The Untold Truth Of Rose Hanbury
The Duchess and Duke of Cambridge — aka Kate Middleton and Prince William — are seen as the perfect couple by many fans around the globe. From their fairy tale wedding to their beautiful family, there's a lot to admire about these royals. But a crack appeared in the royal lovebirds' relationship when, in March 2019, rumors surfaced that William had an affair with the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, Rose Hanbury (above left). The gossip kicked off after The Sun reported that Kate allegedly told William to kick Hanbury out of their exclusive friend circle. Given Kate's supposed close friendship with the former model and political researcher, speculation about the "real" reason for the alleged rift ran rampant.
We don't want to dive too deep into the salacious gossip (none of the whisperings have been confirmed as of this writing), but we are interested in exploring Hanbury's background. How did she meet William and Kate in the first place? Who did she marry to earn the fancy-pants title of marchioness? We'll tackle those questions and more in the untold truth of Rose Hanbury.
Wait, what are the Turnip Toffs?
If you're into royal news (Don't worry, we won't judge), then you've probably come across a strange nickname called the Turnip Toffs. The interesting moniker often appears in stories about Rose Hanbury's relationship with Kate Middleton and Prince William, so it's reasonable that some fans are curious about what all of this means. To put it simply, the term is used to describe notability and aristocrats living in the exclusive Norfolk, England countryside. "In London one is supposedly never more than 6ft from a rat. In this patch of Norfolk the same could be said of an aristocrat," society journalist Sophia Money-Coutts wrote in The Times when describing this elite group.
As a marchioness (a fancy term for noblewoman) residing in the area, Hanbury is supposedly a key member of this circle, and since Kate and William can't hobnob around town with any Old Joe, the marchioness is tangentially in their lives. Hanbury and her husband, David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, even attended the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in April 2011. Translation: the Turnip Toffs are a tight-knit bunch.
Her longtime ties to the royal family
If it seems like Rose Hanbury popped up out of nowhere, know that this couldn't be further from the case. Hanbury's paternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambert (later known as Lady Elizabeth Longman), was "a bridesmaid at the Queen's wedding to Prince Philip in 1947," according to Hello! magazine. A source told the Daily Mail that Longman (pictured above, in her role as a royal bridesmaid, in the upper row, second from the right) was reportedly a "lifelong friend" of the queen and one of "two non-royal attendants" at the nuptials.
Queen Elizabeth is the godmother to Longman's daughter, Caroline Longman, according to Town & Country. Caroline has recalled her fond memories of visiting Buckingham Palace, stating that she didn't know how "special" the opportunity was at the time (per the Daily Mail). When Lady Elizabeth Longman died in 2016 at age 92, People reported that queen "sent a private note of condolence" to her late friend's family.
Did Kate ice out Hanbury?
Rose Hanbury (above left) and Kate Middleton were supposedly close friends once upon a time. Kate attended a charity dinner hosted by Hanbury and her husband, David Rocksavage, in 2016, and the duchess has also attended the Houghton Hall Horse Trials, an annual horse riding competition held at the couple's estate. That's why it came as somewhat of a surprise when a March 2019 report alleged that Kate was pressuring Prince William to drop Hanbury from their friend group.
"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," a source told The Sun. "William wants to play peacemaker so 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." Yikes! If this is true, the future of their friendship doesn't look promising.
Rushing to the altar
The road to romance for Rose Hanbury and David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley (above) was anything but slow-paced. Over the course of three days in June 2009, they announced their engagement, revealed Rose's pregnancy with twins, and quietly tied the knot at Chelsea Town Hall in England (per The Telegraph.)
A few months later, in October 2009, Rose welcomed twin boys named Alexander Hugh George and Oliver Timothy George. The babies were originally expected to arrive in January 2010, but pregnancy complications threw a wrench into that plan. "All twins arrive slightly prematurely, and that will be the case for Rose," Hanbury's sister, Marina Hanbury, told the Daily Mail shortly before the brothers' debut.
The couple didn't rush, however, to add another child into the mix. Hanbury gave birth to their third kid, a little girl named Iris, in March 2016.
Hanbury and her sister have the same type
It's no secret that there's a 23-year age gap between Rose Hanbury and her husband, David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and as it turns out, May-December romances run in the Hanbury family. Case in point: Hanbury's sister, Marina Hanbury (above right), is married to Ned Lambton, the Earl of Durham, a guy about 20 years her senior.
