Category Archives: Peerages: United Kingdom

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Lord Melbourne), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, 1836; Credit – Wikipedia

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom July 16, 1834 – November 14, 1834 and 1835 – 1841. He was Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister 1837 – 1841.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, known as Lord Melbourne, was born March 15, 1779, in London, England. Legally he was the second son and the second child of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne and his wife Elizabeth Milbanke, daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet. Lady Melbourne had many affairs and it is believed that George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont was the father of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, his sister Emily and possibly his brother Frederick. The Prince of Wales, later King George IV, is thought to be the father of the other brother, George. The 1st Viscount Melbourne had affairs of his own and was not greatly troubled by his wife’s affairs.

William had five siblings but only his eldest brother can decidedly be named as the child of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne:

  • The Honorable Peniston Lamb (1770 – 1805), unmarried, died from tuberculosis
  • Frederick Lamb, 3rd Viscount Melbourne (1782 – 1853), married Alexandrina, Gräfin von Maltzan, no children, the family titles became extinct upon his death
  • The Honorable George Lamb (1784 – 1834), married Caroline Rosalie Adelaide St. Jules, the illegitimate daughter of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and his mistress and eventual second wife Lady Elizabeth Foster, no children
  • The Honorable Emily Lamb (1787–1869), married (1) Peter Clavering-Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper, had five children although one may have been fathered by her lover and second husband (2) Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister 1859 – 1865, no legitimate children, Lady Emily Cowper may be Palmerston’s child
  • The Honorable Harriet Lamb (1789-1803), died young from tuberculosis

Lord Melbourne’s “Eton Leaving Portrait” by John Hoppner, Lord Melbourne gave the portrait to Queen Victoria in 1841; Credit – www.royalcollection.org.uk

Melbourne was educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Melbourne became acquainted with a group of romantic radicals including the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron. After his studies at Cambridge, Melbourne went to Lincoln’s Inn in London to study law. From 1803 – 1804, Melbourne served as captain and then commander in the Hertfordshire Volunteer Infantry. Melbourne’s elder brother died of tuberculosis in 1805 so Melbourne became his father’s heir.

Lady Caroline Lamb by Eliza H. Trotter, oil on canvas, exhibited 1811, NPG 3312 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In June 1805, Melbourne married 19-year-old Lady Caroline Ponsonby, the only daughter of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough and Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer, daughter of  John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer. Caroline is known to history as Lady Caroline Lamb because her husband did not become Viscount Melbourne until after her death. Lady Caroline’s nephew Henry Ponsonby served as Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary 1870 – 1895.

Melbourne and Lady Caroline had two children:

  • George Augustus Frederick Lamb (1807 – 1836)
  • Premature daughter (born and died 1809)

Their son was called Augustus and was the godchild of The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV whose names were George Augustus Frederick. Unfortunately, Augustus was epileptic and probably autistic and needed constant care. Most aristocratic families sent their mentally disabled relatives to institutions but Augustus was cared for at home for his entire life. Caroline had suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to Augustus and had long periods of recovery after her two miscarriages and two births. That Caroline could not have any more children caused Melbourne great grief and contributed to a marriage that was becoming unstable.

In 1806, Melbourne was elected to the House of Commons. However, he did not first become a household name on his own accord. In 1812, Lady Caroline started a well-publicized affair with the poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, known as Lord Byron, that shocked the British public and became one of the legendary affairs of the nineteenth century. For four months, Caroline and Byron flaunted their affair publicly and shamelessly until Byron suddenly broke it off.

Brocket Hall, the family country estate, 1829; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline fell apart mentally. At a ball, she slashed her arms with a broken glass and was then banished to the family’s country estate Brocket Hall near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. There she smashed furniture and other household objects and was often drunk or high on opium. In 1816, Lady Caroline wrote a novel Glenarvon which portrayed both her marriage and her affair with Byron in a graphic manner. This caused Melbourne great embarrassment and yet the couple remained married.

Finally, Melbourne’s mother, who had introduced the couple, had enough. She asked her husband to arrange a formal separation between their son and Lady Caroline in 1825. By that time, both Melbourne and Lady Caroline had numerous affairs. Lady Caroline remained at Brocket Hall but her mental instability became worse and was complicated by her use of alcohol and laudanum. By 1827, she was under the care of a full-time physician. Her body began to shut down and she retained fluids, a condition then known as dropsy but now known as edema. When Lady Caroline died on January 25, 1828, at the age of 42, Melbourne was at her bedside.

Melbourne’s political career had floundered due to his wife’s notoriety. In 1827, he accepted the position of Chief Secretary of Ireland in a Conservative (Tory) government even though he was a member of the Whig Party. When his father died 1828, Melbourne became the 2nd Viscount Melbourne and he moved from the House of Commons to the House of Lords. He had spent twenty-two years in the House of Commons and was not well known politically.

In 1830, the Whig Party came to power and Melbourne became Home Secretary under Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. In July 1834, Lord Grey resigned as Prime Minister and King William IV was forced to appoint another Whig to replace him because the Conservatives were not strong enough to support a government. Melbourne was the one most likely to be acceptable to King William IV and to hold the Whig party together. He was hesitant at first but did not want to let his party down and accepted the offer to become Prime Minister.

