trenchard

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Humphrey Richard Woollcombe Smith 1944-2026

 Humphrey Richard Woollcombe Smith, of Oxton Hall, Tadcaster, the eccentric chairman of Samuel Smith's Old Brewery, at Tadcaster, has died aged 81.

He was born 12 December, 1944, the elder son of Geoffrey Roy Holland Smith (1902-1964), and his wife the former Rosamond Margaret Stirling Woollcombe (1919-1991), scion of that landed gentry family; and married in June, 1985, Julia Carlotta Gladstone (born 16 January, 1956), scion of the Gladstone landed gentry family of Capenoch, second daughter of John Gladstone of Capenoch (1908-1977), and his wife the former Diana Rosamond Maud Fleming-Hamilton (1923-2018).

Humphrey Smith is survived by Julia, and a daughter, Maud, and son, Samuel, who succeeds as head of the brewing dynasty.

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Leslie Marshall Gore (nee Peabody) (died 2026)

 Leslie Marshall Gore (nee Peabody), died 16 June, 2026, aged 100.

She was a daughter of Benjamin Bostwick Peabody, of New York, United States, who was a 6 Gt-granddson of John Alden, the Mayflower passenger immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Courtship of Miles Standish", and his wife Priscilla Mullins. 

Leslie was also descended from another early settler family: the Peabody ancestor Francis 'Pebbody' who sailed to America in 1635 on board the sailing ship Planter. Another famous relation is the merchant banker and great philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869). George's mother, Judith Dodge, was descended from the Spofford family, a dissenting family from Yorkshire, who had likewise emigrated to Massachusetts in the mid-seventeenth century. 

Leslie married 6 May, 1948, Major Humphry Gerard Napier Gore (1916-2008), scion of the Earls of Arran, and a grandson maternally of Field Marshal the 1st Baron Napier of Magdala (1810-1890), son of Colonel Edward John Mounsey Gore (1863-1949), and his wife the Hon Emilia Herbert Fullarton Napier (who died 6 Apr, 1932).

She leaves issue, three sons, Mark (b 26 Aug, 1952), Brendon (b 8 Sept, 1955), and Timothy (b 22 July, 1957).

Leslie's Mayflower descent:-

John Alden (~1599 - 1687) & Priscilla Mullins (1602 - 1680)

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Elizabeth Alden (~1624 - 1717) & William Peabody (1620 - 1707)

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William Peabody (1664 - 1744) & Judith (1669 - 1714)

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Joseph Peabody (1710 - ) & Elizabeth Briggs (1714 - )

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Parker Peabody (1735 - 1818) & Sarah Spofford (1737 - 1812)

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John Parker Peabody (1797 - 1842) & Amy Chapain (1763 - 1810)

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Benjamin Peabody (1800 - 1877) & Julia Backus Bostwick (1802 - 1874)

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Amos Henry Peabody (1841 - ) & Sophia Waterbury (1845 - 1896)

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Benjamin Bostwick Peabody (1879 - 1965) & Helen Frances Seaverns ( - 1969)

Leslie Marshall Peabody (d 2026) & Humphrey Gerard Napier Gore (1917 - 2008)


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Cora Elizabeth Monckton (born 2026)

 Bethany Rose Monckton (nee Watkinson, born 1994), wife of Oliver George Carlos Monckton (born 29 Aug, 1993), scion of the Viscounts Galway, gave birth to a daughter, Cora Elizabeth, 8 June, 2026.

Bethany is a daughter of Dr Anthony and Dr Melanie Watkinson, of Dulford, Devon.

Oliver is the son of Piers Alastair Carlos Monckton (born 23 Oct, 1962), of Stretton, Staffordshire, and his 1st wife, Georgiana Byng (born 31 March, 1964), of Adbury, Berkshire, descended from the Lafone landed family, and Earls of Strafford.

Oliver's grandfather, Julian Michael Edmund Lafone (1928-2011), scion of that landed gentry family, who in 1969 assumed the surname of Byng in lieu of his patronymic, was a grandson maternally of the 6th Earl of Strafford (1862-1951(.