Of course, age is just a number, but we can't help but find it a bit interesting that Rose was once engaged to Ned's son, Fred Viscount Lambton. "It's all a bit incestuous because Rose dated Fred when she was younger and Marina also shared a flat with him for a while," an insider told the Daily Mail in March 2010. "That's how she met Ned. They got it on just before Christmas. It seems to have progressed at lightning speed and the engagement is now the talk of the town.'
The Telegraph reported another version of their love affair, with Ned supposedly reaching out to Marina on Facebook after dreaming about her one night. "I know I am way too old for you, but I love you," the message supposedly read. The Journal picks up the rather ambiguous story from there, reporting "they began dating after Christmas in 2009" and got engaged "just three months" later. They wed in January 2011. Whatever works, right?
Her surprising connection to Kate Moss
Once upon a time, the stunning Rose Hanbury was represented by Storm, a top tier modeling agency based in the United Kingdom. The agency has represented many notable fashion icons throughout the years, including Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, and Cara Delevingne, to name a few. Hanbury posts about her fashion days on Instagram from time to time. "Old pic of me posing away for @poplinlondon," she captioned a beautiful throwback shot. The marchioness also modeled alongside actress Amanda Seyfried for Vogue, a moment she reminded fans of in this August 2016 post.
Most impressively, Hanbury modeled for W Magazine 's Haute Bohemians Celebrate the Splendor of Life campaign while pregnant with her third child, Iris. "What makes a Bohemian? Generations of It girls including Suki Waterhouse, Margherita Missoni, and Debbie Von Bismarck ponder the nature of the Bohemian and the splendor of life in this Emma Summerton-photographed video," read a description of the gorgeous shoot. Get it, girl.
She has this in common with Kate
In addition to their high-profile status and shared Norfolk neighborhood, Rose Hanbury and Kate Middleton are connected by a less than ideal thread — morning sickness. Kate dealt with hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that causes severe morning sickness, during her pregnancies with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. It's a plight Hanbury knows all too well. When the marchioness was pregnant with her twin boys in 2009, she dealt with bouts of morning sickness. Her symptoms reportedly forced her to quit her job as "political assistant to Shadow Schools Secretary Michael Gove," reported the Daily Mail.
Morning sickness is no joke. "Your life is on hold while the symptoms are present," Dr. Roger Gadsby of Warwick University told CBS News, so props to Kate and Hanbury for dealing with this tough issue while growing their families.
'A very significant eight ounces'
When you're of a certain nobility, it's not uncommon to choose an heir to inherit your fortune and title. This common tradition was a bit complicated for Rose Hanbury and her husband, David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, when they welcomed twin boys into the world in October 2009. The issue? They had to choose one son to carry on their legacy, so how did they reach a conclusion?
The couple supposedly made the decision based off of weight. "They have decided that the eighth marquess will be the boy who weighed more at birth," a friend told The Telegraph. "There was only eight ounces in it, but they will be a very significant eight ounces." We're not well-versed in the rules of nobility, but this seems like an unorthodox way to settle such a weighty decision. To each their own, we suppose.
Her hubby isn't cash rich
An ultra-regal title like Marquess of Cholmondeley probably makes you think of money, and while it's true that Rose Hanbury's husband (above left) comes from wealth — he inherited Houghton Hall, a stunning 4,000-acre and 106-room estate — he's not necessarily rich. Yeah, we're confused too. Here's what happened:
The Marquess of Cholmondeley — also known as David Rocksavage — reportedly inherited £118 million (around $153 million in U.S. currency) and two estates when his father died in 1990, but contrary to what the numbers might say, Rocksavage isn't swimming in pools of money. ”It's not what people think. A lot of the money people say I have is tied up in trusts or in artwork or in land," he told The New York Times in 1997. "I'm a curator as much as anything, which is a side of things I do enjoy. Going to the country and looking after things. But there is a lot about it that I don't like.” Hold on a sec — we're trying to find where we left the world's tiniest violin.
As it turns out, Rocksavage probably wasn't kidding about the whole I'm not really rich rich thing. The Daily Mail reported in June 2016 that the Marquess "had to sell Hans Holbein the Younger's Lady With A Squirrel And A Starling to the National Gallery" for £10 million (about $13 million) because he's "more asset-rich than cash-rich."