Daughter for 'Princess' Beatrice von Preussen and Edmund Jenner

 'Princess' Beatrice Victoria von Preussen (born 10 February, 1981), wife of Edmund Henry Jenner [born 30 September, 1984], gave birth to a daughter, Cecilie Rosetta Robin Preussen Jenner, 18 March, 2024.

Beatrice is descended from the Royal House of Prussia, a daughter of Prince Frederick Nicholas von Preussen [born 3 May, 1946], and his wife the Hon Victoria Lucinda Mancroft [born 7 March, 1952], daughter of the 2nd Baron Mancroft [1914-87], and his wife the former Diana Elizabeth Lloyd [who died 1999]. Beatrice is a niece of the Duchess of Wellington.

Edmund Jenner, scion of a brewing family, is the son of Miles Anthony Jenner [born 1952], and his wife the former Sally Abbott.

Princess Beatrice's sister, Princess Florence von Preussen [born 28 July, 1983], is wife of the Hon James Tollemache [born 28 Aug, 1980], the second son of the 5th Baron Tollemache [born 13 Dec, 1939]. Another sister, Princess Augusta [born 15 Dec 1986], is wife of Caspar Helmore [born 1987]. A brother, Prince Frederick, known as Fritzi [born 11 June, 1990], announced his engagement in 2021 to Mathilda Johnson [born 1989].

The infant's descent from Queen Victoria:-

Queen Victoria [1819-1901] > Victoria, Princess Royal [1840-1901] > Wilhelm II, German Emperor [1859-1941] > Wilhelm, Crown Prince of Germany [1882-1951] > Prince Friedrich of Prussia [1911-66] > Prince Frederick von Preussen [b 1946] > Princess Beatrice von Preussen [b 1981] > Cecilie Jenner (b 2024)

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The Baron Stunell, OBE, PC 1942-2024

 _. The Baron Stunell, OBE, PC, who died 29 April, 2024, aged 81, was a Liberal Democrat politician and life peer. As Robert Andrew Stunell, he was Lib Dem MP for Hazel Grove, 1997-2015.

From 2010 to 2012 he served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Communities and Local Government, the the Coatition Government of David Cameron.

He was sworn of the Privy Council in 2012, knighted in 2013, and raised to the peerage for life, in 2015, as Baron Stunell, of Hazel Grove in the County of Greater Manchester. 

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The Baroness Trefgarne 1946-2024

 The Baroness Trefgarne, who died 20 April, 2024, was the wife of the 2nd Baron Trefgarne, the Conservative politician and currently the longest serving member of the House of Lords.

She was Rosalie Lane, daughter of the Baron Lane of Horsell (1925-2009), life peer, a Tory party activist and Binder Hamlyn senior partner, who was one of the behind-the-scenes figures in the Conservative Party who marshalled its voluntary activities when Margaret Thatcher was at the height of her powers. He spent most of his professional life as an accountant with Binder Hamlyn.

She married 9 November, 1968, David Garro Trefgarne, 2nd Baron Trefgarne (born 31 March, 1941), son of the 1st Baron Trefgarne (1894-1960), and his wife the former Elizabeth Churchill (died 1987).

Her husband succeeded to the peerage (created in 1947), on his father's demise, 27 September, 1960, and he is currently the longest serving member of the House of Lords. He was elected to the upper house in 1999, almost 40 years after first taking his seat.

Lady Trefgarne leaves issue, two sons George and Justin and a daughter, Rebecca.

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Winifred Catherine Sylvia Bigley (born 2024)

 Emily Catherine Bigley [née Barham, born 1993], scion of that landed family, and wife of Max James Hilton Bigley [born 1992], gave birth to a daughter, Winifred Catherine Sylvia, 24 April, 2024, a sister for Percy William Oliver, who was born 14 February, 2022.

Emily is a daughter of daughter of Edward George Barham (born 1962), of Hole Park, Kent, by his wife the former Clare Catherine Turnbull (born 1966), a descendant of the 9th Earl of Stamford (1850-1910). 

Max Bigley is a son of Robert Hilton Bigley (born 1959), of Whixley, North Yorkshire, by his wife the former Deborah M.M. Nicholson (b 1962).

The 9th Earl of Stamford [1850-1910] > Lady Jane Grey > Oliver Turnbull > Clare Turnbull > Emily Barham > Percy Bigley [b 2022]

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Caldecott/Smith engagement

 The engagement was announced 30 April, 2024, between Thomas Andrew C. Caldecott (born 1989), a twin son of (Peter) Dominic Caldecott (born 1956), of Sudbury, Suffolk, and his wife the former Sarah Caroline Gordon Lennox (born 20 January, 1960), scion of the Dukes of Richmond & Gordon, & Maude Rosamond Gladstone Smith (born Apr 1986), the only daughter of Humphrey Richard Woollcombe Smith (born 12 December, 1944), of Oxton Hall, Tadcaster, by his wife the former Julia Carlotta Gladstone (born 16 January, 1956), scion of the Gladstones of Capenoch, Dumfries.

Thomas Caldecott is a great-grandson of the 9th Duke of Richmond & Gordon (1904-1989), and a great-great grandson of th writer Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953). He is a grandson of the diplomat Lord Nicholas Gordon Lennox, KCMG, KCVO (1931-2004), sometime British Ambassador to Spain, and his wife, Mary (nee Williamson), CVO (1934-2021), a Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Alexandra, the Hon Lady Ogilvy.

Maude Smith's father is head of the Tadcaster Samuel Smith brewing family. Her father descends maternally from the Woollcombe landed gentry family.

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Alexis Antoine Rocco Winckler (born 2024)

 Irene Alisea Winckler (born 1988, nee Forte), wife of Felix Winckler [born c. 1979], gave birth to a son, Alexis Antoine Rocco, 27 April, 2024, a brother for Elisea, who was born in April, 2023.

Irene is a daughter of the Hon Sir Rocco Giovanni Vincent Forte [born 18 January, 1945], by his wife the former Aliai Giovanna Maria Ricci; and a paternal granddaughter of Charles Carmine Forte, the Baron Forte [1908-2007], life peer.

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Victoria Viola Maude 1968-2024

 Victoria Viola Maude, who died 29 March, 2024, aged 55, was a scion of the Maude landed gentry family; born 15 December, 1968, daughter of Christopher Michael Maude (1930-2002), and his wife the former Gillian Viola Aird (1930-2015), scion of the Aird and Baring baronets; and married 2002, Paul C. Walker, by whom she had issue, two sons, Harry Peter (born 2006), and James Christopher (born 2009), and a daughter, Poppy Viola Maude (born circa 2005).

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Paul Strang 1933-2024

 Paul Strang, who died 18 March, 2024, aged 90, was the illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet (1879-1961), the maverick conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, whose absence loomed large over his life; a solicitor by profession, he floated around the classical music world as chairman of Trinity College of Music, co-founder of the Museum of Music History and champion of the Kathleen Ferrier prize...

Paul Strang was born in London, 26 March, 1933, the son of Dora Labbette, a soprano whom Beecham had mischievously presented at Covent Garden disguised as “the new Italian nightingale Lisa Perli” to demonstrate how far a foreign name would travel in England. He used the surname of her former husband, the printmaker David Strang.

