Rosie Roche, a cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, has been found dead at a house in Norton, Wiltshire, with a “firearm nearby”.
Rosie was the granddaughter of Princess Diana's uncle. She died at her family home on July 14, according to a published obituary.
The 20-year-old’s body was found by her mother, Pippa, and sister, Agatha, after she had been packing for a holiday with friends.
Grant Davies, the area coroner, said police “have deemed the death as non-suspicious and there was no third-party involvement”.
Born on June 21, 2005, Rosie was the daughter of Hugh Burke Roche and Pippa Long. Rosie was raised in the bucolic village of Malmesbury in the English countryside before moving up north for university.
The dog-loving student was studying for an English Literature degree at Durham University, where she had just completed her first year of study.
Before Durham, Rosie attended St Mary’s Calne, a private day and boarding school in Wiltshire. Previous alumni include novelist Sara Maitland, Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson, supermodel Barbara Goalen and Jade Jagger, daughter of Mick Jagger.
Between school and university, she travelled to Zimbabwe during her gap year with a programme called Africagap.
At university, she set up a service called Unidog, which aimed to connect Durham students with local dogs. “We all miss our dogs,” a post on the Unidog Instagram reads. “The aim here is to hopefully get any local Durham dog owners who are interested in quickly getting in touch with uni students who are homesick for their pets.”
Rosie’s father, Hugh, is an Eton graduate and currently runs an audiovisual company called Atlantis AV Solutions, which he founded in 2002. His company equips residential properties with home cinemas, lighting and sound systems. Atlantis AV Solutions describes itself as “one of the most trusted, knowledgeable, and experienced technology companies in the UK.”
Her lineage traces back to the Spencer-Roche branch on Princess Diana's maternal side, which The Sun described as “a prominent family with longstanding connections to the Royal household.”
Her death has drawn inevitable parallels to two other passings: Rosie was the granddaughter of the late Edmund Hugh Burke Roche 5th Baron Fermoy, Princess Diana's uncle, who shot himself dead in 1984.
Parallels have also been drawn between Rosie’s death and the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor. Kingston died by suicide in February 2024. He was found with a “catastrophic head injury” in his family’s home in the Cotswolds, with a gun found near his body.
An obituary published by the Yorkshire Post said: “Roche, Rosie Jeanne Burke. Died on Monday 14th July 2025.
“Darling daughter of Hugh and Pippa, incredible sister to Archie and Agatha, Granddaughter to Derek and Rae Long.
“Private family funeral. A memorial service will be held at a later date.”