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Saturday, June 27, 2026

Walford/Bungaroo engagement

The engagement was announced 27 June, 2026, between Edward Daniel Walford (born 1988), son of Peter Vivian Walford (born 1953), of Burwash, East Sussex, and the the Hon Claire Elizabeth Walford (nee Pennock) (born 1958), & Tamara Bungaroo (born 1989), daughter of Sen Bungaroo, of Langstone, Hampshire, and his wife the former Maria Valdes Martinez.

Edward Walford is a grandson of the life peer the Baron Pennock (1920-1993).

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Robin Thomas Littleton Salmon 1943-2026

 Robin Thomas Littleton Salmon died 17 June, 2026, aged 82. He was descended from the Barons Hatherton.

He was born 3 October, 1943, the second son of Frank Robert Salmon (1910-1997), and his wife the former Patricia Jean Even Painton (1917-1997); and married 6 April, 1974, Amanda Cadbury (born circa 1947), daughter of Alan Cadbury, by whom he had issue, a son, Benjamin (born 22 Feb, 1979), and a daughter, Matilda (born 24 May, 1981).

2nd Baron Hatherton > Reat Admiral the Hon Algernon Litteton > Isobel Littleton > Frank Salmon > Robin Salmon

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Kemmis Betty/Stitt engagement

 The engagement was announced 27 June, 2026, between Alexander Peter L. Kemmis Betty (born 7 November, 1984), son of Richard H. St M. Kemmis Betty, of The Queen's Own Hussars, of Milton on Stour, Dorset, and his wife the former Victoria Lacon (born 1952), scion of the Lacon baronets, & Rachael J. Stitt, elder daughter of Prof and Mrs Alan Stitt, of Killinchy, Co Down.

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Wright/Coulthard engagement

The engagement was announced 27 June, 2026, between P. Caspar E. Wright,  scion of the Wright landed gentry family, son of Timothy E. (Tiff) Wright, of Dunblane, Perthshire, and his wife the former Michaela Wordie, & Tamara Coulthard (born 9 March, 1999), daughter of Roger Coulthard, of Edinburgh, and his wife the former Lucinda Miller.

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Friday, June 26, 2026

Ruth, Baroness Wolfson 1931-2026

 Ruth, Baroness Wolfson, who has died aged 94, was the former wife of the Baron Wolfson, FRS (1927-2010), the businessman who was Chairman of Great Universal Stores.

The former Ruth Shirley Sterling was born in London, in July, 1931, daughter of Ernest Sterling, of London, and his wife nee ___ Ogus; and married 14 November, 1949 (div. 1991), Leonard Gordon Wolfson (born 11 Nov, 1927), son and heir of Sir Isaac Wolfson, 1st Baronet (1897-1991), and his wife Edith Specterman (who died in 1981). 

Leonard Wolfson was raised to the peerage for life, 13 June, 1985, as Baron Wolfson, of Marylebone in the City of Westminster, and succeeded his father in the baronetcy (created UK, 1962), in 1991.

Lord Wolfson died 20 May, 2010.

Lady Wolfson leaves issue, four daughters, Janet, Laura, Deborah and Elizabeth.

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Nicholson/Legard engagement

 The engagement was announced 26 June, 2026, between Hugo Frank Nicholson (born 23 August, 1991), middle son of Frank Nicholson (born 11 February, 1954), descended from the Lawson-Tancred baronets, and his wife the former Lavinia Margaret Grace Stourton (born 1 Oct, 1962), scion of the Barons Mowbray, Segrave & Stourton, & Celia Mary Legard (born 12 December, 1996), scion of the Legard baronets, only daughter of Capt Edward Thomas Legard (born 9 Nov, 1966), of Charlcot, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Lucy Frances Kirkpatrick (born 30 January, 1967), descended from the Viscounts Hardinge.