King William IV was opposed to the reforming policies of the Whig Party and dismissed Melbourne in November 1834. He then gave the Conservatives under Sir Robert Peel an opportunity to form a government. However, the Conservatives failed to win a majority in the January 1835 general elections and the Whigs Party returned to power in April 1835 with Melbourne as Prime Minister.

Embed from Getty Images 
Lord Melbourne instructing a young Queen Victoria

In 1836, Melbourne’s 29-year-old mentally disabled son Augustus died. Melbourne was greatly affected by his son’s death. It reminded him of the deceased wife he once loved, the family he really never had, and that he was alone. In June 1837, King William IV died and he was succeeded by his 18-year-old niece Queen Victoria. Victoria never knew her father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as he died when she was eight months old. Melbourne was her first Prime Minister. In Queen Victoria, Melbourne had the child, the companion, and the affection he craved. In Melbourne, Queen Victoria had the father figure she never had. Their close relationship was founded in Melbourne’s responsibility for tutoring the young queen in the world of politics and instructing her in her role but the relationship was much deeper. Queen Victoria came to regard Lord Melbourne as a mentor and personal friend and he was given a private apartment at Windsor Castle.

In 1839, Lord Melbourne announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister after a government bill passed by a very narrow margin of only five votes in the House of Commons. This led to the Bedchamber Crisis.   Sir Robert Peel, as Leader of the Opposition, was the prospective Prime Minister.  He requested that Queen Victoria dismiss some of the wives and daughters of Whig Members of Parliament who made up her personal household, arguing that the monarch should avoid any hint of political favoritism to a party out of power. Queen Victoria refused to comply. Peel refused to form a new government, and Lord Melbourne was persuaded to stay on as Prime Minister.

Eventually, Melbourne’s support in Parliament declined and by 1840 it grew difficult to hold the Cabinet together. He resigned in August 1841 after a series of parliamentary defeats. Melbourne and Queen Victoria said a private goodbye on the terrace at Windsor Castle. Victoria cried and Melbourne told her, “For four years I have seen you daily and liked it better each day.” Queen Victoria continued to write to Melbourne but eventually had to stop as it was considered inappropriate. With Melbourne gone from her life, Victoria increasingly relied on her husband Prince Albert.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne by John Partridge, 1844, NPG 941 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In October 1842, Melbourne suffered a stroke which considerably weakened him. He lived out his life at Brocket Hall, his country home near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. It was there that William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne died at the age of 69 on November 24, 1848. He was buried near his wife Lady Caroline Lamb at St. Etheldreda Church in Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. His brother Frederick Lamb succeeded him as the 3rd Viscount Melbourne but Frederick had no children and upon his death, the title became extinct.

A plaque marking the burial of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne at St Etheldreda, Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • “History Of William Lamb, 2Nd Viscount Melbourne – GOV.UK”. Gov.Uk, 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/william-lamb-2nd-viscount-melbourne. Accessed 12 June 2018.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012
  • “William Lamb, 2Nd Viscount Melbourne”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne. Accessed 12 June 2018.
  • “William Lamb”. Es.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lamb. Accessed 12 June 2018.

Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

source: Wikipedia

Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, was the wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a member of the extended British Royal Family. She was born Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley on November 28, 1901, at Broadlands, her family’s home in Romsey, Hampshire. Her parents were Wilfrid Ashley, (later 1st Baron Mount Temple) and Amalia “Maudie” Cassel. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury and a great-great-granddaughter of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort. Through her mother, she was the granddaughter of Sir Ernest Cassel. Edwina had one younger sister:

After her mother’s death, and her father’s subsequent remarriage, Edwina went off to boarding school, first at The Links in Eastbourne and then Alde House in Suffolk. Not being a good student, and not enjoying life in boarding school, the problem was solved when her grandfather invited her to live with him at his London residence, Brook House. Sir Ernest Cassel was a successful financier and capitalist who had become one of the richest men in Europe. He had been a close friend and advisor of King Edward VII who had bestowed several honors on him during his reign. Upon his death, he left an estate valued at over £6 million (approx. £240 million today), a large portion of which went to Edwina.

Edwina quickly became a prominent member of London society, and through those connections, met her future husband – then Lord Louis Mountbatten – in 1920. Louis was the younger son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven (formerly Prince Ludwig of Battenberg) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. A romance quickly began, and the two were engaged in India on Valentine’s Day 1922. They married on July 18, 1922, at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster, in the presence of King George V and Queen Mary and numerous royals from other European countries. The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, served as Best Man. Following a honeymoon in North America, they settled at Brook House in London and went on to have two daughters:

Edwina’s grandfather had died the previous year, leaving Edwina a very wealthy woman. In addition to £2 million (£80 million today), she also inherited several properties including Brook House in London, Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, Suffolk, and Branksome Dene (now Zetland Court) in Bournemouth, Dorset.