Paul Strang married Jeanne Heslop in 1965. They lived in Hamilton Terrace, St John’s Wood, where their neighbours included the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras and the trumpeter Philip Jones. Jeanne died last year.

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Porter/Lacy engagement

 The engagement was announced 27 April, 2024, between Mark R.M. Porter, son of the late Anthony Porter, of Sussex, and Mrs Porter, and Diana Louise Lacy (born 1984), daughter of Richard Patrick James Lacy (born 1950), of Boxford, Suffolk, and his wife the former Penelope Anne Maffey (born 27 December, 1950), scion of the Barons Rugby.

The 1st Baron Rugby (1877-1969) > Hon Simon Maffey (1919-2004) > Penelope Maffey (b 1950) > Diana Lacy (b 1984)

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Paloma Goldsmith (born 2024)

 Jemima Goldsmith [nee Jones, born circa 1987], wife of Benjamin James [Ben] Goldsmith (born 1980), descended from the Marquesses of Londonderry, gave birth to a third daughter, Paloma, in April, 2024, a sister for Eliza [born 2016], Arlo [born 2017], and for Vita [born 2020], and Vincent [born in 2022], and a a half-sister for the late Iris [2004-2019], for Frankie [born 2005], and for Isaac [born 2008].

Ben is a son of the late Sir James Michael Goldsmith (1933-97), by his wife the former Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b 13 June, 1934), scion of the Marquesses of Londonderry (Marquess, Ire, 1816), & Jemima is a daughter of Edward Jones, archirect, by his wife, Margot, and sister of film-maker Quentin Jones, &c.

Ben Goldsmith is a grandson maternally of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry. His first marriage which ended in divorce was to Kate Emma Rothschild, scion of the Barons Rothschild.

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Vincent/Corbett engagement

The engagement was announced 27 April, 2024, between Edward Mark William Vincent (born 6 March, 1978), son and heir of Sir William Percy Maxwell Vincent, 3rd Baronet (born 1 February, 1945), of Hambledon, Hampshire, and his wife the former Christine Margaret Walton (born 1945), & Rebecca Clare Corbett (born 1983), elder daughter of (Richard Arthur) Charles Corbett (born 3 Apr, 1956), of Cheriton, Hampshire, scion of that landed gentry family, by his wife the former Susan Elizabeth Obbard (born 22 September, 1956), scion of that landed gentry family.

It will be Edward Vincent's second marriage. He wed firstly, in 2010, Trina Lee Friesen, a Canadian, by whom he has issue, two sons and a daughter.

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Hon Lara Mei Sienna Stamp (born 2024)

 The Baroness Stamp (nee Teresa Margaret Tsakok, born 1986), wife of the 5th Baron Stamp (born 27 February, 1978), gae birth to a daughter, the Hon Lara Mei Sienna Stamp, 19 March, 2024, a sister for the Hon Leo Charles Xie Stamp, who was born 8 December, 2021.

Lord Stamp is the only son of the late 4th Baron Stamp [1935-2022], by his second and former wife, the former Carol Anne Russell.

Lady Stamp is the eldest daughter of Terence Tsakok and Dr Margaret Chung.

The 2nd Baron Stamp had one of the shortest tenures of a peerage. The 1st Baron Stamp [1880-1941] and his eldest son were killed in the same air raid on London, 16 April, 1941. On 10 Sept, 1941 the House of Lords, with the approval of King George VI, announced that where two persons have died in circumstances rendering it uncertain which of them survived the other, such details should be presumed to have occurred in order of seniority, and that Wilfred [b 1904], succeeded as 2nd Baron, if only briefly. Wilfred was succeeded by his brother, Trevor, 3rd Baron Stamp [1907-87], grandfather of the current peer.

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Virginia Mary Festing (nee Fyffe) 1942-2024

Virginia Mary Festing, who died 17 April, 2024, aged 81, was the wife of Andrew Festing, the portrait painter, and a scion (maternally) of the Moore-Gwyn landed gentry family.

She was born in Gloucestershire in 1942, daughter of Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Alan Fyffe, KBE, CB, DSO, MC (1912-1972), and his wife the former Diana Gwyneth Moore-Gwyn (1912-2002), scion of that landed gentry family, and married in 1968, Capt Andrew Thomas Festing (born 30 November, 1941), of The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own), the portrait painter and sometime President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, third son of Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing, GCB, KBE, DSO, DL (1902-1976), and his wife the former Mary Cecilia Riddell (1906-1992), scion of the Riddell baronets.

Virginia Festing is survived by her husband, and a daughter, Charlotte Diana (born 1974), wife of the Hon Robert Mungo Hepburne-Scott (born 1974), scion of the Lords Polwarth.

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Lady Studd, wife of Sir Edward Studd, 4th Baronet

 Lady Studd, who died 19 April, 2024, aged 92, was the wife of Sir Edward Studd, 4th Baronet.

She was born 6 April, 1932, as Prudence Janet Fyfe, daughter of Alastair Douglas Fyfe, OBE (1902-1974), and his wife the former Phyllis Mary Ingledew (1900-1979), and married 30 September, 1960, Edward Fairfa Studd (born 3 May, 1929), second son of Sir Eric Studd, 2nd Baronet (1887-1975), and his wife the former Kathleen Stephana Langmead (1895-1976), and was a younger brother of Capt Sir Robert Kynaston Studd, 2nd Baronet (1926-1977). Her husband succeeded his brother in the baronetcy, 27 May, 1977.

Lady Studd leaves issue, two sons Philip and Christopher, and a daughter, Alexandra.

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Zara Nina Nutting 1947-2024

 Zara Nina Nutting, who died 22 April, 2024, at Port Vendres, France, aged 77, was a scion of the Nutting baronets.

She was born 4 February, 1947, the only daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Harold Anthony Nutting, 3rd Baronet, PC (1920-1999), Conservative MP and government minister, by his 1st wife the former Gillian Leonora Strutt (1918-2007), scion of the Barons Rayleigh; and married 20 April, 1966 (div 1970), Martin Guy Stephenson, son of Augustus William Stephenson (1909-2000), descended from the Dukes of Norfolk, and his wife the former Mary Gloria Congreve (1917-1992), scion of the Congreve baronets, by whom she had an only child, a daughter, Katya Stephenson (born 14 January, 1967).

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Baron Field of Birkenhead, CH, PC, DL 1942-2024

 The Baron Field of Birkenhead, CH, PC, DL, who died 23 April, 2024, aged 81, was, as Frank Field, a Labour MP who dedicated his career to tackling child poverty.

Frank Ernest Field was born 16 July, 1942, son of Walter and Annie Field. He served as the MP for Birkenhead for 40 years, 1979-2019, as the Labour MP until August, 2018, and thereafter as an independent. . In 2019, he formed the Birkenhead Social Justice Party and stood unsuccessfully as its sole candidate in the 2019 election. After leaving the House of Commons he was awarded a life peerage in 2020 and sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. From 1997 to 1998, Field served as the Minister of Welfare Reform in Tony Blair's government. Field resigned following differences with the Prime Minister; as a backbencher he soon became one of the Labour government's most vocal critics. Field was elected Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee in June 2015. Following the 2017 general election he was re-elected unopposed. In August 2018, Field resigned the Labour whip citing antisemitism in the party, as well as a "culture of intolerance, nastiness and intimidation" in parts of the party, including in his own constituency. Field lost a confidence vote in his constituency party a month before his resignation, after siding with the government in Brexit votes. His resignation of the whip also led to his departure from the wider membership of the Labour Party, according to the Labour National Executive Committee, although Field disputed this.