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Camilla Mary Aston (née Minoprio) 1933-2026

 Camilla Mary Aston (née Minoprio), who died 9 June, 2026, aged 93, was a scion of the Minoprio landed gentry family. She was born 20 March, 1933, the fourth daughter of Frank Charles Minoprio (1870-1951), of Broadlands, Ascot, Berkshire, and Haulfryn, High Sheriff of Carnarvonshire in 1934, by his 2nd wife, the former Rachel Ellen Mann (1894-1979); and married 1 May, 1954, Peter Rutherford Aston (1925-1992), of Sidney House, Kinnersley, Salop, eldest son of Samuel Aston (1898-1989), of Pewit Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire, and his wife the former Isabel Rutherford (1901-1990), and she leaves issue, a son, Charles, and two daughters, Katherine and Jennifer.

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The 4th Baron Forteviot 1938-2026

 The 4th Baron Forteviot, who died 22 June, 2026, aged 88, of Aberdalgie House, Perthshire, was a member of the Dewar whisky dynasty.

John James Evelyn Dewar was born 5 April, 1938, son of the 3rd Baron Forteviot (1906-1993), and his wife the former Cynthia Monica Starkie (died 1986), and was a younger brother of the Hon Caroline Dewar (born 12 Feb, 1934), who married 1stly, 1956 (div 1966), the 3rd Duke of Fife (1929-2015), cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

He served as ADC to the Governor General of New Zealand 1962-63.

He married 17 Oct, 1963, the Lady Elizabeth Jeronima Waldegrave (1936-2003), third daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave, KG (1905-1995), and his wife the former Mary Hermione Grenfell (1909-1995), scion of that landed gentry family. His wife was an elder sister of Lady Susan Hussey, GCVO (born 1 May, 1939), stalwart member of Queen Elizabeth II's household and Her Majesty's long serving lady-in-waiting.

He succeeded his father, 25 March, 1993, in the Forteviot barony (created in 1917), and in the Dewar baronetcy (cr 1907). He was a member of the Royal Company of Archers, and a director of John Dewar and Sons 1977-98.

Lord Forteviot leaves issue, a son, the Hon Alexander John Edward Dewar (born 4 March, 1971), who inherits the family honours, and three daughters, Mary (who is wife of the 17th Baron Strange), Miranda and Henrietta.

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Nigel Hugh Clutton, OBE 1935-2026

Nigel Hugh Clutton, OBE, FRICS, died 11 June, 2026. He was 90.

He was born at Cuckfield, Sussex, in July, 1935, son of Robin John Clutton (1897-1978), of Rotherfield, Sussex, and his wife the former Rosalie Muriel Birch; and married firstly, July, 1960, Anne Black Weir (who died 1975); and married 2ndly, 25 March, 1988, the Lady Sarah Margaret Fitzalan Howard, who died 14 June, 2015, aged 73, who was the third of the four daughters of the 16th Duke of Norfolk, KG, GCVO, GBE, PC (1908-75), hereditary Earl Marshal and Premier Duke in England (Peerage of England, cr 1483), by his wife the former Lavinia Mary Strutt, LG, CBE (1916-1995), scion of the Barons Belper.

Lady Sarah Clutton was heir pres to the Lordship of Herries of Terregles (Peerage of Scotland, cr 1490), held by her elder sister, Lady Mary Mumford, DCVO.

Nigel Clutton leaves issue from his first marriage, three daughters, Susan (born 1964), Katherine (born 1965), and Harriet (born 1970).

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Ogilvy-Wedderburn/Vos engagement

 The engagement was announced 26 June, 2026, between Geordie Richard Andrew Ogilvy-Wedderburn (born 20 April, 1987), younger twin son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Andrew John Alexander Ogilvy-Wedderburn, 7th Baronet (1952-2025), of Alyth, Perthshire, and his wife the former Gillian Meade Adderley (Gillian, Lady Ogilvy-Wedderburn, of Edinburgh); and Philippa Alexis Vos (born 1997), daughter of Richard Grahame Vos (born 1961), of South Molton Devon, and Mrs Katrina P. Agnew (born 1962), of Sibford Gower, Oxfordshire. 

