The Most Honourable
The Marquess of Cholmondeley
GCVO DL
Lord Cholmondeley at the Palace of Westminster in 1992, wearing the ceremonial dress of Lord Great Chamberlain and holding a white staff of office, borne by certain senior officers of Royal Households
Lord Great Chamberlain
In office
13 March 1990 – 8 September 2022
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byThe 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley
Succeeded byThe 7th Baron Carrington
Member of the House of Lords
Ex officio as Lord Great Chamberlain
11 November 1999 – 8 September 2022
Succeeded byThe 7th Baron Carrington
as a hereditary peer
8 May 1990 – 11 November 1999
Preceded byThe 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born
David George Philip Cholmondeley

(1960-06-27) 27 June 1960 (age 63)
Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas, Cheshire, England
Spouse
​
(m. 2009)​
Children
  • Alexander Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage
  • Lord Oliver Cholmondeley
  • Lady Iris Cholmondeley
Parents
Residences
ProfessionFilmmaker

David George Philip Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, GCVO, DL (/ˈtʃʌmli/; born 27 June 1960), styled Viscount Malpas from birth until 1968, and subsequently Earl of Rocksavage until 1990, is a British peer and filmmaker who acted as Lord Great Chamberlain of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 2022.

Early life and education

Lord Cholmondeley is a descendant of Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. He is the son of Hugh Cholmondeley, 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and Lavinia, Marchioness of Cholmondeley (née Leslie).[1] He is also a descendant of both the Rothschild family and the Sassoon family through his paternal grandmother, Sybil Sassoon.[2] He has three older sisters: the Ladies Rose, Margot (previously married to Tony Huston), and Caroline (married to Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger).

Like many members of his family, Cholmondeley was educated at Eton College.[3] He later took classes at the Sorbonne in Paris.[citation needed]

Career

Film industry

Lord Cholmondeley is a filmmaker. As David Rocksavage, he also appeared in a small part in Eric Rohmer's film 4 aventures de Reinette et Mirabelle (1987). His professional name is derived from his title of Earl of Rocksavage.

His chosen career was put on hold when he succeeded to the marquessate in 1990.[citation needed] In 1995, he directed the film adaptation of Truman Capote's novel Other Voices, Other Rooms.[4]

In 2007, he directed The Wreck (working title), starring Jean Simmons and James Wilby. The film was shot in Norfolk. It was later renamed Shadows in the Sun and released in 2009.[4]

Inherited title

Cholmondeley became Marquess of Cholmondeley on 13 March 1990, upon the death of his father. Cholmondeley also inherited a half share of the office of Lord Great Chamberlain, and succeeded his father in exercising the function of the office for the duration of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. As Lord Great Chamberlain, Cholmondeley was ex officio a member of the House of Lords and attended the House of Lords in his ceremonial role such as at the State Opening of Parliament,[5] although he did not sit in the House of Lords for debates as he was on a leave of absence.[6] Upon Queen Elizabeth II's death on 8 September 2022, Lord Cholmondeley ceased to be Lord Great Chamberlain and a member of the House of Lords, with the office of the Lord Great Chamberlain passing to Rupert Carington, 7th Baron Carrington.

Lands and estates

Houghton Hall, Norfolk

The family seats are Houghton Hall in Norfolk, and Cholmondeley Castle, which is surrounded by a 7,500-acre (3,000-hectare) estate near Malpas, Cheshire.[7]

According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2008, Cholmondeley has an estimated net worth of approximately £60m, attributed primarily to his inherited landholdings.[8] Houghton Hall, ancestral home of the Marquesses of Cholmondeley since the establishment of the title in 1815, opens some of its rooms to the public.

Position at court

In 1974, at the age of fourteen, Cholmondeley, then known as the Earl of Rocksavage, was appointed as a Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II.[9] He relinquished this role upon reaching the age limit in 1976.[10]

One moiety of the ancient office of Lord Great Chamberlain is a Cholmondeley inheritance.[11] This hereditary honour came into the Cholmondeley family through the marriage of the first Marquess of Cholmondeley to Lady Georgiana Charlotte Bertie, daughter of General Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven.[12] The second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh holders of the marquessate have all held this office.

Cholmondeley exercised the office of Lord Great Chamberlain from 1990 to 2022, during the reign of Elizabeth II; in the event Charles III ceases to be king before Cholmondeley's death, he would exercise the office again (or nominate a deputy).[13][14] In March 2023, he was appointed a permanent lord-in-waiting.[15]

Marriage and children

David's son Oliver (far right) in 2023

Lord Cholmondeley married (Sarah) Rose Hanbury, a fashion model,[16] on 24 June 2009, their engagement having been announced two days prior.[17][18] She is a daughter of Timothy Hanbury, a website designer, and Emma Hanbury (née Longman), a fashion designer. The landed gentry Hanbury family lived at Holfield Grange, Coggeshall, Essex.[19][20]

Her maternal grandmother is Lady Elizabeth Lambart, daughter of Field Marshal Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan; Lady Elizabeth was one of the bridesmaids at the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth;[21] her paternal grandmother, Sara, was the daughter of racing driver Sir Tim Birkin, 3rd Baronet.[22]

Three-and-a-half months after their wedding, on 12 October 2009, the Marchioness gave birth to twin sons, Alexander Hugh George and Oliver Timothy George.[23][24] The elder son, Alexander, as heir apparent to the Marquessate, bears the courtesy title of Earl of Rocksavage; his brother is known as Lord Oliver Cholmondeley.