Frank Field was sworn of the Privy Council in 1997. He was appointed as a deputy lieutenant for the county of Merseyside in October 2011.  At the age of 75 he was moved to the retired list.

Field was awarded an honorary fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University on 12 July 2016. In 2017, he was awarded the Langton Award for Community Service by the Archbishop of Canterbury "for sustained and outstanding commitment to social welfare". Field was nominated for a life peerage in the 2019 Dissolution Honours, and his peerage was gazetted in the name, style and title of Baron Field of Birkenhead, of Birkenhead in the County of Merseyside, on 11 September 2020.

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Capt Richard Lawrence Garnons-Williams, RN 1925-2024

 Capt Richard Lawrence Garnons-Williams, RN, who died 17 April, 2024, aged 98, was a scion of that landed gentry family, born in 1925, son of Maj Roger Fenton Garnons Garnons-Williams, MBE (1891-1961), and his wife the former Eileen Sandys Thomas (1894-1989), and married in 1950, Anne Elizabeth Elmhirst (1926-1997), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom he had issue two daughters, Elizabeth (born 1951), and Antonia (born 1956).

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The King's St George's Day appointments to the Order of the Garter

 His Majesty the King has made some appointments to England's senior order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO, DStJ,  77, the Danish-born wife of the King's cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, becomes a Royal Lady of the Order. The former Birgitte van Deurs (born 20 June, 1946) married Prince Richard in 1972, and has been a 'working royal' for over half a century.

Air Chief Marshal the Lord Peach, GBE, KCB, DL (born 22 February, 1956), who becomes a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, is a retired senior RAF officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Bruggen. He was deployed as NATO Air Commander (Forward) in Kosovo in 2000. He went on to be Chief of Defence Intelligence in 2006, Chief of Joint Operations in 2009 and the first Commander of Joint Forces Command in December 2011 before being appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2013. Peach succeeded General Sir Nick Houghton as Chief of the Defence Staff on 14 July 2016. He succeeded General Petr Pavel as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee on 29 June 2018, serving as such until his retirement from NATO in June 2021.

Lord Kakkar, KBE, PC (born 28 April 1964), is a professor of surgery at University College London and life peer. Kakkar is Chair of King's Health Partners, the Academic Health Science Centre, Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, London, and lectures and publishes widely on his specialism. He has worked with the NHS on its strategy to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). He is a Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, former chair of the Board of Governors at Alleyn's School, Dulwich, and a Trustee of the Dulwich Estate. Kakkar was created a life peer on 22 March 2010 as Baron Kakkar, of Loxbeare in the County of Devon, and introduced in the House of Lords the same day. He sits on the crossbenches. He was Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission from 2013 to 2018.

Lord Lloyd-Webber, (born 22 March 1948) is a composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. Several of Lloyd Webber's songs have been widely recorded and widely successful outside of their parent musicals, such as "Memory" from Cats, "The Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Evita, and "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2001, The New York Times referred to him as "the most commercially successful composer in history". The Daily Telegraph named him in 2008 the fifth-most powerful person in British culture, on which occasion lyricist Don Black said that "Andrew more or less single-handedly reinvented the musical."

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The King gives prestigious appointments to family members

The King has granted prestigious new roles to four senior members of the royal family, including his wife, Queen Camilla.

As formally announced by Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Her Majesty Queen Camilla has been appointed to be Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Previous Grand Masters have included the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,who held the office from 1953 until his death, the King's great-grandmother – Queen Mary from 1936 to 1953, and King Edward VIII when he was the Prince of Wales from 1917 to 1936.

The King has also granted new honours to the Prince and Princess of Wales. Prince William has been made Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725, although it is believed to originally date back as far as the eighth century. It is awarded to members of the military or civil service for exemplary service.  

Previous Grand Masters have included the King when he was Prince of Wales, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert, and Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex.

And as a completely new appointment, the Princess of Wales has been appointed Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour. The Order was founded by King George V in 1917 to recognise outstanding achievements in the Arts, Sciences, Medicine and Public Service. While membership of the order confers no title or precedence, those inducted into the order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters CH. Catherine joins the likes of Lord Coe, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Elton John, all members of the order.

Meanwhile, there's a new royal addition to the Order of the Garter – the Duchess of Gloucester has become a Royal Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and is likely to make her debut at the ceremony on 17 June.

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Major General Andrew Patrick Withy MacLellan, CB, CVO, MBE 1925-2024

 Major General (Andrew) Patrick (Withy) MacLellan, CB, CVO, MBE, who died 19 April, 2024, aged 98, was Resident Governor and Keeper of the Jewel House, HM Tower of London, 1984-1989.

He was born 29 November, 1925, son of Kenneth MacLellan, and his wife the former Rachel Madeline Withy. He was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in November 1944 but too late to take part in operations in the Second World War. He served in Palestine immediately after the end of the conflict following the outbreak of violence, conducted by Zionist paramilitary organisations, and was then posted to the School of Infantry to teach counterinsurgency warfare. For the next 15 years he served with the Brigade of Guards in England, Egypt and Germany, before becoming military assistant to Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the Admiral of the Fleet, in 1961, then chief of the defence staff, a demanding post for which he was appointed MBE (Military) in 1964. 

He married in 1954, Kathleen Mary Bagnell (born 1928), the daughter of a hussar officer who had fought in the First World War, by whom he had a son, Ian, and twin daughters Fiona and Diana.

He was appointed MBE in 1964, CB in 1981, and CVO in 1989.

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Oakes/Manners engagement

 The engagement was announced 23 April, 2024, between William Edward J. Oakes (born 1994), younger son of Tim Oakes and Mrs Barbara Johnston of Haslemere, Surrey, & Laura Elizabeth Manners (born 1996), scion of the Barons Manners, younger daughter of Arthur Roger Manners (born 29 July, 1959), of Newbury, Berkshire, and his wife the former (Charlotte) Anna C, Ryland (born 1960).

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Rupert Alfred Chambers (born 2024)

 Fleur Elizabeth Chambers (nee Gibbs, born 1990), wife of Nicholas Timothy G. Chambers [born 1989], gave birth to a son, Rupert Alfred, 5 April, 2024, a brother for Albert George, who was born 23 January, 2023.

Nicholas is the elder son of Robert G. Chambers, of Reed, Hertfordshire, by his wife the former [Christine] Belinda Johnson.

Fleur Chambers is the (adopted?) daughter of Alan Francis Gibbs [born 1953], of Midgham Park, Berkshire, scion of the Barons Aldenham & Hunsdon, by his wife the former Francine Nicola Preston [born 1956].

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Belinda Madeline Mordaunt 1933-2024

 Belinda Madeline Mordaunt (nee Gouldsmith), died 17 April, 2024.

She was born in 1933, daughter of Thomas Cecil Gouldsmith (1903-1989), of Conseysthorpe, Malton, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Rachel Westmacott (1899-1988); and married in 1959, (Thomas) Christopher John Mordaunt (1934-2017), scion of the Mordaunt baronets, son of Lieutenant Commander Richard John Mordaunt, VRD, RN (1908-1988), and his wife the former Gertrude Anna Katherine Toler  (1904-1986), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom she had issue, two daughters, Sarah Camilla (born 19 Sept, 1961), and Sophie Jane (born 18 Mar, 1967).

