Who Is Rose Hanbury's Son Oliver?

If it seems as though all eyes have been on the royals in 2023. The coronation of King Charles III issued in a flurry of new activity. Although he was already king at the time of the coronation, the event serves as "the formal investiture of a monarch with their regal powers," according to the Royal Collection Trust. To say that Charles has been close enough to touch the crown — but far enough away to never seize it — is an understatement. At 74 years old at the time of being crowned, Charles finally fulfilled his royal fate.

Senior members of the firm were out in full force on May 6, 2023. Prince William and Princess Catherine were heavily featured, as they are the future king and queen themselves, and their son, Prince George, also played a prominent role. George and three other young boys served as pages of honor on Charles' big day. One of the king's pages was Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, the son of David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and Rose Hanbury.

Here's what you should know about the young lord.

There aren't a ton of young teenage male members of the immediate royal family, so it's no surprise that King Charles III's pages of honor are from other high society families. However, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley is the only page that is not directly linked to the firm by blood or familial title. Oliver is the son of David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and Rose Hanbury. David has a prominent position within Charles' royal office, and he and Rose are staples on the high society circuit. Still, it is a little strange that a member of the royal family — say James, Earl of Wessex, who is 15 — wasn't chosen instead.

Oliver was joined by Prince George, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache on coronation day. George is, of course, Charles' grandson and the second in line to the British throne. Nicholas is a distant relative of the royal family and his grandmother, Sarah Troughton, is a family friend of Camilla, Queen Consort. Meanwhile, Ralph is the son of Charles' godson, Edward Tollemache — a British banker and aristocrat.

Oliver's father, David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, has been a staple on the high society scene for years, and his wife, Rose Hanbury, is the picture of aristocratic elegance, contributing to charities and rubbing shoulders with the members of the monarchy.

Though Oliver is not a member of the royal family, his father does serve in a particularly sought-after position within King Charles III's royal office. Shortly after becoming king, Charles named David as his lord-in-waiting, meaning that David can represent the king on formal occasions and welcome foreign dignitaries, among a slew of other coveted responsibilities. Given that his father fulfills such an important role, it's a little easier to understand why Oliver was chosen to play such a visible part on coronation day.

Of course, Oliver's mom is also connected to the royal family — but this is thanks to whispers and gossip. She has long been known as Prince William's rumored mistress, though their connection has been vehemently denied. Charles, obviously, doesn't seem to pay much mind to the rumors.

Rose Hanbury, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley's mom, is the supposed other woman in Prince William and Princess Catherine's marriage, and the whispers have been circulating around her for years. Rose and William were first connected in 2019 when the British tabloid, The Sun, asserted that Catherine had competition with Rose. A report from the Daily Mail quickly followed, noting that William and Rose had "considered legal action" regarding the supposedly false report "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."

And that's what has been the tactic since then — ignore. Neither Catherine nor Rose has ever addressed the rumors, and in fact, Rose has been a staple on the royal scene ever since. She was photographed at Prince Philip's memorial as well as Queen Elizabeth II's funeral – alone. Amid all the whispers, Rose's marriage to David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, has seemingly fallen apart.

The rumors caught on with even more fervor when British journalist Giles Coren took to Twitter in a since-deleted post, writing: "Yes, it is an affair. ... I know about the affair. Everyone knows about the affair, darling" (via SheKnows). Clearly, King Charles III doesn't mind the whispers, given that he chose Oliver to fulfill such an important role during his coronation.

Serving as the bridge between two families is a lot of pressure for a 13-year-old, let alone fulfilling a role during the coronation of a lifetime. But that seems to be the position that Lord Oliver Cholmondeley was in. Not only did he serve as a page of honor during King Charles III's coronation, but a royal insider went as far as to say that the presence of Oliver, his father David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his mother, Rose Hanbury, at the coronation could be an intentional display of unity between the royals and the aristocratic family. 

Of course, not all believe that the gossip is true. "There has never been any enmity between Kate and Rose. The rumors were all a load of rubbish. The family are ancient allies of the Crown and they will be there," one source told The Daily Beast. Given David's role within Charles' office, the outlet reported, "He will be present at all important state and royal occasions and can even stand in for the king at diplomatic events."

Charles certainly seems determined to snuff out the whispers — or ignore them altogether.

In case you're new here, royal and aristocratic titles in Great Britain are a big deal. They represent not only designation within social circles but oftentimes are indicative of inheritance — money, land, and duchies can all be linked to specific titles that are passed down, typically from father to son.

Lord Oliver Cholmondeley may have a designated title to his name, but it comes with a bit of a catch. His father David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his mother Rose Hanbury got married in a whirlwind ceremony and shortly thereafter announced the were expecting. Oliver, coincidently, is a twin, and his brother, Alexander Hugh George, was born just minutes before him. And those few minutes sealed the boys' fate.

Alexander is the heir to the Marquess of Cholmondeley and will get the title of Earl of Rocksavage from his father. Meanwhile, Oliver was simply given the title of lord — because you can't have everything in this aristocratic life, right? His younger sister, born in 2016, also got a lesser designation and is Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley.