Who Is Rose Hanbury's Son Oliver?
If it seems as though all eyes have been on the royals, a new period of time has upped the stakes. The coronation of King Charles III has issued in a flurry of new activity — though he is already king, the coronation marks the former Prince of Wales finally fulfilling the role he has been preparing for. 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 getting crowned, he is finally fulfilling his royal fate.
Of course, Charles' coronation — which is scheduled for May 6, 2023 — will see the senior members of the firm out in full force. Prince William and Princess Catherine are sure to be heavily featured, as they are the future king and queen themselves, and their son, Prince George, will also have a prominent role. George — along with three other young boys — will serve as a page of honor on his grandfather's big day. For a family that has been adamant that their children have as normal of a childhood as possible, seeing George in such a prominent position on the day in question is certainly a big deal.
He will be joined by Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, who is also serving as a page. The son of David Rocksavage, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and Rose Hanbury, Oliver is fulfilling an important role — all under the guise of some serious royal drama.
All eyes are on Oliver amid King Charles III's coronation
Lord Oliver Cholmondeley is just 13 years old, and yet all eyes will be on him, Prince George, and two other pages of honor during King Charles III's coronation. But what exactly will his role be on the day? Coronations follow a distinct set of rules and traditions — from the garments worn to the order of the procession, the royal protocol is followed to the letter. The pages are four distinct young boys who will be the closest in proximity to Charles on the day, directly following him during the procession in Westminster Abbey — it is all very formal.
Pages of honor aren't just a fixture during a coronation. Throughout British history, they have fulfilled this ceremonial role during major events, including the opening of Parliament. Typically, the pages are chosen from the male teenage family members of the firm or the young adolescent sons of aristocratic families.
"Throughout the Coronation Service on 6th May, Their Majesties will each be attended by four Pages of Honour," the palace released in a statement ahead of the coronation (via Town & Country). "The Pages will form part of the procession through the Nave of Westminster Abbey." And, if having the eyes of the world on him wasn't enough, Oliver and the rest of the pages of honor will be responsible for carrying Charles' ceremonial robes as he makes his way to the throne — talk about a big deal.
Oliver is the only coronation page who is not related to the royal family in some capacity
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 will be joined by Prince George, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache on coronation day. George, of course, is 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. All the pages are somehow familially linked except for Oliver.
Meanwhile, Camilla has chosen her four pages directly from her family, with a close friend telling The Times: "She wants to be loyal to the people who've stood by her," and that attitude is directly reflected in her own page choices.
Oliver will have to follow specific guidelines during the coronation
The coronation of a British monarch is all about ceremony and symbolism — it's no surprise that King Charles III's pages of honor will have a rulebook (metaphorically) that they will have to follow to the letter on the day in question. Lord Oliver Cholmondeley — alongside Prince George, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache — will be dressed in specific garments as a page, representative of the connection the pages share with the monarch. They have to hold the ceremonial robes as Charles ascends the aisle of Westminster Abbey, and have to maintain a stoic demeanor throughout what will surely be one of the most watched ceremonies in recent royal history.
Starting with the dress code, Oliver and the three other pages will have to wear a deep red coat, skimming the knee, that is adorned with gold trim. This will be situated over a white vest and lace jabot — think of the frills worn on the chest that descend from the collar. Moving down, Oliver will then be required to wear white stockings and black, buckled shoes.
Carrying the monarch's robes is already a big deal, but Oliver and the other pages will also have to carry a ceremonial sword during the coronation (via the New York Post). This is to represent the pages' position as the protectors of the monarch — sounds like an awful lot of responsibility for four tweens.
Oliver's father has a prominent role in King Charles III's royal office
Now that we've gotten through just what Lord Oliver Cholmondeley's role on coronation day will look like, we can get into the details of just who this young teen is. Starting with his father, Oliver is one of the teen sons of David Rocksavage, the Marquess of Cholmondeley. David 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 monarch (we promise we'll get there).
Though Oliver is not a member of the royal family — unlike the rest of the pages of honor — his father does serve in a particularly sought-after position within King Charles III's royal office. Shortly after becoming king, Charles names David as his lord-in-waiting, meaning that David can represent the king on formal occasions, 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 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 mind the rumors one bit.
Oliver has a twin brother, but they are separated by one important detail
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, 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 announced shortly thereafter that she was pregnant. Oliver, coincidently, is a twin, and his brother — Alexander Hugh George — was born just minutes before him.
Given that there was a title at stake, those choice minutes in between births sealed the boys' fate. Alexander — much at Oliver's fate — 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. Perhaps Oliver's parents recognized that Alexander was already getting the title and everything that comes along with it, giving Oliver the chance to participate in the coronation as a bit of a consolation prize.
Oliver's mother and Prince William were first connected in 2019
Here's what you've been wanting — yes, 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.
Oliver's role could be an olive branch between the two families
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 is in. Not only will 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.
Though Rose's invitation to the coronation has not been confirmed, a royal source told the Daily Beast that it'll be shocking if she is not in attendance. "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," the source said. 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." If the two families were ever forced to get along, the coronation and David's role moving forward are both clear examples that the whispers are being snuffed out. But, any royal watcher will tell you that even where there is a hint of smoke, there's typically fire.