She also later inherited two properties from her father, upon his death in 1939. These were Broadlands, and Classiebawn Castle, in County Sligo, Ireland. The family still owns Broadlands, but Classiebawn Castle was sold in 1991. It was while at Classiebawn that Edwina’s husband was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1979.

Edwina’s wealth allowed her to pursue a life of leisure and indulge in anything she wanted to. She often set off on travels around the world – sometimes completely out of contact with her family. But she was also quick to lend financial support to friends and relatives and was often the primary source of income for several members of her husband’s family. It was during World War II that this selfless willingness to help others developed into a life of service. She served as President of the London Division of the British Red Cross and was named Superintendent-in-Chief of the St. John Ambulance Brigade in 1942. During her husband’s time as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command, she traveled extensively to the Allied prisoner-of-war camps and assisted to repatriate the prisoners.

In August 1946, her husband was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, and the following year appointed to serve as the last Viceroy of India, charged with overseeing India’s independence from Britain. During this time, and the subsequent ten months when he served as Governor-General, Edwina worked tirelessly to ease the suffering amongst the poor and helpless in India. It was during this time that she became Countess Mountbatten upon her husband’s elevation to an Earldom. Her close relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, is often the source of speculation that the two were romantically involved. Although denied by official biographers and Edwina’s own daughters, the rumors continue to this day. It was no secret that both Edwina and her husband had numerous affairs and lovers through the years, so any close friendship that either of them had quickly became the subject of gossip and rumors.

In the years after India, Edwina continued her charity work and pursued her love of traveling around the world. It was while on an inspection tour for the St. John Ambulance Brigade that Edwina died on February 21, 1960. She was in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), British North Borneo at the time, and passed away in her sleep. Her body was flown back to Britain and, per her wishes, buried at sea off the coast of Portsmouth on February 25, 1960. In a show of friendship and respect, Prime Minister Nehru sent two Indian destroyers to accompany her body during the burial.

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Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Credit – By Allan warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12111584

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was a member of the extended British Royal Family and a distinguished Naval officer. A great-grandson of Queen Victoria (and the last great-grandson to be born during her lifetime), he was born a Prince of Battenberg but grew up fiercely British. In addition to his naval career, he also served as the last Viceroy and first Governor-General of India. Mountbatten also played a very prominent role in the lives of his nephew Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and grand-nephew King Charles III.

Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg was born on June 25, 1900, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England the youngest child of Prince Louis (Ludwig) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.

Louis, known almost from birth as “Dickie”,  had three elder siblings:

Dickie was christened in the large drawing room of Frogmore House on July  17, 1900, by the Dean of Windsor, Philip Eliot. His godparents were:

Through both of his parents, he was closely related to numerous other royal families of Europe. His mother’s younger sister was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, and in his childhood, Dickie was close to her children. At a very young age, he began a “lifelong platonic love affair” with one of them, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, and kept a framed photo of her by his bed for his entire life.

At the age of 10, Dickie was enrolled at the Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire, and then at 13 entered the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Destined for a naval career, he received his first posting in July 1916, as a midshipman on HMS Lion. After studying for two terms at Christ’s College, Cambridge, Louis was posted to HMS Renown, accompanying The Prince of Wales on a tour of Australia. The following year, on HMS Repulse, he again accompanied his cousin on a tour of India and Japan. It was during this trip that he became engaged to his future wife.

Dickie first met Edwina Ashley in October 1920, when both attended a ball at Claridge’s in London, hosted by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III. Edwina was the daughter of Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple (a grandson of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury), and Amalia Cassel (daughter of Sir Ernest Cassel). The two were invited to the same house parties and shooting weekends, and a romance began. Both were guests of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland at Dunrobin Castle in Scotland in September 1921, when Louis received word that his father had died. When Edwina’s grandfather died just ten days later, the two grew very close in their shared grief. Several months later, Edwina went to visit Dickie while he was in India with the Prince of Wales. It was there, at a Valentine’s Day Ball held at the Viceregal Lodge in Delhi, that Dickie proposed.

Louis and Edwina were married on July 18, 1922, at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster in London, England. The wedding was a lavish affair, attended by King George V and Queen Mary and other members of the British Royal Family and other royal houses of Europe. The bridal party included The Prince of Wales, who served as Best Man, and Dickie’s four nieces – Princesses Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and Sophie of Greece. Following a honeymoon that took them to Canada and the United States, Dickie and Edwina settled at Brook House in London – one of the several properties Edwina had inherited from her grandfather.

They had two daughters:

Admiral Lord Mountbatten receiving the Japanese surrender at Singapore, September 1945. source: Wikipedia.

Dickie was posted to several other boats before being given his first command – HMS Daring – in 1934. This was followed by the commands of HMS Wishart (1934-1936), HMS Kelly (1939-1941), and HMS Illustrious (1941). From 1941 – 1943, he served as Chief of Combined Operations, and then from 1943 – 1946 as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command. In that role, in September 1945 Mountbatten received the Japanese surrender in Singapore.