In March 2016, the Marquess and Marchioness had their third child, a daughter, Lady Iris Marina Aline Cholmondeley.[25]

A friendship between the Marquess and Marchioness and Prince William and his wife, the Princess of Wales, has been reported; the Marchioness is a patron of the charity East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), along with the Princess.[26]

Lord Oliver Cholmondeley was a page of honour at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023 at which the Marquess wore his Coronation robes.[27] He subsequently served as a page of honour to the King.[28]

Titles, styles and arms

Lord Cholmondeley's coat of arms

As the eldest son of the heir apparent of the 5th Marquess, he was known from birth by the courtesy title of Viscount Malpas. Upon his grandfather's death, he became the heir to the marquessate and was thus known by the courtesy title of Earl of Rocksavage, before inheriting the marquessate in 1990. He also inherited the following subsidiary titles:[31]

Honours

Notes

  1. ^ "Christenings". The Times: 14. 3 October 1960.
  2. ^ "David George Philip Cholmondeley, 7th marquess of Cholmondeley". GeneAll.net. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b Spranklen, Annabelle (12 May 2021). "Who is the Queen's crown carrier, the Marquess of Cholmondeley?". Tatler. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b IMDb Archived 21 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine: David Rocksavage. Archived 17 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Tomlinson, Richard (20 December 1992). "They also serve, who only ush". Independent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  6. ^ Parliamentary Biography Archived 16 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine http://www.parliament.uk Archived 23 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Caroline Donald. "The new garden at Houghton Hall, King’s Lynn, Norfolk," The Times (UK). 11 May 2008.
  8. ^ "Sunday Times Rich List," Archived 30 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine The Times (London). 2008.
  9. ^ "No. 46366". The London Gazette. 8 October 1974. p. 8535.
  10. ^ "No. 47111". The London Gazette. 31 December 1976. p. 17343.
  11. ^ "Notes and Queries (1883 Jan–Jun), p. 42". 1883. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  12. ^ Portcullis: Deed of Covenant and Agreement between Lord Willoughby de Eresby, The Dowager Marchioness of Cholmondeley and the Marquis of Cholmondeley re the exercise of the Office of Hereditary Great Chamberlain (16 May 1829). Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "No. 52335". The London Gazette. 14 November 1990. p. 17651.
  14. ^ Great Officers of State: The Lord Great Chamberlain and The Earl Marshal Archived 6 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The Royal Family. debretts.com Archived 24 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Debrett's Limited. Accessed 17 September 2013.
  15. ^ "Appendix To Court Circular". Court Circular. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  16. ^ Ronald __. "Ancestors Cholmondeley – Hanbury" Archived 8 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Peerage News, Google Groups, 25 June 2009.[better source needed]
  17. ^ "Who is Kate Middleton's friend Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley? Everything you need to know". HELLO!. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  18. ^ Hallemann, Caroline (5 March 2022). "Who Is Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley?". Town & Country. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  19. ^ Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th edition, ed. Peter Townend, 1965, vol. 1, p. 381.
  20. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 1, pp. 380, 716, vol. 3, p. 3075.
  21. ^ Perry, S. "Queen Elizabeth Mourns the Death of Former Bridesmaid Lady Elizabeth Longman". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019. Lady Elizabeth's granddaughter, Rose Hanbury, is married to the Marquis of Cholmondeley and is a very close friend of Prince William and less so Princess Kate
  22. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 3, p. 3075.
  23. ^ "Google Groups — Peerage News". Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  24. ^ "Google Groups — Peerage News". Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  25. ^ "Daughter for the Marquess & Marchioness of Cholmondeley". Peerage News. 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  26. ^ "Lady Rose, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, becomes EACH Patron". Cambridge Network. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019.
  27. ^ "A new photograph of The King and The Queen Consort". The Royal Family. 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  28. ^ State Opening of Parliament 2023, Court Circular 8 November 2023
  29. ^ "No. 46366". The London Gazette. 8 October 1974. p. 8535. The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to appoint David George Philip, Earl of Rocksavage to be a Page of Honour to Her Majesty in the room of David Nevile William Bland, Esquire, who relinquishes the appointment having reached the age limit for retirement
  30. ^ "No. 58358". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 16 June 2007. p. 3. The Most Honourable David George Philip, The Marquess of Cholmondeley, Lord Great Chamberlain
  31. ^ "Mr David Cholmondeley (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  32. ^ "No. 58358". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2007. p. 3.
  33. ^ "Full list of the Queen's Birthday Honours," Archived 8 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Times (London). 16 June 2007.
  34. ^ "No. 64008". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 March 2023. p. D2.
  35. ^ "Photograph of the Marquess of Cholmondeley Wearing His Medals in 2015". Getty Images. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.

References

External links

Court offices Preceded byDavid Bland Page of Honour 1974–1976 Succeeded byCharles Loyd Preceded byThe 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley Lord Great Chamberlain 1990–2022 Succeeded byThe 7th Baron Carrington Peerage of the United Kingdom Preceded byHugh Cholmondeley Marquess of Cholmondeley 1990–present IncumbentHeir apparent:Alexander Cholmondeley, Earl of Rocksavage Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom Preceded byCharles Paget, 8th Marquess of Anglesey Gentlemen Succeeded byThe 8th Marquess of Ailesbury
Marquesses of Cholmondeley
Current Marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
Authority control databases
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