If you like the rose itself, and it was just the suckering that drove you crazy, you could try getting Charles de Mills as a grafted rose. I generally prefer own root roses, but the extreme wanderlust of the gallicas and rugosas has me preferring them grafted to own root. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this.

Rosefolly

Or a root barrier, as is installed for running bamboo?

Yes, the running roots that sprout suckers are not very deep. However, buying a grafted one and exposing the bud union slightly is the best solution. I have one such that I'm very happy with. Such a beauty, and carefree.

My Charles de Mills was grafted as are most roses in Europe but that didn't stop Charles from suckering. It took a year to dig out all the suckers and clean the bed. I put one sucker in the lawn and hope to keep it in check with the mower.

Manteau pourpre may be a substitute. Adèle Prévost is another but it often proliferates in an ugly way.

The flower on David Austen's Othello reminded me a lot of Charles de Mills but I did not grow Othello long enough to evaluate it as a plant.

Cath

mariannese, I'm curious as to how it could sucker if the graft is above grade.
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'Othello' is a horrible plant. 'Prospero' has a flower similar to the purple gallicas, plus repeat bloom, but the plant stays quite small.

I've grown Othello and it didn't last long in my garden. I've decided to leave this spot for spring bulbs and Zinnias...Thanks for your time...

Michael, in Sweden we bury the graft 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) below the surface so the true roots develop above the graft and leap far away close to the surface. Two other of my roses do this, Belle de Crécy and Nuits de Young. The roots are easy to remove if you get them in time but I didn't before they were entangled in other roses. All other grafted roses behave.

The picture shows the bed invaded by Charles de Mills from the original plant on the far left. One stunted red Gruss an Teplitz is visible in the middle and the bush Madame Caroline Testout is nearly suffocated at the front. Further up to the right is a big mauve or purple Cosimo Ridolfi that looks unperturbed but it isn't.