Prince William's Friend Faces A Harsh Reality About His Role In The Monarchy
After 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II left her mark — literally — on the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries. Her face is on money and stamps around the world and her initials are on flags, which means there are a number of things that will need to change now that the queen has died and her son is now King Charles III (via The Guardian). King Charles is expected to make some big changes to the monarchy, but some smaller changes are already in the works. William and Kate are now the Prince and Princess of Wales, according to the BBC. Changes have also come for David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley.
Cholmondeley is a member of the British nobility, and he and his wife are also friends with William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Both Cholmondeley and his wife, Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley attended the 2011 wedding of William and Kate, and the couples run in the same social circle. Hanbury also attended Prince Philip's memorial last year, per the Daily Mail. Over the years, rumors have swirled that Prince William had an affair with Hanbury. According to the Daily Mail, both sides considered legal action against the publications that helped spread the rumors but eventually decided against it.
What isn't a rumor, however, is how Cholmondeley's position is changing with the change of monarch.
The Lord Great Chamberlain position changes hands when the monarch dies
While David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley will still be a marquess — below a duke and above an earl within the ranks of British nobility — he will no longer be Lord Great Chamberlain; instead, Rupert Carrington, 7th Lord of Carrington will take on the job, per the Daily Mail. The Lord Great Chamberlain is a hereditary and largely ceremonial position, but it has a number of duties, including arranging for the opening of Parliament by the sovereign. They also traditionally help the monarch during the coronation, according to The Monthly Review.
Cholmondeley lost the job not for any scandalous reason but because the tradition is that after a monarch dies, someone from a different noble family is chosen to fill the role. A friend of Cholmondeley's told the Daily Mail, "David always knew he would not have the job for life. It was an honour to carry it out for as long as he did."
Carrington has already started work as Lord Great Chamberlain. He led King Charles III and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, into Westminster Hall in London for King Charles' address to the Houses of Parliament, according to HuffPost UK.