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Sir Peter Maudslay Hordern, DL, PC 1929-204

 Sir Peter Maudslay Hordern, DL, PC, who died on his 95th birthday, 18 April, 2024, was a former Conservative MP, a mainstay of the back benches for over 30 years, and a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 18 April, 1929,  elder son of Charles Hubert Hordern (1896-1974), and his wife the former Dorothy Donovan, and a grandson of the Rt. Rev. Hugh Maudslay Hordern (1868-1949), sometime Bishop of Lewes.

He was educated at Geelong Grammar School, Australia and Christ Church, Oxford. He served with the 60th Rifles from 1947 to 1949, joining the regiment of his father and great-uncle, Brig. General Gwyn Venables Hordern CB, CMG, JP. He then became a Member of the Stock Exchange.

Hordern served as Tory MP for Horsham from 1964 to 1974, for Horsham and Crawley from 1974 to 1983 and for Horsham once again from 1983 to 1997. He was sworn of the Privy Council 1993. He served as a deputy lieutenant for West Sussex.

Hordern was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 1970 to 1987, Chairman of the Finance Committee from 1970 to 1972 and Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission from 1988 to 1997. He was appointed to the Executive of the 1922 Committee in 1967, later becoming Secretary of the 1922 Committee and Chairman of the Conservative backbench Committee on Europe.

Sir Peter was appointed a director of Petrofina UK PLC in 1973 and chairman in 1987. He was appointed a director of F&C Smaller Companies Investment Trust, plc in 1978, and as chairman in 1986. He was appointed a director of TR Technology Investment Trust in 1985 (formerly Atlas Electric and General Trust). In 1982 he was appointed a consultant to Fisons PLC and a consultant to House of Fraser PLC and Pannell Kerr Forster in 1984.

He married in 1964, Elizabeth Susan Chataway (born 1938), daughter of Sir James Denys Percival Chataway (1892-1953), and sister of Sir Christopher Chataway (1931-2014), the long-distance runner, Conservative politician and broadcaster.

He is survived by Lady Hordern and a son, James (born 1967), who married Lady Elspeth Mackay, daughter of the 4th Earl of Inchcape, and a daughter, Sara (born 1971). He was predeceased by another son, Andrew (1965-2009).

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Baroness Massey of Darwen 1938-2024

 The Baroness Massey of Darwen, who died 20 April, 2024, aged 85, was a Labour member of the House of Lords, Vice-Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group Humanist Group (APPHG), until earlier this year, and secretary from 2010-2022.

Doreen Elizabeth Massey was born 5 September, 1938. She was educated at the University of Birmingham (BA, DipEd, vice-pres Student Union, Hockey and Cricket blues), and the University of London (MA). A former teacher and education advisor, she was the director of the Family Planning Association from 1989 to 1994. She was made a life peer as Baroness Massey of Darwen, of Darwen in the County of Lancashire, on 26 July 1999. She was introduced on 1 November 1999 to the House of Lords where she served as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated and Complementary Healthcare. She is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, patron of Humanists UK, &c. On 15 September 2010, Massey, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.

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Baroness Gardner of Parkes 1927-2024

The Baroness Gardner of Parkes, JP, who died 14 April, 2024, aged 96, was an Australian-born dentist and Conservative member of the British House of Lords. She was the first Australian woman to have been elevated to the peerage, and as of 2023 is the most senior Life peer in the House of Lords. 

She was born Rachel Trixie Anne McGirr, 17 July, 1927. Trixie Gardner was a councillor of Westminster City Council from 1968 to 1978 and was Lady Mayoress (when her husband was Lord Mayor) during 1987–88. In 1970, she stood for Parliament for the Conservative Party against Labour's Barbara Castle in Blackburn, and in February 1974 stood against the Liberal John Pardoe in North Cornwall. In 1971, she was made a Justice of the Peace. In addition, she was elected as a member of the Greater London Council (GLC) representing Havering (1970-1973) and Southgate (1977–1986) until the GLC's abolition. She held various directorships and was the UK Representative on the United Nations Status of Women Commission 1982–1988. 

She was created a life peer, in June 1981, and took the title Baroness Gardner of Parkes, of Southgate in Greater London, and of Parkes in the State of New South Wales and Commonwealth of Australia.

Fir those interested in the detail of armorial bearing, Baroness Gardner's arms: Arms: Per fess Azure and Vert in chief a representation of the constellation of the Southern Cross Argent issuing in base a Sun in Splendour Or all within a Bordure indented Gold; Supporters: Dexter: a Kangaroo Or gorged with a Crown Pallisado Vert grasping in the sinister forepaw a Branch of Tudor Roses slipped and leaved proper; Sinister: a Lion Or gorged with a Crown Pallisado Vert grasping in the dexter forepaw a Branch of Wattle slipped and leaved proper, the whole upon a Compartment comprising a Grassy Mount growing therefrom two Waratah Flowers slipped and leaved proper; Motto: Keep Going.

 She was ennobled for her two decades of community and local government work as a Conservative, the first Australian woman to be so honoured. On 4 April 2007, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Sydney.

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Lara Emma Benyon (born 2024)

 Sarah Benyon [nee Procter], wife of the Hon Harry C.W. Benyon, descended from the Earls of Clarendon, gave birth to a daughter, Lara Emma, 12 April, 2024, a sister for Archie Philip William, who was born 7 April, 2022.

Harry is the eldest son of the life peer the Baron Benyon [born 1960], of Englefield, Berkshire, by his former wife the former Emma Helen Villiers [born 16 Oct, 1963], scion of the Earls of Clarendon.

Sarah Benyon is the younger daughter of Mr & Mrs Philip Procter, of Skelton, York.

Harry Benyon is a grandson paternally of the late Sir William Benyon [1930-2014], a descendant of the Marquesses of Salisbury. His mother, Emma, is now the Baroness Grimthorpe, of Newmarket, Suffolk, second wife of the 5th Baron Grimthorpe [born 10 Nov, 1954]. Lady Grimthorpe is a descendant of the 1st Earl of Clarendon.

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Julia Helen Rausing (nee Delves Broughton) 1961-2024

 Julia Helen Rausing, who died 18 April, 2024, aged 63, was the wife of the billionaire philanthropist Tetra Pak heir Hans Rausing, and a scion of the Broughton baronets.

She was  born Julia Helen Broughton, 11 February, 1961, the second daughter of Major Sir Evelyn Delves Broughton, 12th Baronet (1915-1993), and his 2nd wife the former Helen Mary Shore; and married at Woburn Abbey, in July, 2014, as his second wife, Hans Kristian Rausing (born 15 June, 1963), son of Hans Anders Rausing, KBE (1926-2019), Swedish industrialist and philanthropist, and his wife Märit.

The Rausings had donated £330million in more than 1,000 grants, including £50million to UK charities annually, through the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust which they co-founded.

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Hon Rollo Hugh Clifford 1954-2024

 The Hon Rollo Hugh Clifford, who died 27 March, 2024, aged 70, was a scion of the Barons Clifford of Chudleigh.

