Heartbreak for royal family as Prince William and Prince Harry's cousin, 20, found dead at home


Rosie was studying at Durham University


prince harry and prince william 100th anniversary of vimy ridge© Getty Images
Faye JamesSenior Editor
July 21, 2025
Share this:

Prince William and Prince Harry's cousin Rosie Roche has been found dead in her family home in a tragic loss for the royal family.

The 20-year-old was the granddaughter of Princess Diana's uncle, making her a second cousin to the princes. 

Gone too soon

© WireImage
Rosie was Prince William and Prince Harry's second cousin

Rosie was discovered by her mother, Phillipa, and her sister, Agatha, while packing for a trip away with friends. A firearm was found near her body. 

An inquest had been opened into her death, and was swiftly adjourned until October 25, with the coroner Grant Davies sharing that the police "have deemed the death as non-suspicious and there was no third-party involvement". A spokesperson said that the university student "will be sorely missed".

She was studying English Literature at Durham University at the time of her death. 

© Getty Images
She was the granddaughter of Princess Diana's uncle

The Yorkshire Post published a touching obituary for her, sharing: "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," it continued. "Private family funeral. A memorial service will be held at a later date."

Royal heartbreak

© Alamy Stock Photo
Thomas tragically passed away in February 2024

This tragic loss comes over a year after the royal family suffered another devastating blow from the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor

The financier, 45, was found dead in February 2025 after stopping his antidepressant medication days prior. 

He had married Lady Gabriella, the second cousin of King Charles, in 2019. His parents, Jill and Martin Kingston, opened up about moving on from his death in a candid interview with Radio 4's Today, sharing that they were pushing for change in the wake of his passing. 

© Max Mumby/Indigo
Thomas and Lady Gabriella wed in May 2019

Jill explained: "There are two things that we would really like to see change. One is that every person who is prescribed SSRIs actually signs something that says that they had been told about the difficulties going on and about the difficulties of coming off."

"Alongside that, we'd really like to see that a person, a spouse, a partner, a parent, a close friend, somebody was going to walk with them through it. Maybe they should be at that signing time," she continued. 

In memoriam

© Getty
The King has been supporting Lady Gabriella following her husband's death

His father revealed that the pair were working through their grief by hanging up all of the cards and letters of support they had received since Thomas' death. 

"Part of the leaning into the pain process was to put up in our hallway at home, the over 400 letters and cards, gluetack them to the wall. In part, because so many of them told us things we never knew," he said. "I would like him to be remembered as someone with a big smile on his face while helping people to do difficult things."

© Getty Images
She shared a statement following her husband's passing

Thomas' widow made a statement during an inquest into his death held in December, sharing that she believed his untimely passing was due to an "adverse reaction" to his medication. 

"I believe anyone taking pills such as these need to be made more aware of the side effects to prevent any future deaths. If this could happen to Tom, this could happen to anyone," her statement read. 

If you have been affected by this story and wish to seek help, Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year.

 To learn more about Thomas' untimely death, watch below...

WATCH: Royal family in mourning as Lady Gabriella Kingston’s husband Tom dies suddenly

Welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club, where thousands of royal fans like you get to delve deeper into the wonderful world of royalty every day. Want to join them? Just click the button below for a list of club benefits and joining information.

LISTEN: Inside Princess Kate's royal visit to Colchester

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information please click here.

More Royalty
See more