The lifestyles and backgrounds of Rosie Van Cutsem and Lucia Ruck Keene couldn't be more quintessentially English. The sisters, who grew up in a Regency manor house in deepest Oxfordshire, both live on historic country estates and can claim a royal connection: Rosie's husband William is godfather to Prince George and a close friend of the Prince of Wales.
But there's so much more to these elegant sisters than the circles they move in. And as they pose for HELLO!'s exclusive photoshoot beneath the trailing blossom in the grounds of Shropshire's Delbury Hall, the magnificent 18th-century estate that Lucia calls home, they open up about their bond and how they have channelled their closeness into the success of their clothing brand, Troy London, beloved of the Princess of Wales.
"I try not to be, but I probably am the bossy older sister," says Rosie, 41, although younger sibling Lucia, 39, appears not to bear any grudges, describing her as "incredibly kind and generous" and adding that she has been "hugely supportive". Rosie, in turn, says Lucia is "magnetic, incredibly creative, loyal, loving and fun".
The name of their brand pays homage to what sounds like an idyllic childhood: Troy is the name of the grade II-listed house where they grew up with their father David and mother Tania.
It was here that Rosie, encouraged by her mother, developed a passion for riding with the Bicester Hunt. "Rosie was the tomboy, the really sporty one, and I was a little less sporty," Lucia says.
"Yes, poor Lucia," her sister smiles. "I was determined that she'd like riding, so I got her on a pony and said: ‘Right, off you go. You will have fun.'
"But I forgot to do up the girth properly, so within quite a short time, she was on the floor, pretty convinced that riding wasn't for her – although she's a very good rider now, in spite of my attempts to put her off."
It's evident that the sisters, constantly cheerleading for each other as they take turns to pose during our shoot, are incredibly close.
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This, they say, is down to a "deep, unbreakable trust" fostered by a strong family bond, which includes their eldest sister, Kate.
"We were encouraged to discuss and debate from an early age, to have an opinion and not be frightened of putting our view across," says Rosie, who, along with her sisters, was brought up to be ambitious. "I mean, our poor father, dealing with the three of us. We're all strong characters."
The pair are so close, in fact, that Lucia left her flat in Ladbroke Grove to spend both Covid-19 lockdowns at Hilborough House in Norfolk, where Rosie lives with her husband and their three sons: seven-year-old Maximilian, known as Maxi, Hugo, six, and Orlando, three.
Happy families
Now, although Lucia lives at Delbury with her fiancé, Jack Wrigley, and daughters Lily, two, and one-year-old Grace, the pair get together with their families as often as possible.
"My boys are obsessed with her girls, and the older ones love being in charge of the little ones," Rosie says. In fact, Rosie's sons will be page boys at Lucia's forthcoming wedding to Jack, due to take place at a church on the estate's grounds at the end of May – once she's "corralled them into an orderly line", she says with a smile. "As a family, we're all so excited about the day."
Undoubtedly, for a duo who've proven their fashion credentials with Troy London, now 12 years old, it will be a well-dressed day.
The brand was born in 2013 after they spotted a gap in the market for country clothing that is "well fitted and structured", Lucia says, adding: "Our pieces are beautiful but also practical."
Their customers are, like them, "busy women who travel a lot", dividing their time between the city and the countryside. Apart from the Princess, other high-profile fans include socialite and actress Poppy Delevingne, singer Rita Ora, actress and model Pamela Anderson and Miranda Hart, with whom they collaborated for the King's Country Trust, designing a coat for the charity for which the comedian is an ambassador.
Their roles within the business are clearly defined, with Rosie managing the day-to-day running and development side of things, while Lucia takes care of the design.
"Lucia's attention to detail is famous; she zooms in on every angle. But it's brilliant, because she checks my enthusiasm before I go galloping off on the next thing, and I nudge her along as gently as possible to make sure we meet the timescales," Rosie says.
"She does an impression of me," says Lucia, mimicking her sister rubbing her forefinger and thumb together. "I'm constantly sifting through different fabrics, to get the feel of them."
When they started the business, she spent most of her weekends learning craftsmanship as she watched a seamstress bring her sketches to life. "I would go through every stitch and detail, building up my knowledge," she says.
Leap of faith
After university – Rosie studied at Trinity College Dublin and Lucia at the University of Edinburgh – both women followed their father, who worked in a bank, into the City, where they took headhunting roles.
Lucia still works there, along with taking on the growing wedding business at Delbury Hall, which she will be managing with Jack. Neither had any experience of working in fashion or entrepreneurial pursuits. What gave them the confidence to do so?
"Good question," Lucia says. "But we saw an opportunity to build something special together, which would be fun."
"We launched it the year I got married, working around the kitchen table at evenings and weekends, trying to come up with a logo and design the website," Rosie adds.
"It was a journey full of learning experiences, but also very much a family business. Our older sister Kate helped with press releases and copy-editing, our mum helped with sales and our granny inspired a piece in our collection." This is the Dawn gilet, based on the 1960s suede pieces she gave to her three granddaughters.
They started with a rail of coats at a Christmas fair and went on to develop a capsule collection, working with British factories that were happy to produce items in small numbers.
The Princess of Wales has worn several pieces by the label, including its parka coat, for numerous royal engagements, and Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, founder of Beulah, held a launch day for Troy at her store in London.
Plans for the brand are growing fast, with the sisters launching a safari-themed collection and a special collaboration with socialite influencer Callie Coles. Now, they're looking ahead to Lucia's wedding at Delbury, where she lives with Jack in the Malt House, adjacent to the mansion where her future father-in-law resides.
"This is our home, and has been for almost three years, and is hopefully where we'll live forever. So it's special that we're going to have those memories here," she says.
The bride will be flying to Mauritius for her honeymoon in the Indian Ocean. And after that, are any more children on the cards for either of the sisters, to help build the family empire?
"We couldn't possibly say," Rosie says. "And certainly not in print!" adds Lucia, and they both laugh.
Photographer: Hector Hilleary
Stylist: Sasha Barrie
Hair and make-up: Luz Baxauer
Hair and make-up assistant: Anni Rademacher
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You cansubscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via ourApple orGoogle apps.