He was born 15 March, 1954, the second son of the 13th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh (1916-1988), of Ugbrooke Park, Chudleigh, Devon, and his wife the former Hon Katharine Vavasseur Fisher (1919-1999), middle daughter of the 2nd Baron Fisher (1868-1955); and married 1stly, 2 September, 1977 (div), Fiona Margaret Todd, the only daughter of Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd OBE, the actor of stage and screen (Richard Todd), of Little Ponton House, Grantham, co. Lincoln; and married secondly, 1989, Mrs Caroline Peta Versen, the only daughter of Peter Marshall Roberts, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

He leaves issue from his first marriage, two sons, Christopher (born 1982) and Alasdair (born 1986), and a daughter, Elizabeth (born 1981), and a from his second marriage, a daughter, Sophie (born 1991).

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Sir Peter Ghislain Batho, 3rd Baronet 1939-2024

Sir Peter Ghislain Batho, 3rd Baronet, died 6 April 2024. He was 84.

Sir Peter was a long-serving Conservative councillor, & he lately represented the Saxmundham area on both Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coastal District Council. He was a farmer at Saxmundham. 

He was born 9 December, 1939, the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Maurice Benjamin Batho, 2nd Baronet (1910-1990), and his wife the former Antoinette Marie d'Udekem d'Acoz (1902-1994), a cousin of Her Majesty Queen Mathilde, wife of Philippe, King of the Belgians.

He married 29 October, 1966, Lucille Mary Williamson (born 1945), daughter of Wilfred Francis Williamson, of The White House, Saxmundham, Suffolk, by whom he had issue, three sons, Rupert, Alexander and Hugh.

Peter Batho succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death, 12 January, 1990. The title was created in 1928, for his grandfather, Sir Charles Batho (1872-1938), Lord Mayor of London.

Sir Peter was elected to Suffolk County Council for the then Leiston and Saxmundham Division in 1989 and he served for four years. He was then elected to Suffolk Coastal council for Saxmundham in 2003 and served on that council for 12 years - he was council chair in 2006/7.

The baronetcy now passes to his eldest son, Rupert Sebastian Ghislain Batho, who was born 26 October, 1967.

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Margot Isabella Naylor-Leyland (born 2024)

 Baronet's heir Tom Naylor-Leyland, and his wife Alice, have had their fourth child, a daughter, Margot Isabella, by surrogacy, 14 April, 2024.

Alice Naylor-Leyland (nee Dawson) is the wife of Thomas Philip (Tom) Naylor-Leyland (born 22 January, 1982) scion of the Naylor-Leyland baronets, and heir to the multi-million pound Fitzwilliam fortune.

The infant is a sister to William Thomas (Billy) (born 25 June, 2012), and for Nancy Serena (born 22 September, 2015), and for Felix Amager, (born 24 January, 2019).

Thomas  is the son and heir of Sir Philip Vyvian Naylor-Leyland, 4th Baronet (born 9 August, 1953) and Lady Isabella Lambton (born 17 May, 1956), fifth daughter of Antony Claude Frederick Lambton, the disclaimed 6th Earl of Durham (1922-2006), and his wife the former Belinda Bridget Blew-Jones (1921-2003).

Thomas Naylor-Leyland married in 2011, Alice Moffat Amager Dawson (born 30 March, 1986), daughter of Paul Dawson, of Cologny, Geneva, and Mrs Serena Fresson, of Ham, Wiltshire.

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Ian Angus Ralph Campbell 1951-2024

Ian Angus Ralph Campbell, who died 4 April, 2024, aged 72, was a scion of the Earls Cawdor.

He was born 26 June, 1951, the elder son of Major Angus Mervyn Campbell (1918-2011), and his wife the former Rosemary Madeline Hamilton Fraser (1926-2022), a descendant of the Abel Smith landed family; and married in 1984 (div 2011), Jacqueline Jowett, daughter of John Jowett, by wom he had two sons, Edward (born 1988), and Frederick (born 1990), and a daughter, Laura (born 1995).

Ian Campbell was a great-grandson of the 3rd Earl Cawdor, PC, JP, DL (1847-1911).

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Sir (John) Chippendale (Lindley) Keswick

 Sir John Chippendale Lindley Keswick, known universally as 'Chips', who died 17 April, 2024, aged 84, was a merchant banker and member of the Keswick family who control Jardine Matheson, founded by William Jardine. He was chairman of Arsenal Football Club from June 2013 until his retirement in May 2020.

Sir Chips was a close friend of the King and Queen, and his wife, Lady Sarah, is one of Queen Camilla's 'Queen's Companions'.

Part of the Keswick family business dynasty, Keswick was born 2 February, 1940, the second son of Sir William Johnstone "Tony" Keswick (1903–1990) and his wife the former Mary Lindley (1911-2009), daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Francis Oswald Lindley, PC, GCMG (1872-1950), and was the grandson paternally of Henry Keswick (1870-1928). 

He was educated at Eton College and the University of Aix-Marseilles.

Chips was chairman of Hambros Bank from 1986 to 1998. He was a director of Arsenal Football Club from November 2005, and the chairman from August 2013, when he succeeded Peter Hill-Wood, until his retirement in May 2020. A former director of the Bank of England and De Beers Consolidated Mines.

Sir Chips was a member of the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland, Royal Company of Archers from 1976, and was knighted in 1993.

Keswick married 23 April, 1966, the Lady Sarah Ramsay (born 18 Oct, 1945), second daughter of the 16th Earl of Dalhousie, KT, GCVO, GBE, MC (1914-1999), sometime Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and his wife the former Margaret Elizabeth Mary Stirling (1914-1997). Lady Sarah has been a lifelong friend of Queen Camilla, and is now a member of Her Majesty's household as a Queen's Companion, a title replacing the now defunct title 'Lady in Waiting'.

Chips Keswick leaves issue, three sons, Tobias (born 1968), David (born 1968), and Adam (born 1973).

Sir Chips was a member of gentleman's clubs White's and the Portland. He supported "Business for Sterling", and sat on the board of corporate donors to the Conservative Party.

He was a keen racehorse owner and hunter. He was a joint owner with Queen Camilla of several racehorses.

Keswick's elder brother Sir Henry Keswick (born 29 September, 1938) and younger brother Simon Keswick (born 20 May, 1942) are chairman and director of Jardine Matheson Holdings.

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Sir William Daniel Stuart-Forbes, 13th Baronet 1935-2024

Sir William Daniel Stuart-Forbes, 13th Baronet, died at Marlborough, New Zealand, 17 April, 2024. He was 88.

He was born 21 August, 1935, the son of William Kenneth Stuart-Forbes (1906-1946), and his wife the former Marjory Gilchrist, and was a grandson of Sir Charles Hay Hepburn Stuart-Forbes, 10th Bt (1871-1927), and a nephew of Sir High Stuart-Forbes, 11th Bt (1896-1937), and Sir Charles Edward Stuart-Forbes, 12th Bt (1903-85). He succeeded to the baronetcy (Nova Scotia, cr 30 Mar 1626), on his uncle's death in 1985.

He was twice wed, firstly in 1956 to Jannette MacDonald (who died in 1997), and secondly, in 2001, to Mrs Betty Dawn Ward (nee Gibson) (she died in 2021).