On August 27, 1946, he was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma by King George VI. The following February, Prime Minister Clement Atlee appointed him Viceroy of India and tasked him with overseeing India’s independence from Britain. Following independence in August 1947, Mountbatten served for the next ten months as the country’s first Governor-General. On October 28, 1947, he was created Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Baron Romsey. As Mountbatten had no sons, the Letters Patent creating both the Viscountcy and the Earldom were written to allow the titles to pass to his daughters and their male heirs. Had this not been done, the titles would have ended upon Mountbatten’s death. Instead, they passed to his elder daughter, Patricia, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Following his time in India, Mountbatten returned to military service in 1949, serving as Commander of the 1st Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. From 1950-1952, he served as Fourth Sea Lord, and then from 1952-1954 as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. Finally, in April 1955, nearly forty-one years after his father had been forced to relinquish the role due to anti-German sentiment, Mountbatten was made First Sea Lord – the head of the British Royal Navy. The following year, he reached the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. Dickie served as First Sea Lord until October 1959, when he became Chief of the Defence Staff, serving until his retirement in July 1965. During this time, he also served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1960-1961.

Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in uniform as Colonel of the Life Guards, with Gold Stick in Hand (1973). Source: Wikipedia, photo: by Allan Warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28983433

Upon retiring, he was granted several honorary appointments. He was made Colonel of the Life Guards, Gold Stick in Waiting, and Life Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines. The Queen also appointed him Governor of the Isle of Wight. In 1974, he became the first Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight.

Lord Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979, when his boat was blown up by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on Donegal Bay, in County Sligo, Ireland. He had been staying at his summer home, Classiebawn Castle, in County Sligo, Ireland, with much of his family. Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas, his son-in-law’s mother, The Dowager Baroness Brabourne, and a young crew member, Paul Maxwell, all died as a result of the blast. Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia, her husband John, and their son Timothy were all critically injured but they survived. See Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August (scroll down).

A ceremonial funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on September 5, 1979, attended by most of the British Royal Family and many other European royals. He is buried at Romsey Abbey.

Earl Mountbatten’s tomb at Romsey Abbey. Source: Wikipedia, photo by JohnArmagh

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George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven. source: Wikipedia

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven was born on December 6, 1892, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. At the time of his birth, he was HSH Prince George Louis Victor Henry Serge of Battenberg, the third child and elder son of Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. George had three younger siblings:

George with his mother, Victoria. Credit – Wikipedia

A remarkably intelligent and clever child, George had his own workshop at his father’s Heiligenberg Castle by the age of ten and was soon designing and building precise working models of steam engines. He enjoyed complex math problems “for relaxation” and was recognized by his superiors at Dartmouth Naval College for being perhaps the most clever cadet the college had ever seen. During his time in the Royal Navy, he devised a system to provide air conditioning in his cabin and invented a device that would brew his morning tea, triggered by an alarm clock.

Wedding portrait of George and Nadejda.

On November 15, 1916, at the Russian Embassy in London, George married Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby. Nadjeda was born in Cannes on March 28, 1896, the younger daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie von Merenberg. Following their wedding, George and Nadejda settled at Lynden Manor, in Bray, Berkshire, and had two children:

  • Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (1917-1988) – unmarried, was mentally disabled, was placed in St. Andrew’s Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Northampton, England, where she spent the rest of her life.
  • David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven (1919-1970) – married (1) Romaine Pierce, no issue; (2) Janet Bryce, had issue

The following year, in 1917, King George V of the United Kingdom asked his relatives to relinquish their German royal titles. On July 14, 1917, the Battenbergs gave up their titles and styles and took on the surname Mountbatten. George, having previously been created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, became Sir George Mountbatten. Four months later, on November 7, 1917, his father was created Marquess of Milford Haven, and George assumed the courtesy title Earl of Medina. Four years later, in 1921, George succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven.

In the late 1920s, having lost most of his inheritance to German inflation – and having a wife with very expensive tastes – George left the Royal Navy for a career in business. He worked for a brokerage house before moving to the British Sperry Gyroscope Company where he became chairman. He also served as director for several large companies, including Electrolux and Marks & Spencer.

In 1930, George became instrumental in the upbringing of his nephew, Prince Philip of Greece. Philip’s mother suffered a breakdown that year, and his father was more or less separated from the family, living with a mistress on the French Riviera. George became Philip’s primary guardian, serving as a surrogate father and arranging for, and financing, Philip’s education.

In 1934, George and Nadejda were brought into the international spotlight during the custody battle for the young Gloria Vanderbilt in New York City. Allegations had been raised that Nadejda and Gloria’s mother – Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt – had been lovers. Nadejda traveled to New York to testify in the case, decrying the allegations as “malicious, terrible lies.”

In December 1937, George suffered a fall and broke his femur. A month later, when it didn’t appear to be healing, a further examination found that he was suffering from bone marrow cancer. Fearing that the diagnosis would cause him to decline quite quickly, the doctors chose to withhold it from him, in agreement with the family. He lingered for several months, finally losing his battle on April 8, 1938, in London, England. He is buried at the Bray Cemetery in Bray, Berkshire, England. By the time of his death, George had accumulated a large collection of erotic art, which he left – on permanent loan – to the British Library. The library’s index describes the collection as “prospectuses and catalogs of erotic and obscene books, pictures and instruments, dating from 1889 to 1929. 81 parts. Collected by George Mountbatten.”

