According to The Sun, the Princess of Wales has had a “terrible falling out” with her “rural rival,” one (and it’s a mouthful) Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
The tabloid reports that “William wants to play peacemaker so the two couples can remain friends, given they live so close to each other and share many mutual friends.
“But Kate has been clear that she doesn’t want to see them anymore and wants William to phase them out, despite their social status.”
So, what is the reason for this rift of royal proportions? That’s the Barbour-jacketed, Range-Rover-driving elephant in the room.
While The Sun doesn’t go into details, it didn’t take the internet long to fill in the blanks about what’s really going on between the couples…or U.K. writer and personality Giles Coren to come out and say it. “It’s an affair,” he wrote in a now deleted tweet. “Everyone knows about the affair, darling.”
That would be Will and the marchioness. Mind you, Coren has a history as a maker of trouble, The Daily Mail is reporting the whole feud is false, and both women have considered legal action against The Sun.
The two couples are neighbours in Norfolk, where the Cambridges have their countryside bolthole, Anmer Hall. They’re part of a “set” (an aristo term for friend group) of wealthy 30-somethings who the press has dubbed the Turnip Toffs. Toffs, for those not fluent in Tatler, are usually titled, always rich British people.
Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley
She’s the aforementioned marchioness and Kate’s “rural rival.” A former model repped by the same agency as Kate Moss, Sarah Rose Hanbury (who goes by her middle name) comes from British high society.
Exhibit A: Her grandmother was a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth’s wedding in 1947.
Exhibit B: The 35-year-old was seated next to Prince Harry at a State Dinner in 2017. She and her husband (more on him later) announced their engagement in June 2009, announced their pregnancy the next day, and on the third day, they married. They now have twin boys (10-year-old Alexander and Oliver) and four-year-old Iris.
David Rocksavage, Marquess of Cholmondeley
He’s Rose’s husband, and he is nearly 30 years older than her. He and Rose live at Houghton Hall, the ancestral pile in Norfolk, which is not to be confused with Cholmondeley Castle, their 7,500-acre estate in Cheshire.
According to his Wikipedia page (yes, he has one) he’s Eton-educated, currently “on a leave of absence” from the House of Lords and has directed and starred in several films, none of which you’re likely to have seen.
The Sunday Times Rich List of 2008 estimated his net worth at around $100 million. Oh, and for the curious: A marquess is the second highest rank in the British peerage after a Duke. So, he’s important.
Sophie Carter
Sophie Carter and Kate are old, old friends—in fact, Sophie is one of Princess Charlotte’s godmothers, and she’s often pictured out with Kate and the kiddos. She went skiing with them last year.
Sophie is a local Norfolk lass and had her wedding to Robert Snuggs in the county late last year.
The Other Carters
(Not Jay-Z and Bey, alas.) No relation to Sophie, Hannah Carter (nee Gillingham) is Prince Louis’s godmother and has been close friends with Kate since they went to the Tony boarding school in Marlborough together.
She and her husband, Robert, married since 2012, have recently moved into the Norfolk area, adding one more pair of toffs to the bushel.
The Meades
Prince William was one of his groomsmen when James Meade (who The Telegraph says goes by “Badger”) married Laura, who that aforementioned paper calls “Norfolk blue blood.”
Daughter of the 9th Earl of Romney, Lady Laura is godmother to Prince Louis.
The Pettmans
Laura Pettman is actually Prince William’s older cousin, the daughter of Princess Diana’s sister Sarah Fellowes.
She and her husband, equity analyst Nick, live in London during the week but are often seen about the county on weekends.
The Van Cutsems
Another familiar pair of faces from royal weddings/christenings! (William van Cutsem is one of George’s godfathers.) William and his wife, Rosie, live a quick-ish drive from the Cambridges in Norfolk.
This William actually grew up on the Queen’s nearby estate of Sandringham, and his father rented Anmer Hall for a decade before the royal William and his wife took possession after their marriage.