From his first marriage he leaves three sons, Kenneth, Daniel and Reginald, and two daughters, Catherine and Eileen. The eldest son, Kenneth Charles (born 26 Dec, 1956), succeeds as 14th Baronet.

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Hon Sarah Elizabeth Ann Raynar (née Butler) 1932-2024

 The Hon Sarah Elizabeth Ann Raynar (née Butler), who died 6 April, 2024, aged 91, was a scion of the Viscounts Mountgarret.

She was born 26 December, 1932, the only daughter of the 16th Viscount Mountgarret (1903-1966), and his 1st wife the former Eglantine Marie Elizabeth Christie (1908-1990), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 5 November, 1955 (div 1976), Geoffrey Kenneth Sefton Raynar (1918-1981), son of Joseph Percival Raynar (1869-1951), and his wife the former Kate Bickers (1883-1960), by whom she had issue, two sons, Rupert (born 28 January, 1957), and James (born 4 July, 1962).

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Joan Mary Galpin Boswell 1927-2024

Joan Mary Galpin Boswell, who died 9 April, 2024, aged 96, was the widow of David Boswell, 16th of Auchinleck.

She was the former Joan Mary Galpin White, daughter of Douglas Cecil White [1895-1971], of Combe Down, Bath, and his wife the former Charlotte Galpin Lilley [1892-1968]; and married 1950, David Boswell, 16th of Auckinleck (1927-2022), son of Capt Philip Rutherford Boswell [15th] of Auchinleck, MC [1889-1969], and his wife the former [Elsie] Kathleen Hunter [1900-1968]. Her husband died 1 February, 2022. She leaves two sons and two daughters.

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The Baroness Petre 1941-2024

 The Baroness Petre, who died 8 April, 2024, was wife of the Baron Petre, KCVO, DL, sometime Lord Lieutenant of Essex, landowner, and 18th holder of the barony.

The Petres are seated at Ingatestone Hall, a Grade I listed 16th-century manor house in Essex. It is located outside the village of Ingatestone, and was built by Sir William Petre, and his descendants have lived there for over 500 years.

Marcia Gwendolyn Plumpton was born circa July, 1941, daughter of Alfred George Plumpton (1911-1981), and his wife the former Emily Nora Young (1908-1957); and married 16 September, 1965, the Hon John Patrick Lionel Petre (born 4 August, 1942), scion of a recusant family, son and heir of the 17th Baron Petre (1914-1989), and his wife the former Marguerite Eileen Hamilton (who died 15 June, 2003). Her husband succeeded his father, 1 January, 1989, in the peerage (created 1603).

Lady Petre (pronoubced 'Peter') is survived by her husband, and a son, Dominic, and a daughter Clare, and is predeceased by a son Mark.

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The Baron Rosser 1944-2024

 Lord Rosser, life baron, who died 10 April, 2024, aged 79, was a trade union leader and Labour politician who was a member of the House of Lords. He latterly served as Shadow Spokesperson for Transport and Home Affairs in the House of Lords.

Richard Andrew Rosser was born 5 October, 1944, was employed by London Transport he joined the staff of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) early in his working career, representing London Transport's white-collar staff in negotiations with the management. He rose through the ranks of the TSSA to be an Assistant General Secretary (one of two, at the time), and in 1989 he was elected General Secretary of the union (i.e. in day-to-day control, but answerable to an elected Executive Committee of lay members, and to the Annual Conference). Rosser was re-elected twice, serving a total of fifteen years in office before his retirement in 2004 – a record second only to the thirty years (1906-1936) served by Alexander Walkden.

During his time at the TSSA, Rosser was also a magistrate and was Chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 1997–98.

Rosser was the Labour candidate for Croydon Central at the general election of February 1974, but was not elected.

Following his retirement from TSSA Rosser was created a life peer on 14 June 2004 as Baron Rosser, of Ickenham in the London Borough of Hillingdon, taking his seat in the House of Lords on the Labour Party benches in the summer of 2004. In addition to transport matters, he took an interest in penal policy, being chair of the Prison Service Audit Committee and a non-executive member of the Prison Service change programme board.

Lord Rosser served as an Opposition Whip and Spokesperson for the Labour Party on defence, home affairs and transport at various times from 2010. He stood down from the Labour front bench in 2022 due to ill health. 

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Christine, Baroness Cobbold 1940-2024

 Christine, Baroness Cobbold, who died from pancreatic cancer, 7 April, 2024, aged 83, was a Bohemian aristocrat, chatelaine of magnificent Knebworth, who helped her husband to preserve his family seat with a string of celebrated rock festivals.

Christine Elizabeth Stucley, known universally as Chryssie, was born 25 April, 1940, a scion of the baronets of that name, third daughter of Maor Sir Dennis Stucley, 5th Baronet (1907-1983), who owned both the fortified gatehouse Affeton Castle near Bideford and the imposing Hartland Abbey, hunted four days a week and founded the Taw and Torridge pack, by his wife the former Hon Sheila Margaret Warwick Bampfylde (1912-1996), scion of the Barons Politimore.

She married 7 January, 1961, the then Hon David Antony Fromanteel Cobbold (born 14 July, 1937), son of the 1st Baron Cobbold, KG, GCVO, PC, DL (1904-1987), sometime Governor of the Bank of England, and Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II, and his wife the former Lady Margaret Hermione Millicent Bulwer-Lytton (1905-2004), scion of the Earls of Lytton. Her husband succeeded his father, 1 November, 1987, as 2nd Baron Cobbold (cr UK, 1960).

Lady Cobbold was widowed 9 May, 2022. She leaves issue, three sons, Henry, Peter and Richard, and a daughter, Rosina. Her eldest son is the 3rd Baron Cobbold (born 12 May 1962).

In 1969, she and her husband David, had begged to open his mother’s dilapidated family seat Knebworth House and its 250-acre park to the public to help with the running costs. His parents — had no time to keep the house going and it needed substantial restoration work, with a 14-acre “wilderness garden, extensive dry rot, fungus and every sort of beetle”.

The young Cobbolds were then in the vanguard of historic house owners sharing their heritage, but with far less money than rivals such as Longleat and Woburn Abbey. The struggle to keep the estate afloat amid wildly fluctuating fortunes dominated the next 35 years of the Cobbolds’ lives, but they approached each setback and windfall with humorous stoicism.

When in 2000 the couple handed on the estate, by now protected by a charitable conservation trust, to their eldest son Henry and his American wife Martha (née Boone), it was a thriving business that had welcomed millions of visitors to events ranging from medieval banquets and Wild West reenactments to wedding receptions and athletics meets.

From the Daily Telegraph obituary: The Cobbolds’ four children survive her: Henry, the 3rd Lord Cobbold, a former Hollywood screenwriter and keen naturist, is Knebworth’s current custodian; Peter manages a property rental business in Spain; Richard is the director of an international tech company; and Rosina is an artist and alternative education pioneer. Lady Cobbold is also survived by the Ugandan brothers Danny and Harry Matovu, whom she and her husband informally adopted. They were two of Henry’s closest friends at Eton whose parents had suffered persecution under Idi Amin, and who went on to become successful barristers. After handing over Knebworth to the next generation, the Cobbolds moved to a house nearby where Chryssie cared for her husband as he faced Parkinson’s disease. When he died [in 2022] she ordered a coffin decorated with the artwork from his favourite Pink Floyd album and erected a memorial bench beside his grave in Knebworth garden inscribed: “See you on the Dark Side of the Moon”.

