Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the spheres of business and politics. Famous initially for discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952 and becoming one of the richest men in Australia, he is now perhaps best remembered for his marriage to the much-younger Rose Porteous, a Filipino woman and his former maid. Hancock's daughter, Gina Rinehart, was bitterly opposed to Hancock's relationship with Porteous. The conflicts between Rinehart and Porteous overshadowed his final years and continued until more than a decade after his death.

Rose Porteous, a Filipino-born Australian socialite, is best known for her marriage to Western Australia iron ore mining magnate Lang Hancock, and the protracted legal battle with his daughter, Gina Rinehart, over the circumstances that led to his death, and the distribution of his estate. The action, commenced by Rinehart in 1992, was eventually settled in 2003 following a coronial inquiry that determined Hancock died of natural causes. Porteous, who lives in Perth and Melbourne, is often referred to by the media as a socialite.