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Margaret Rhodes: One of Queen Elizabeth II’s “Strathmore Cousins”

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Unofficial Royalty: The Strathmore Cousins

In 2006, one of our columnists, The Laird o’Thistle, wrote an article entitled “The Strathmore Cousins” about the first cousins of Queen Elizabeth II from the Bowes-Lyon side of her family. We have revised the article as many people are currently interested in The Queen’s Bowes-Lyon cousins due to the recent death of The Honorable Margaret Rhodes, one of Queen Elizabeth II’s Strathmore Cousins.

Born Margaret Elphinstone in 1925, Margaret Rhodes was the youngest daughter of Sidney Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone and his wife Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, sister of The Queen Mother. She was one of Queen Elizabeth II’s bridesmaids and was considered to be the best friend of The Queen.

BBC: Queen’s cousin Margaret Rhodes dies

UPDATED: Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster has died

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The Prince of Wales and the 6th Duke of Westminster; Photo Credit – zimbio.com

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster died suddenly at the age of 64 on August 9, 2016.  The Duke was a close friend of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.  He was a Knight of the Order of the Garter.  His daughter Lady Edwina was a godchild of Diana, Princess of Wales. His son 25 year old son Hugh Grosvenor, who is one of the godparents of Prince George of Cambridge, succeeds his father as the 7th Duke of Westminster.

BBC: Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor died aged 64
Telegraph: Billionaire landowner and close friend of Prince Charles the Duke of Westminster dies aged 64 after sudden illness
Telegraph: Who is new Duke of Westminster? Hugh Grosvenor is 25-year-old godfather to Prince George
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UPDATED August 11, 2016

Telegraph: Duke of Westminster died of heart attack, coroner’s office confirms

 

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll; source: Wikipedia

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, was the husband of Princess Louise, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was born John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, on August 6, 1845, in London,  England, the eldest son of the twelve children of  George Campbell, Marquess of Lorne (later 8th Duke of Argyll) and Lady Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (a daughter of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland). At the time of his birth, he was styled, by courtesy, Earl of Campbell. Less than two years later, his father succeeded his Duke of Argyll, and John was styled Marquess of Lorne.

Lorne (as he was typically known) had eleven younger siblings:

  • Lord Archibald Campbell (1846 – 1913), married Janey Callander, had two children including Niall Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll
  • Lord Walter Campbell (1848 – 1889),  married  (1) Olivia Milns, no children (2) Lilian Sclater, had two children
  • Lady Edith Campbell (1849 – 1913), married Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland, had thirteen children
  • Lady Elisabeth Campbell (1852 – 1896), married Lt.-Col. Edward Harrison Clough-Taylor, had one daughter
  • Lord George Granville Campbell (1850 – 1915), married Sybil Lascelles Alexander, had three children
  • Lord Colin Campbell (1853 – 1895), married Gertrude Blood, no children, divorced
  • Lady Victoria Campbell (1854 – 1910), unmarried
  • Lady Evelyn Campbell (1855 – 1940), married James Baillie-Hamilton, no children
  • Lady Frances Campbell (1858 – 1931), married Eustace Balfour, had five children
  • Lady Mary Emma Campbell (1859 – 1947), married The Right Reverand The Honorable Edward Carr Glyn, had three children.
  • Lady Constance Harriett Campbell (1864 – 1922), married Charles Emmott, no children

Lorne attended Edinburgh Academy, Eton College, The University of St. Andrews, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He also studied at the National Art Training School. He served in the House of Commons for several years, representing Argyllshire, beginning in 1868.

Engagement photo of Lorne and Princess Louise; source: Wikipedia

On March 21, 1871, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, Lorne and Princess Louise were married. The marriage was met with much opposition, as Lorne was not royal. This was the first time a daughter of a British monarch had married a commoner since 1515, when Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, married Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII. However, despite protests from some of Louise’s siblings and the Prussian court, Queen Victoria saw the marriage as an opportunity to “infuse new and healthy blood” into the Royal Family. The Queen offered Lorne a peerage (something she would do many times over the years), with the intent of resolving issues of precedence and giving him a rank closer to that of his wife. Lorne refused for several reasons – he would one day inherit the Argyll dukedom and he did not want to give up his place in the House of Commons.

The couple initially lived at Argyll House in London, England owned by Lorne’s family, and then leased a home in Grosvenor Square in London from Lorne’s uncle, the Duke of Westminster. However, the expense was somewhat beyond Lorne’s reach, and in 1873, Queen Victoria offered them a home at Kensington Palace. Apartment No.1 had been the residence of The Duchess of Inverness, the widow of Queen Victoria’s uncle The Duke of Sussex, who had recently passed away. After extensive renovations, Louise and Lorne took up residence, and this would be their primary residence for the rest of their lives. They later bought a country home, Dornden, in Kent, England. In addition, they had the use of several residences in Scotland owned by the Argyll family.

