Rosie Jeanne Burke Roche, a distant cousin of Prince William and Harry, has been found dead at her family home in Wiltshire at the age of 20.
Roche’s death was first reported in an obituary published in the Yorkshire Post on Saturday but gained wider public attention after the opening of an official inquest at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court on Monday.
Area Coroner Grant Davies told the hearing that Roche’s body was discovered by her mother and sister at their home in Norton, Wiltshire, on July 14. She had been packing for a holiday with friends when she was found with a firearm nearby.
Police have classified her death as “non-suspicious” and confirmed there was no evidence of third-party involvement. Speaking to the local media, Davies confirmed the cause of death as a “traumatic head injury”, indicating the possibility of suicide.
Roche was the granddaughter of Edmund Hugh Burke Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy, who was the brother of Frances Shand Kydd, Princess Diana’s mother. Through the Spencer-Roche family line, Rosie was related to the British royal family.
She had just completed her first year studying English Literature at Durham University. In a statement, the university paid tribute to Roche, describing her as “vibrant and creative” and saying she “will be sorely missed”.
The inquest has been adjourned until October 25, while the investigation continues.
Neither Roche’s family nor Buckingham Palace has issued a statement so far.
Roche’s grandfather, Edmund Roche, died by suicide in 1984. Just last year, Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston and a second cousin of King Charles III, also died from a gunshot wound under circumstances ruled non-suspicious.
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