Hetepheres I is believed by some to have been a daughter of Huni, the last king of the 3rd Dynasty, despite the fact that she never seems to have had the title "daughter of the king". At least, no monument has been found where she actually is called "daughter of the king".

If she indeed was a daughter of Huni, then her marriage to Snofru, who may have been her (half?) brother, reinforced the latter's position as successor of Huni. She bore Snofru at least one son, Kheops, who would come to power after his father's death.

A cache tomb discovered in February 1925 by George Reisner to the North East of the pyramid of Kheops at Giza contained some furniture and jewellery belonging to the queen. The sarcophagus found in this tomb was empty. It is assumed that Hetepheres' original burial must have been located at Dashur, near the pyramids of her husband, Snofru, even though one of the Queen's Pyramids near the Pyramid of Kheops at Giza is also believed to have been intended for her.
 

Gilded wooden armchair found in the tomb of Hetepheres I, near the Great Pyramid of Kheops at Giza.
Note how the armrests are decorated with three papyrus plants, symbol of Lower Egypt.