In 1878, Lorne was appointed Governor-General of Canada, where he served for five years. Lorne and Princess Louise traveled extensively throughout Canada, bringing a royal touch to the country. Although he was not always well-received, he and Louise usually managed to win over the Canadian people wherever they went. While in Canada, he and his wife contributed to the establishment of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the National Gallery of Canada. On his return to Britain in 1883, he published a book, Memories of Canada and Scotland.

From 1892 until his death, he was the Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle, appointed by his mother-in-law. Although more of a title than an actual job, Lorne took the position very seriously and ensured that he earned the £12,000 salary that came with the position. Lorne wrote an extensive history of the castle – The Governor’s Guide to Windsor Castle.

In 1895, Lorne and Louise purchased Rosneath Castle in Scotland, from his father. The property had been mostly unused for several years, and his father had attempted several times to sell it. Thanks in part to his wife’s dowry, Lorne was able to purchase it outright, and it would become the couple’s home in Scotland until he succeeded to the Dukedom. After his death, it would become Louise’s dower home as well. Also in 1895, Lorne was again elected to Parliament, serving in the House of Commons representing Manchester South.

On April 24, 1900, Lorne succeeded his father as the 9th Duke of Argyll. Among many other titles, he also became Hereditary Master of the Royal Household in Scotland, Admiral of the Western Coasts and Isles, Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, and Lord-Lieutenant of Argyllshire. Most important of all, Lorne was now Chief of the Clan Campbell.

 

Despite the huge step up in prominence, Lorne’s financial situation was still quite strained. Facing massive inheritance taxes after his father’s death, the new Duke of Argyll managed to maintain Rosneath and the family seat, Inveraray Castle. When not in residence, he often leased both out to help meet the expense, and the couple lived primarily at Kensington Palace and at Kent Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House.

Lorne published several books through the years. His first was a book of poetry in 1875, Guido and Lita – A Tale of the Riviera, and others included several books about Canada and his family history. After Queen Victoria’s death, he agreed to write a serialized biography of her to be published in monthly installments – V.R.I Queen Victoria, Her Life and Empire.

Argyll Mausoleum attached to St Munn’s Church;  Credit – Wikipedia

Lorne’s later years were spent managing the Argyll estates and fulfilling his role in the House of Lords. The Duke of Argyll died on May 2, 1914, at Kent House on the Isle of Wight. He is buried in the Argyll Mausoleum at St. Munn’s Church in Kilmun, Scotland. His wife survived him by 25 years and is buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore.

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Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

A grandson of Queen Victoria, Prince Alexander of Battenberg was born at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on November 23, 1886. He was the eldest of the four children of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. The infant prince was christened Alexander Albert Victor (known in the family as Drino) on December 18, 1886, at the private chapel at Windsor Castle. His godparents were:

NPG Ax5554; Princess Beatrice of Battenberg; Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by W. & D. Downey

Princess Beatrice of Battenberg; Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by W. & D. Downey, albumen cabinet card, circa 1890 NPG Ax5554 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Alexander had two brothers and one sister.

Beatrice and her children in 1900; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander was educated at Stubbington House School, known as “the cradle of the Navy,” in Stubbington, Hampshire, England.  The school was located about one mile from The Solent, the strait separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England, so it was close to one of his grandmother’s favorite homes, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight.  After finishing at Stubbington, Alexander attended Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Alexander’s grandmother Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone in 1856 and inaugurated Wellington College’s opening in 1859.

Prince Alexander served in the Royal Navy from 1902-1908. In 1911, he joined the British Army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1913 and in 1915, he was promoted to captain. When World War I started in August of 1914, Alexander’s regiment was under deployment orders, as was the 60th Rifles, the regiment of his brothers Leopold and Maurice. A little more than two months after the war started, Maurice was killed in action on October 27, 1914.

NPG x197402; 'T.H. The Princes of Battenberg. For King and Country' by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd

‘T.H. The Princes of Battenberg. For King and Country’ by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd, postcard print, published circa 1914 NPG x197402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, King George V issued Letters Patents on July 17, 1917 “declaring that the name Windsor is to be borne by his royal house and family and relinquishing the use of all German titles and dignities.” Alexander and his brother Leopold relinquished their German styles and titles and anglicized their name to Mountbatten. Alexander was created Marquess of Carisbrooke and Leopold was granted the rank and precedence of the younger son of a marquess, becoming Lord Leopold Mountbatten.

On July 19, 1917, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, Alexander married Lady Irene Denison, the only daughter of William Denison, 2nd Earl of Londesborough and Lady Grace Fane, daughter of Francis Fane, 12th Earl of Westmorland and Lady Adelaide Curzon. Because the wedding was during World War I, there were no bridesmaids or formal reception.