Geordie Ogilvy-Wedderburn is the yr twin brother of Sir Peter Ogilvy-Wedderburn, 8th Baronet.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Sir John Stewart-Clark, 3rd Baronet 1929-2026

Sir John Stewart-Clark, 3rd Baronet, died 22 June, 2026. He was 96.

The baronet, always known as Jack, was a businessman and Conservative and Unionist Party politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1999, including as its Vice-President from 1992 to 1997. 

He was born 17 September 1929, son of Sir Stewart Stewart-Clark, 2nd Baronet (1904-1971),  and his wife the former Jane Pamela Clarke (who died in 1993); and succeeded to the baronetcy, 1 December, 1971.

He married 16 July 1958, Jonkvrouwe Lydia Frederika Loudon (1936-2025) daughter of Jonkheer James Willem Loudon (1904-1973), by whom he had a son, Alexander, and three daughters, Daphne, Nadia, and Zarina.

In 1948 Stewart-Clark was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards, serving in North Africa during his national service. In 1958 he was appointed to the Royal Company of Archers, the monarch's bodyguard in Scotland.

Sir Jack stood as a Unionist candidate for Aberdeen North in the 1959 election, coming second behind Hector Hughes. In Britain's first direct elections to the European Parliament, in 1979, Stewart-Clark was elected as an Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Sussex East, holding the seat until it was abolished in 1994. He continued to sit as an MEP for the East Sussex and Kent South constituency until 1999. In the European Parliament he represented the Conservative and Unionist Party, which was aligned with the European Democrat Group until 1992, after which he sat with the Group of the European People's Party. Although sitting for an English constituency, he also acted as a representative of the Scottish Conservatives, who had no MEPs. He was a Vice-President of the European Parliament from 1992 to 1997. He took part in several parliamentary delegations and chaired a number of initiatives, with a particular interest in the prevention of drug abuse, and subsequently became a trustee of the substance abuse group Mentor Foundation.

In 1995 Stewart-Clark inherited Dundas Castle from his mother and began a programme of restoration. The castle, built in 1818 adjacent to a 15th-century tower house, had been bought by his great-grandfather, the Paisley thread manufacturer Stewart Clark, in 1899. Stewart-Clark lived in one wing, while the rest of the house was rented out for weddings and other events.

He is succeeded in the baronetcy by his only son, Alexander (born 21 November, 1960).

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Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Clemency Mary Katherine Simpson (nee Banon) 1956-2026

 Clemency Katherine Mary Simpson (nee Banon), died in Australia, 16 June, 2026, aged 69.

She was born 24 November, 1956, the third daughter of Christopher Valerio Edward Paul Banon, and his wife Katherine Mary Margaret Frances Josephine ffrench (1917-), scion of the Barons ffrench; and married in 1981, John Robert Simpson, by whom she had a son, Robert (born 24 Nov, 1990).

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Charlotte Elisabeth Grace Chappel (born 2026)

 Cecily Victoria Clarissa Chappel (nee Chambers), wife of William Peter Arthur Hedley Chappel (born Aug. 1981), gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte Elisabeth Grace, 15 June, 2026, a sister for Arthur Frederick D. Chappel, and Leopold Hedley L. Chappel.

William Chappel is a son of Peter F. Chappel (born 1952), and his wife the former Amanda Jane E. Plowden-Wardlaw (born 1954), descended from the Plowden landed gentry family and the Barons Rayleigh.

The 2nd Baron Rayleigh (1796-1873) = Clara Vicars

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Hon Hedley Vicars Strutt (1864-1891) = Elizabeth Knight

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Hilda Strutt (1886-1982) = Francis Deverell (1881-1941)

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Diana Deverell (1916-2016) = Roger Peter Plowden-Wardlaw (1915-2011)

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Amanda Plowden-Wardlaw (b 1954) = Peter  Chappel (b 1952)

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William Chappel (b 1987) = Cecily Chambers

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Charlotte Chappel (b 2026)

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Monday, June 22, 2026

The Marquess of Granby and Claira Miesegaes: some background

For several years one of Britain's most eligible bachelors. the Marquess of Granby, has been seen out and about in the company of the lovely Claira Miesegaes.

