A Look At The Lavish Lives Of Rose Hanbury's Kids
Before Rose Hanbury married David Rocksavage, Marquess of Cholmondeley, she grew up at Wembury House, a picturesque mansion hundreds of years old in Devon, England. Then, after her 2009 wedding, Hanbury not only received the title Marchioness of Cholmondeley, but she also upgraded to an even more luxurious lifestyle.
As part of his vast wealth, Rocksavage owns two storied properties: Cholmondeley Castle and Houghton Hall. While he grew up at the family castle, Rocksavage and Hanbury, along with their three children, live at Houghton Hall. "I was startled by the house on my first visit — it is so beautiful," Hanbury later reflected to the Financial Times. While its size was somewhat daunting, Hanbury saw its potential for a family home. "The house never felt spooky — you could sense that it has been well lived in and loved."
Houghton Hall contains 106 rooms; so many that Hanbury herself lost count of her home's spacious interior. Given that this massive dwelling is 300 years old, it's not surprising that it needed a few renovations to make it more kid-friendly, like a modern, eat-in kitchen. In addition, Hanbury also updated the décor in her sons' bedrooms. Even so, the two rooms were already pretty impressive. Since they're located under two of the hall's domes, these bedrooms have six walls instead of four. However, enviable bedrooms are only a fraction of the lavish lifestyle the Cholmondeley kids experience.
The Cholmondeley mansion is a playground
Given the huge square footage of Houghton Hall, home of Rose Hanbury and her husband David Rocksavage, it's not surprising that the house has an elevator in addition to its grand staircases. Although an elevator might prove convenient for getting around the house expediently, it was also a source of anxiety for Hanbury when her twin sons were young and operated it without adult supervision. "They were only toddlers, but because there were two of them, they could team up and drag a chair across, so they could reach the button," Hanbury later described to Town & Country.
While some of the rooms are more like a museum with displays of historic artifacts, other rooms are an indoor playground for her children. "The boys also love the main arcade — the entrance hall — and use it as a skateboarding and roller-skating arena," Hanbury divulged to The English Home. "It has columns to weave between and they get up quite a speed." In addition, on the off-chance that the couple's children get bored with this indoor arena, they can explore the 42 acres of countryside that are part of the house's grounds.
The twins have also used their creative ingenuity to bring other outdoor elements indoors. When they were very small, the brothers spread coffee and flour all over the floor to emulate a muddy and snowy landscape.
Hanbury's three kids have titles and prestigious royal roles
Given their aristocratic status, it's not surprising that everyone in the Cholmondeley family has some sort of title. Rose Hanbury and David Rocksavage are Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, while Alexander, one of their twin sons, is Earl of Rocksavage. Their other twin son is Lord Oliver, and their daughter is Lady Iris. When Alexander and Oliver's birth complicated the process of handing out titles, Hanbury and her husband used an unconventional method to choose the heir. Since both boys had the same birth time, the couple decided Alexander would eventually succeed his dad because he was larger at birth.
While Alexander is going to have to wait before receiving the Marquess honor and inheriting the family estate, Oliver got to enjoy a prestigious honor as a teen when he was named a royal page of honor in 2023. As one of King Charles' four pages, Oliver had a highly visible role at the king's historic coronation when he helped carry the train of the monarch's royal robe. Oliver's page responsibilities extend to other select events, such as when he held Charles' robe in May 2024 at a ceremony for the Order of the British Empire. He's also continuing his family's legacy of service to the royals. Previously, Rocksavage served Queen Elizabeth as Lord Great Chamberlain, before transitioning to the role of Lord-in-Waiting during Charles' reign, and Hanbury's developed a strong relationship with the royals since her marriage.