Irene Marchioness of Carisbrooke

Irene, Marchioness of Carisbrooke; Photo Credit – http://theesotericcuriosa.blogspot.com

Alexander and Irene had one daughter:

NPG x151240; Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (nÈe Mountbatten) by Bassano

Lady Iris Victoria Beatrice Grace Kemp (née Mountbatten) by Bassano Ltd, whole-plate film negative, 26 November 1934 NPG x151240 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1919, Alexander resigned from the British Army and was placed in the General Reserve as a captain.  He began a business career and started work as a clerk in the offices of the bank Lazard Brothers. Alexander also worked for the Metropolitan Housing Corporation which controlled many housing estates for artisans, and Alexander eventually took full charge of the social work connected with the estates. Later he became a director of Lever Brothers and several other companies.

NPG x45408; Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by Henry Walter ('H. Walter') Barnett

Alexander Albert Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke by Henry Walter (‘H. Walter’) Barnett, vintage bromide print, 1905-1920 NPG x45408 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Early in World War II, Alexander joined the Royal Air Force and served as a staff officer attached to Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. After World War II, Alexander lived at King’s Cottage, overlooking Kew Gardens, one of the grace and favor houses at the disposal of the Sovereign. He spent his last years living in apartments at Kensington Palace. Alexander’s wife Irene died in 1956. Her ashes were interred at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England. Alexander died from a cerebral hemorrhage at Kensington Palace in London, England on February 23, 1960, at the age of 73. Alexander’s ashes were placed in the wall above his parents’ tomb at St. Mildred’s Church. The peerage Marquess of Carisbrooke became extinct upon his death. Alexander was the last surviving grandson of Queen Victoria.

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Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone; Credit – Wikipedia

The husband of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Alice of Albany, and Governor-General of both the Union of South Africa and Canada, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Teck was born in Kensington Palace in London, England on April 14, 1874. He was the fourth child and third son of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. His mother was a male-line granddaughter of King George III and a first cousin of Queen Victoria. Princess Mary Adelaide weighed approximately 250 pounds and was affectionately known as “Fat Mary.” Queen Victoria wrote of her, “Her size is fearful. It is really a misfortune.” Princess Mary Adelaide, however, was high-spirited and full of life, and was adored by the Victorian public who called her “The People’s Princess.”

Alexander’s father was His Serene Highness Prince Francis of Teck, the product of a morganatic marriage. Prince Francis’ father, Duke Alexander of Württemberg, was once heir to the throne of Württemberg. However, Duke Alexander contracted a morganatic marriage (marriage to a person of a lower rank) to a Hungarian countess, Claudine Rhedey. Duke Alexander lost his rights to the throne and his children lost the right to use the Württemberg name. Francis’ cousin King Karl of Württemberg eventually elevated him to the more important Germanic title of Duke of Teck.

Mary Adelaide and Francis had a happy marriage but had chronic financial problems due to Mary Adelaide’s extravagance and generosity. Queen Victoria gave them an apartment at Kensington Palace where their four children were born. Christened Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George, Alexander was called Alge, a name derived from the first two letters of Alexander and George. He had an older sister and two older brothers:

NPG x96004; Queen Mary with her mother and brothers by Alexander Bassano

Queen Mary with her mother and brothers by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, circa 1884 NPG x96004 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Alge was first educated at home by tutors and at a local morning school. All the Teck children were encouraged to learn languages, and their parents insisted they speak only French at some meals and only German at others. In 1883, when Alge was nine years old, his parents were forced to flee the country due to their financial situation. The family settled in a villa in Florence, Italy where they lived more cheaply for two years. Alge’s two elder brothers remained in England, attending boarding school. During this time, Alge and his sister May developed a close relationship that was to last all their lives.

The family returned to England in the spring of 1883 and Alge was enrolled in Reverand A.H. Morton’s boarding school in Farnborough, England. At the beginning of the Lent Term in 1889, Alge began to attend Eton College. In 1892, Alge started his military education at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Two years later, Alge was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the 7th Hussars and stationed in India. In 1896, Alge was transferred to Africa and participated in the Second Matabele War and in the Second Boer War.

At the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, Alge caught the eye of the King’s niece Princess Alice of Albany. Alge and his siblings had known Alice since childhood, although they were much older than she was. Alice was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and his wife Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Prince Leopold inherited hemophilia from his mother and died at age 30 from a fall that caused a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries, having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. Alice was just 13 months old and her mother was pregnant with her brother Charles Edward, who was Duke of Albany at birth and succeeded his uncle Alfred as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1900.  Alice and her mother lived at Claremont and Alge was stationed at nearby Hampton Court Palace, so there was an opportunity for the couple to court. Alge and Alice became engaged on November 16, 1903.

 

The wedding was held on February 10, 1904, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. After Alge’s wedding leave from the British Army, he became the aide-de-camp to Sir John French, the commander at the Aldershot Garrison.  King Edward VII allowed the couple to live at the Royal Pavilion at Aldershot. Toward the end of 1904, Alge’s regiment was scheduled to be transferred out of the country, but King Edward VII insisted that Alge remain in England and be transferred to the Royal Horse Guards. The King also allowed his niece and her husband to live at the Henry III Tower of Windsor Castle as the Horse Guards were stationed at the Windsor Castle barracks.

