by Sarah Rose Cholmondeley, Marchioness Cholmondeley, has earned high praise for her style over the years, complimenting her ensembles at events including the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The former model, 39, was once a researcher for Conservative MP Michael Gove, but now spends her time managing the estate of her husband, David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.
The couple live with their three children – twins Alexander Hugh George Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage, and Lord Oliver Timothy George Cholmondeley, both 15, and daughter Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley, eight years old – at Houghton Hall, a listed stately home at Grade I. in Norfolk.
Built for Britain’s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, in the 1720s, Houghton Hall is set in extensive parkland famous for its fallow deer, and features a walled garden and lavishly decorated interiors by the architect. famous Englishman William Kent. A stone’s throw from Anmer Hall, the home of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Lady Rose first met Lord Cholmondeley, 23 years her senior, while on holiday in Italy in 2003. They announced their engagement six years later, one day before a quiet ceremony at Chelsea Town Hall in 2009 .
She was born to Timothy Hanbury, a website designer, and Emma Hanbury, a fashion designer. Her links to the royal family go back generations: her maternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambert, was one of the eight bridesmaids at the wedding of the late Queen Elizabeth II to the Duke of Edinburgh.
Educated at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, where annual tuition fees are around £38,000 for boarders, she was signed to leading modeling agency Storm, famous for discovering Kate Moss when she was 23. She made tabloid headlines once in 2005, after she was photographed on. holiday with her younger sister, Marina, and Tony Blair.
She had a short spell working for Michael Gove but left after giving birth to her two sons.
Lady Rose rarely gives interviews, but she opened up about life in the huge 106-room estate in April last year with Home of England, where she admitted it took her a while to get comfortable in the big environment.
“It feels hard to move anywhere at first, and it took me a while to adjust and feel at home,” she said. “We use the ground floor, and the second and third floors, where the bedrooms are. The State Rooms are the largest on the first floor. I don’t know how many rooms we have in total.”
She added: “Of course, a house changes as you add a family. Family life brings a new dimension and some things have to be adapted. One of the first things I did was add a family kitchen.
“I wanted it to be very cozy and relaxing, so it has a fireplace, a TV, a big sofa, and we can cook and eat there. Before that it was all very functional, and David and I had to eat in the dining room every night. Adding a family kitchen allowed us to live in a much more informal way.”
The house is “very much as it was” in the 1720s, she said, which is “a testament to the incredible care the house has received from its former occupants and the David family”.
When asked about the challenges of managing such a large estate, Lady Rose said it was a case of “always keeping an eye on things” and seeking expert advice, which she takes “very proud and very careful” for doing it.
“My husband is very knowledgeable,” she said. “And we have a great team that is absolutely essential to keep everything going. It’s a never-ending project – there are always things to preserve, preserve and restore. We have many specialists who come to advise. You meet so many experts and learn so much over the years.”
She appears to run the Houghton Hall Instagram account, and occasionally shares photos of her husband and children enjoying the grounds and gardens.
In recent years, she has been the subject of attention for her glamorous outfits at royal events, including at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2017, where she was seated next to Prince Harry.
She also attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in May last year, where she wore a white dress with bold black detailing and a black bow around her neck, paired with a veiled headband, bow heels, and diamond drop earrings and matching. thorn
Her son, Lord Oliver, was a Page of Honour, and her husband was appointed Lord in Waiting to King Charles.
Last year, she made headlines after it was reported that she had encouraged her close friend, Kate Middleton, to attend a music festival held at Houghton Hall, after they had dinner together at the estate.
She also works for a number of charities, including the East Anglia Children’s Hospice.