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John Jeremy de la Poer Bellew 1937-2024

John Jeremy de la Poer Bellew, who died in the United States, 14 April, 2024, aged 87, was a scion of the Barons Bellew, and a grandson maternally of the 5th Baron Decies. His home was at Preston Hollow, New York.

He was born 19 February, 1937, son of the Hon Patrick Herbert Bellew (1905-1984), a cartoonist, by his 1st wife the     Hon Catherine Moya de la Poer Beresford (1913-1967), daughter of the 5th Baron Decies (1866-1944).

As a young child, in order to escape the imminent risk of enemy bombing in England, John was sent to live with relatives in Canada and the United States. At the war’s end, he reunited with his parents and continued to live in the USA. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School and then Princeton University, where he served in the ROTC. After graduation from Princeton in 1958, John enrolled at The Wharton School. Once he received his MBA, he began his full-time active-duty service at the U.S. Army bases in Fort Bliss, Texas and Fort Dix, NJ. He was then promoted to a Reserve Commissioned Officer of the Army, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain. 

Once John accepted his Reserve commission, he resumed his pursuit of a business career and accepted a role in the international banking division of The Chase Manhattan Bank. He worked in the Bank’s NYC offices for a few years but spent most of the next 20 years as an expatriate banker, beginning with an assignment in London. A few years later, he was relocated to the bank’s offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he met his wife, Cynthia. After their marriage, John and Cynthia remained in Johannesburg, where they welcomed the arrival of their son, John Patrick. The family proceeded to enjoy the adventure of several relocations for John’s career. 

John’s next role took him back to NYC and he moved his family to Chappaqua. Hong Kong was the next destination for the family, followed by a return to Chappaqua. John spent time on various responsibilities throughout the NYC branch network, at one point running Chase’s U.N. Branch. 

John’s next position took the family to Dublin, Ireland, where they settled in the nearby town of Bray. Several years later, the family were thrilled when John’s next assignment brought them home again to New York. This time, the family chose to put down roots near Teatown Lake in northern Westchester County. 

In addition to living on 4 different continents, John and his family delighted in travelling to several exotic locations for their vacations, such as the island of Bali in Indonesia and the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. 

Upon John’s retirement, he and his wife found a home in the Catskill Mountains that allowed them to indulge their love of nature, gardening and antiquing. Their first move was to Roxbury, NY where they lived for 12 years before finally settling in the hamlet of Preston Hollow, NY, 24 years ago. 

John Bellew married 8 January, 1966, Cynthia Annette Saunders, daughter of Ernest J. Saunders, of Johannesburg, South Africa. His wife died in 2018.

He leaves a son, John Patrick Bellew (born 12 Dec, 1966), and a daughter, Catherine Moya Bellew-Morano (born 3 March, 1969).

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Roe/Robinson engagement

 The engagement was announced 15 April, 2024, between Edward Frederick John Roe (born 1994), elder son of Alexander Frederick James Roe, of Upper Farringdon, Hampshire, and his late wife the former Caroline Jane Maltby (1957-2021), & Kate Jane Robinson (born 1996), daughter of Dr Simon Robinson, of Hartwith, North Yorkshire, and his wife Dr Jane Robinson (nee Sawyer).

Edward Roe is descended from the Earls of Malmesbury:-

The 6th Earl of Malmesbury (1907-2000) > Lady Sylvia Harris (b 1934) > Caroline Maltby (1957-2021) > Edward Roe (b 1994)

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Daphne Emma Gillian Cooksley (born 2024)

 Mary Rose Avril Cooksley (born 1991, nee Ropner), wife of Alexander James Cooksley [born 1992], gave birth to a daughter, Daphne Emma Gillian, 31 March, 2024.

Alexander is the elder son of Steven Cooksley, of Coulsdon, Surrey, and his wife the former Gillian Taylor.

Mary Cooksle, a scion of the Ropner baronets, is the eldest daughter of Charles Guy Corban Ropner [born 2 February, 1959], of Bedale, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Emma Andrews.

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Bodie Giles Edward Agar (born 2024)

India Sarah T. Agar (nee Clevely, born 1991), wife of Charles Christopher Edward Agar [born 29 July, 1989], scion of the Earls of Normanton, gave birth to a son, Bodie Giles Edward, 15 March, 2024.

Charles Agar is a son of the Hon Mark Sidney Andrew Agar [born 2 Sept, 1948], of Hilton, Dorset, and his wife the former Arabella Clare Gilbey [born 14 July, 1953], scion of the Gilbey baronets.

India Agar is a daughter of Rupert Clevely, of River, West Sussex, and his wife the former Joanna Beatrice Taswell Greenwell [born 14 Jan, 1962], scion of the Greenwell baronets, descended from the 1st Bt.

Charles Agar is a grandson of the 5th Earl of Normanton [1910-67].

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Duke of Kent retires as colonel of the Scots Guards

 His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent has retired as Colonel of the Scots Guards - after a tenure of almost 50 years. He was the regiment's longest serving colonel from 9 September, 1974 to 14 April, 2024.

Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC, the 2nd Duke, was born at 3, Belgrave Sq, W1, 9 October, 1935, the eldest child of HRH The Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, 1st Duke of Kent, KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC (1902-1942), and his wife HRH Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, CI, GCVO, GBE (1906-1968). The Home Secretary, Sir John Simon, was present to verify his birth. 

He is a grandson of HM King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary (1867-1953), a nephew of King Edward VIII (1894-1972), and of King George VI (1895-1952), & a first cousin of HM Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). The Duke of Kent's mother, Princess Marina, was a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021), thus making him a second cousin and at the same time a first cousin once removed of King Charles III.

He was baptized Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, 20 November, 1935. His godparents were his grandparents King George V and Queen Mary and Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), and Princess Mary the Princess Royal Countess of Harewood, his great-great uncle the Duke of  Connaught & Strathearn (whose son stood proxy), and Princess Lousie, Duchess of Argyll. 

He was styled HRH Prince Edward of Kent from his birth until 1942. His father was killed in a flying accident on active service in Caithness,  25 August, 1942, and Prince Edward succeeded as 2nd Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick, all in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (the peerages were created 12 Oct, 1934). As of August 2024 he has been a duke for 82 years, a record in the annals of the peerage.

The Duke of Kent was educated at Ludgrove, then Eton, then at Le Rosey, Switzerland and at the RMA Sandhurst.

In 1952 he walked in the procession as a 16 year-old at the funeral of his uncle King George VI, and in 1953 he attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and knelt in homage to his cousin following the Dukes of Edinburgh and Gloucester. The Duke has acted as a Counsellor of State during periods of the late Queen's absence abroad.

He received a Hon DCL from Durham University in 1961. He has been involved in over 140 charitable organisations.