Alge and Alice had three children:

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone with her children May and Rupert, circa 1909; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Alice was a hemophilia carrier. Her father Prince Leopold was the only one of Queen Victoria’s four sons to have hemophilia and the first of the nine hemophiliacs among Queen Victoria’s descendants. All daughters of hemophiliacs have to be carriers because their fathers pass their X chromosome to them and it is on the X chromosome where the hemophilia gene is carried. All sons of hemophiliacs will not have the disease because they receive a Y chromosome from their father. Alice’s son Rupert was a hemophiliac. On April 15, 1928, 20-year-old Rupert died from an injury received in a car accident which he probably would have recovered from had he not been a hemophiliac.  It is also possible that Alge and Alice’s son Maurice, who died at the age of six months, was a hemophiliac.

Prince Alexander of Teck, 28 June 1910; Credit – Wikipedia

During World War I, Alge saw active service in Belgium and France. Due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, King George V issued Letters Patents on July 17, 1917 “declaring that the name Windsor is to be borne by his royal house and family and relinquishing the use of all German titles and dignities.” Alge relinquished the title Prince of Teck in the Kingdom of Württemberg and the style Serene Highness.  His two surviving children also lost their Württemberg titles and styles. The Teck family adopted the surname Cambridge (Alge’s eldest brother Adolphus became the 1st Marquess of Cambridge) and for several months Alge’s style was Sir Alexander Cambridge.  On November 7, 1917, King George V created him Earl of Athlone and Viscount Trematon.  Alge’s son Rupert used his father’s secondary title as a courtesy title and his daughter May was styled Lady May Cambridge.  Alice was then styled Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.

At the end of World War I, Alge retired from the army and took up civilian work including continuing as Chairman of Middlesex Hospital in London, a post he was first appointed to in 1910. From 1924-1930, Alge was the Governor-General of South Africa and he was the Governor-General of Canada from 1940-1946.  During the World War II years in Canada, Alge and Alice welcomed a number of displaced royals who had sought refuge in Canada: Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway; Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Luxembourg; King Peter of Yugoslavia; King George of Greece; Empress Zita of Austria and her daughters; as well as Alice’s first cousin Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her daughter, Princess Juliana.

The Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone at the Opening of Parliament in 1946; Photo: Wikipedia

In 1946, Alge retired and he and Alice took a grace and favor apartment at Kensington Palace in London. However, Alge did not completely retire. He served on the committee organizing the 1953 coronation of his great-niece Queen Elizabeth II and continued to serve as Chancellor of the University of London until 1955. Alge died on January 16, 1957, at Kensington Palace in London, England at the age of 82.  After a funeral with full military honors, Alge was buried at the Royal Burial Grounds at Frogmore in Windsor, England. Alice survived Alge by 24 years, dying on January 3, 1981, one month short of her 98th birthday, the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria, and the longest-lived person of the Blood Royal of the British Royal Family. Alice was buried beside her husband and son Rupert at the Royal Burial Grounds at Frogmore in Windsor, England.

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Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Wikipedia

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, was the husband of Princess Margaret from 1960-1978. A gifted artist and photographer, he remained close to the British Royal Family even after his divorce from Princess Margaret.

 

He was born on March 7, 1930, to Ronald Armstrong-Jones and his first wife Anne Messel. He had an older sister Susan, later Viscountess Vesci, and three half-siblings from his parents’ other marriages. He was educated at Sandroyd School, in Wiltshire, and Eton College, and then enrolled at Jesus College, Cambridge University where he studied architecture. Following university, Armstrong-Jones began working as a photographer, later becoming known for his portraits, including several members of the royal family. Snowdon thrived in the art world, and in 1969, was called upon to design the investiture ceremony for the Prince of Wales, at Caernarfon Castle.

 

In February 1960, it was announced that Armstrong-Jones had become engaged to Princess Margaret, younger daughter of the late King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The couple married in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 1960. On October 6, 1961, he was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley, just before the birth of their first child.

Antony and Margaret had two children:

The marriage, while happy at the beginning, quickly turned sour. Both were rumored to have had affairs, and often battled publicly. After many years of discord, the couple divorced in 1978.

A month later, on December 15, 1978, Snowdon married Lucy Mary Lindsay-Hogg (née Davies). and they had one daughter. This marriage, too, would end in 2000, after it was revealed that Snowdon had fathered a son in 1998 with another woman.

  • Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones (born 1979), married Rodolphe von Hofmannsthal, had two sons and one daughter

On November 16, 1999, he was created Baron Armstrong-Jones of Nymans, a life-peerage, in order to retain his seat in the House of Lords. Despite no longer being married into the Royal Family, Snowdon had a close relationship with them. At Princess Margaret’s funeral in 2002, he was amongst the leading mourners, alongside the couple’s children, Queen Elizabeth II, and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

On January 13, 2017, Lord Snowdon died peacefully at his home in Kensington, London, England at the age of 86 and was buried at St. Baglan’s Church in Llanfaglan, Wales. His son David succeeded him as 2nd Earl of Snowdon.  His former sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh along with their sons Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and their grandson Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attended the memorial service for Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon on April 7, 2017, at the Church of St Margaret in Westminster, London, England on the grounds of Westminster Abbey.

 

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.