simple “falling out” between two friends.

The women, whose children are of similar ages, stopped socializing, according to a source, and Duchess Kate reportedly told Prince William she wanted Hanbury out of their circle.

“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.”