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Monday, July 17, 2023

The Baroness Williams of Elvel 1929-2023

 The Baroness Williams of Elvel, who died 15 July, 2023, aged 93, was the widow of the life peer the Baron Williams of Elvel, CBE, PC, and was mother of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

She was born Jane Gillian Portal, 11 December, 1929, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Gervas Edward Portal (1890-1961), and his wife the former Iris Mary Butler (died 2002), and a sister of R.A. Butler, KG, PC, the Conservative politician (the Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, &c). She was a niece of Viscount Portal of Hungerford.

She married firstly, 23 April, 1955 (div 1959), Gavin Bramhall Welby (1914-1977); and married 2ndly, 1975, Charles Cuthbert Powell Williams, who was born 9 February, 1933, the son of N.P. Williams by his wife the former Muriel de Lerisson Cazenove, scion of that landed family. Her 2nd husband was Chairman of the Prices Commission 1985-92; appointed CBE in 1980, and created a life peer in 1985, and sat in the Lords on the Labour benches as Baron Williams of Elvel. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 2013, and died 30 Dec, 2019.

Whilst wife of Gavin Welby she had a relationship with Sir Anthony Montague Browne, KCMG, CBE (1923-2013), sometime private secretary to the Rt Hon Sir Winston Churchill, KG, by whom she had one son (who took her husband's surname) - the Most Rev and Rt Hon Justin Portal Welby (born 6 January, 1956), 105th Archbishop of Canterbury since 2013.

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