Having just spent a day at Belvoir Castle I came home to investigate further the lineage and background of the lady who might become the next Duchess of Rutland.

Granby and Claira.
Charles John Montague Manners, styled Marquess of Granby was born 3 July, 1999, the fourth child and first-born son of the 11th Duke of Rutland (born 8 May, 1959), of Belvoir Castle, near Grantham, and the Duchess of Rutland (the former Rachel Emma Louise Watkins, born 2 September, 1963).

Charles is heir to his father, and to Belvoir Castle, near Grantham, and and impressive array of peerages: the Barony of Roos of Belvoir, co. Leicester [U.K., 1896]; the Marquess of Granby, co. Nottingham [E., 1703]; the 19th Earl of Rutland [E., 1525]; the 11th Duke of Rutland [E., 1703];  & the Baron Manners of Haddon [E., 1679]. 

Charles has a younger brother, Lord Hugo Manners (born 24 July, 2003), and three older sisters, the high profile Manners girls, Lady Violet (born 1993), Lady Alice (born 1995), and Lady Eliza (born 1997). Lady Violet, the eldest sister, married in 2025, Viscount Garnock, son and heir of the Earl of Lindsay.

Claira Emma Miesegaes (born in London in 1996),  is a partnership manager at the Jockey Club has an impeccable family history. The snob in me was hoping to find a coronet in her family tree. Sadly, none have been found as yet, but I can state that the beautiful Miss Miesegaes is descended from several landed gentry families and more importantly, is a great-niece of the great Betty Kenward, MBE (1906-2001), the magazine columnist famed as the editor of 'Jennifer's Diary', originally in Tatler and subsequently in Queen magazine.

Betty Kenward's obituary in The Daily Telegraph described her as "insufferably snobbish and crotchety", recounting her ferocious treatment of her assistants (many of whom resigned in tears), her propensity for long-running feuds (including, particularly, with Margaret, Duchess of Argyll), and her persistent snubbing of Tatler's social editor, Peter Townend. What would she think of her great-niece now associating with Margaret, Duchess of Argyll's great-grandson?

Claira Miesegaes (pronounced 'Meezygas') is the daughter of Simon James Victor Miesegaes (born 1964), former High Sheriff of Warwickshire, and his wife the former Lucinda Claire Bourdillon (born 1968). 

Claira has a brother James (born 2001), and a sister, Harriet (born in 1998).

Through her mother's family Claira is descended from the landed gentry families of Kemp-Welch, Hunter, Stormonth Darling, and Macdonald of Vallay. 

Claira is also descended from Henry Holland (1745-1806), the great architect to the nobility.

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Sunday, June 21, 2026

North Yorkshire wedding for Lady Marina Windsor and Nico Macauley

 The marriage will take place on Saturday 20 June, 2026, at All Saints' Church, Hovingham, North Yorkshire, between Mr Nico Macauley and the Lady Marina Windsor, granddaughter of The Duke of Kent, and the late Duchess of Kent.

The wedding breakfast took place at Hovingham Hall, seat of the Worsley baronets, and birthplace of Lady Marina's late grandmother, the Duchess of Kent.

Lady Marina's grandmother, the then Katharine Worsley married at York Minster, 8 June, 1961, HRH The Duke of Kent, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. The wedding breakfast, following the first royal wedding in Yorkshire since the Middle Ages, took place at Hovingham Hall, with the late Queen attending along with many members of the Royal Family, and members of European royal families.

Nico Julian Macauley (born 6 April, 1993), is the elder son of the late William Francis Macauley (born 30 Sept, 1953), and his wife the former Nicola Jane Thompson. 

