A Look Back At Rose Hanbury's Modeling Career Before Royal Fame
The Marchioness of Cholmondeley, Sarah "Rose" Hanbury's name swiftly landed on the tips of tongues everywhere amid the disturbing theories surrounding Kate Middleton's supposed disappearance. And while we finally know what happened to the Princess of Wales (and boy, oh boy, were we wrong), Hanbury's name has inadvertently remained in the headlines.
As you may recall, Hanbury first made headlines back in 2019 when In Touch reported that William, the Prince of Wales, and Hanbury were suspected of carrying on an extramarital affair, per Celebitchy. In true royal fashion, the future king and queen couple remained tight-lipped regarding the circulating rumors and doubled down on the "never complain, never explain" purported royal family motto. Hanbury also followed suit and never uttered a word about the alleged dalliance. However, following the most recent kerfuffle, Hanbury did decide to speak out via her lawyer. "The rumors are completely false," Hanbury's attorney told Business Insider.
It's important to note, however, that prior to being implicated in the royal family drama and subsequently dubbed "Camilla 2.0" (yikes!), Hanbury was a woman with hopes, dreams, and aspirations all her own. In fact, Hanbury led a relatively successful life, achieving fame and even some notoriety as a model.
Rose Hanbury was signed to a modeling agency at 23 years old
Rose Hanbury wears many hats these days, including that of wife, mother of three, a patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices, and meticulous caretaker of Houghton Hall, the historical estate she and hubby David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley inherited. "It's a case of constantly keeping an eye on things, making sure you get expert advice and help in the conservation [of the interiors and architecture]. We take great pride and care in doing so," Hanbury told The English Home.
No doubt, Hanbury's current life of sophisticated domesticity is in stark contrast to her younger years working as a fashion model. The story goes that Hanbury landed a modeling contract with Storm Management at 23 years old. As you may recall, supermodel Kate Moss also signed with the same British modeling agency. So yeah, it's a pretty big deal.
While Hanbury has remained relatively mum about that time in her life, she does provide glimpses every now and then by way of Houghton Hall's official Instagram account. "A very old photo that re-emerged on my phone today, from a shoot with @poplinlondon. I'm sitting in a room at Houghton which I particularly love because of all the rich colours and old velvet curtains," the marchioness recalled in a nostalgic post on February 28, 2022.
Was Rose Hanbury a party girl?
Still, some have floated the idea that it wasn't exactly all work and no play for Rose Hanbury during her modeling years. The future marchioness caused quite a stir when a 2005 photograph was released featuring Rose and her sister Marina Hanbury flanking then-Prime Minister Tony Blair while wearing nothing but pink string bikinis. Ruh-roh.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun that Hanbury has always been "an aristocrat in her own right and something of a free spirit." Still, Seward was careful to point out that Hanbury has seemingly calmed down quite a bit amid her transformation from model to Marchioness of Cholmondeley. "I think Rose was very much a party girl, but now she has three children and a stately home to manage, so I imagine she doesn't have much time," Seward went on. It should be noted, however, that the busy chatelaine does make time to host an all-out rave at her posh estate every year. The annual Houghton Festival takes place every August and, per the official website, is described as "a hedonistic playground, celebrating live and electronic music across four days on the charming and beautiful grounds of Houghton Hall." Well, alrighty then. Let the good times roll!