Nico's mother, Mrs Nicola Macauley, lives in the village of Stonegrave, just two miles from Hovingham Hall. The hall, a Palladian-style country house has been the seat of the Worsley family for 450 years, and is currently the home of Lady Marina's cousin, Sir William Worsley, 6th Baronet.

Nico's father died 16 June, 2019, aged 65. He was a grandson of the newspaper magnate, William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (1879-1954).

Nico was educated at the top Catholic school Ampleforth College, just seven miles from Hovingham and then at Newcastle University.

Nico's grandfather, William Perine Macauley (who died in 1990), of Ballward House, County Wicklow, married 7 April, 1948, the Hon Diana Phyllis Berry (1924-94), fourth daughter of the 1st Viscount Camrose. 

It is not known when Lady Marina and Nico started dating though the socialite cousin of the King was first linked to the cyber security account executive in 2023, when she posted a selfie with Nico to mark his 30th birthday. Lady Marina recently as shared images on Instagram featuring Nico in a loving embrace at last year’s Glastonbury festival.

The 1st Viscount Camrose started his working life as a journalist and established his own paper, Advertising World, in 1901. Berry made his fortune with the publication of the First World War magazine The War Illustrated, which at its peak had a circulation of 750,000. In partnership with his younger brother, Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley (the elder brother was Seymour Berry, 1st Baron Buckland), he purchased The Sunday Times in 1915 and was its editor-in-chief until 1937. In 1919 the pair also purchased the Financial Times.

In 1924 the Berry brothers and Sir Edward Iliffe set up Allied Newspapers and purchased the Daily Dispatch, the Manchester Evening Chronicle, the Sunday Chronicle, the Sunday News, and the Sunday Graphic, as well as a string of other newspapers across the country. In Cardiff they merged four newspapers into the Western Mail. In 1927 they purchased The Daily Telegraph from the 2nd Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham, with William Berry becoming its editor-in-chief. In 1937 they purchased its rival, The Morning Post.

In 1926, the Berry brothers/Allied Newspapers purchased Amalgamated Press (AP), which had been started by Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, in 1901 (Harmsworth had died in 1922).

Berry bought out his partners in 1937 and amalgamated The Morning Post with The Daily Telegraph, with himself as chairman and editor-in-chief. His sons Seymour, the 2nd Viscount, and subsequently Michael, continued to run the newspaper until 1986; in addition, Seymour was Vice Chairman of Amalgamated Press from 1942 to 1959 (when AP was acquired by the Mirror Group).

Camrose provided financial assistance to Sir Winston Churchill after the Second World War. He and ten other wealthy well-wishers each donated £5,000 to the Churchills, allowing them to keep their home, Chartwell, on the condition that it would be presented to the nation upon their deaths.

One of Nico's great-aunts, Sheila, Countess of Birkenhead (nee Berry) (1913-92), was a lady-in-waiting to Lady Marina's great-grandmother and namesake, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent from 1949 to 1953. Another of Nico's great-aunts was Shelagh (nee Macauley), Countess of Lisburne (who died in 2016), wife of the 8th Earl of Lisburne, a television executive. Nico's father was a first cousin of Lady Juliet Townsend, DCVO, a Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon from 1971 to 2002.

Nico's cousin, Valerie McNair-Scott was wife of the 8th Earl of Longford. She died 22 January, 2023. Another cousin is the actor Joshua Sasse (born 9 December, 1987).

Lady Marina Charlotte Alexandra Katharine Helen Windsor (born 30 September, 1992), is a great-great granddaughter of King George V and a second cousin once removed of King Charles III. She is the second child, and eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of St Andrews. Her father is the elder son and heir of HRH The Duke of Kent, who is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Lady Marina’s only brother is Edward, styled Baron Downpatrick, who will one day succeed to the dukedom of Kent. Marina’s sister, Lady Amelia, is a mannequin. Both Edward and Amelia are single. 

Nico's parents married in Westminster, 5 February, 1992. They have a younger son, Alexander Ronnie Macauley born in 1995.

Lady Marina is a Roman Catholic and excluded from the line of succession to the Throne.

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