Career: Major-General (retired) Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys), Deputy Colonel in Chief (1993); Colonel-in-Chief , the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, and Lorne Scots Regiment (Canada); Colonel of the Scots Guards for 50 years 1974-2024; acted as special representaive of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the independence celebrations in Sierra Leone 1961, in Uganda 1962, The Gambia 1965, and Guyana and Barbados 1966, and at the Coronation of the King of Tonga in 1967; Personal ADC to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1966-2022; GSO II Eastern Command  1966-68; an instructor at the RMA Sandhurst 1968-70; and in command of the C Squadron Royal Scots Greys 1970-71; retired as Lieutenant-Colonel 1976; promoted to Major-General in June 1983, and Field Marshal in June 1993; Hon Air Cdre to the RAF Leuchars 1993; Grand Master United Grand Lodge of Freemasons of England from 1967; Grand Master of the Order of St Michael & St George 1967-   ;President of Wellington College (1969); President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from 1970 to 2023. President of the Scouts Association (1975); Vice-Chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board (1976); Chairman, Duke of Edinburgh's Commonwealth Study Conference (UK Fund); President Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute, Royal Choral Society, Pres Imperial War Museum, Pres the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, Pres the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Wimbledon from 1969 to 2021; Royal Patron of the Anglo-German Association (1994); from 1971 to 2000 he was President of the Football Association; Patron The Help Poland Fund from 1977; Chancellor of the University of Surrey since 1976; Hon Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society 1993; Hon Freeman of the Clothworkers' Co, Freeman of the Mercers' Company, Hon Liveryman of the Salters' Company, and of the Engineers' Co.

He received the Hon Freedom of the City of Georgetown, Guyana (1966); has the Order of St George and St Constantine of Greece (1st Class); the Order of the Tri Shakti Patta of Nepal (1st Class); Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa of Liberia; and the Grand Cross of the Order of Al-Nahda of Jordon. HRH has three Coronation Medals - those of George VI (1937), Queen Elizabeth II (1953), and King Charles III (2023), and Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Gold Jubilee Medal (2002), Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022).

His Royal Highness was appointed GCVO in 1960; GCMG in 1967; and a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in 1985.

The Duke of Kent married at York Minster, 8 June, 1961, Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, GCVO (born 22 February, 1933), the only daughter of Colonel Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet (1890-1973), of Hovingham Hall, near York, by his wife the former Joyce Morgan Brunner (1895-1979), scion of the Brunner baronets.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children, and one son deceased:-

(1) George Philip Nicholas Windsor, styled Earl of St Andrews from birth (born 26 June, 1962)

(2) Lady Helen Marina Lucy Windsor (born 28 April, 1964)

(3) Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor (born 25 July, 1970).

(4) Lord Patrick Windsor (Stillborn 5 Oct, 1977)

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Gobourn/Burnell engagement

 The engagement was announced 13 April, 2024, between Toby Richard C. Gobourn (born 13 November, 1996, younger son of Andrew Dennis Crichton Gobourn (born 1960), of East Lothian, and his wife the former Claire Kelway Smith-Carington (born 1962), scion of that landed gentry family; and Victoria M.M. Burnell, second daughter of Mr and Mrs Nicholas Burnell of Hampshire.

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Bossom/Morgan engagement

 The engagement was announced 13 April, 2024, between Barnaby David Vaughan Bossom (born 28 December, 1995), scion of the Bossom baronets, the third son of Doric Alfred Howard Bossom (born 27 February, 1960), of Salisbury, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Sara Jocelyn Vaughan (born 1958), and Lucy B. Morgan, elder daughter of John and Sharon Morgan, of Houghton, Hampshire.

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Charlotte Francis Champion De Crespigny 1948-2024

 Charlotte Francis Champion de Crespigny, who died in Australia, 4 April, 2024, aged 75, was a scion of that landed gentry family. 

Descended from French nobility,Charlotte descended from Claude Champion de Crespigny, Sieur de Crespigny, whose three sons became free denizens of England by Act of Parliament, passed 5 March 1690.

She was born 3 September, 1948, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Constantine Trent Champion De Crespigny, DSO, VD (1882-1952), a soldier, doctor, abd academic in Adelaide, Australia, and his second wife, the former Mary Birks Jolley (1915-1994); and married Gary Childs, by whom she had issue.

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Colonel Thomas Peter Anson 1933-2024

 Colonel Thomas Peter (Gus) Anson, who died 7 April, 2024, aged 91, was a scion of the Earls of Lichfield.

He was born 5 March, 1933, the second son of Major the Hon Rupert Anson (1889-1966), and his wife the former Marion Emma Ruthven Halliday (1891-1965), and a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Lichfield (1856-1918);  and married 19 December, 1964, Judith Hilary (Judy) Kennard (1942-2015), kin of the Kennard baronets, by whom he had issue, two sons, Henry James (born 2 Jan, 1967), and Patrick John (born 27 February, 1969).

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Cox/Codrington engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 April, 2024, between Ruairidh Alexander Stewart Cox (born 1997), eldest son of Mr Adrian Cox and Dr Karen Bradshaw, of North Barn, Forehill, Pembrokeshire, & Cecilia Elizabeth Lillian Codrington (born 1996), daughter of Sir Christopher George Wayne Codrington, 4th Baronet (born 20 February, 1960), of Fordwells, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Noelle Lynn Leverson.

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Blackett/von Klitzing engagement

The engagement was announced 12 April, 2024, between Henry Douglas Blackett (born 2 February, 1992), son and heir of Sir Hugh Francis Blackett, 12th Baronet (born 11 February, 1955), of Corbridge, Northumberland, and his wife the former Anna Margaret Coldwell (born 1959), & Joséphine Marie Dorothée Nicole von Klitzing (born 7 August, 1986), daughter of Konstantin Joachim Gebhard von Klitzing (born 21 December, 1951), of Paris, and his wife the former Caroline de Roussy de Sales (born 12 March, 1958).

Townsend/Warde-Aldam engagement

 The engagement was announced 10 April, 2024, between Dr George Jack Nairne Townsend (born 21 May, 1993), middle son of Andrew Townsend, of Faringdon, Oxfordshire, and his wife Margaret Caroline Susan Nairne (born 10 May, 1961), & Eala Saffron Grace Warde-Aldam (born 1993), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of James Julian (Jamie) Warde-Aldam (born 1957), of Healey, Northumberland, and his wife the former Amynta Wood-Gush.

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Musker/Pheysey engagement

The engagement was announced 9 April, 2024, between Hamish FitzRoy Musker (born 1990), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Robert Antony Musker (born 14 June, 1952), of Gloucestershire, and his former wife the former Charlotte Brownlow Patrick (now Mrs Charlotte Harrison, of Norfolk), and Amelia Hope Pheysey (born 1996), daughter of Paul Charles Hargrave Pheysey (born 1962), of Kensington, London, and his wife the former Helen Fifield.

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The 4th Baron Holmpatrick 1955-2024

 The 4th Baron Holmpatrick died 21 March, 2024. He was 69.

The peer was a descendant of the Iron Duke, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

Hans James David Hamilton was born 15 March, 1955, son of the 3rd Baron Holmpatrick (1928-1991), and his wife the former Anne Loys Roche Brass (who died 1998); and succeeded to the peerage (created in 1897), on his father's death, 15 February, 1991.

Lord Holmpatrick married 19 July, 1984, Mrs Gill Francesca Anne du Feu, 1st daughter of Squadron Leader Kenneth James Toby Harding, DFC, RAF, of Binisafua, Minorca, Spain, by whom he had issue an only son, the Hon James Hans Stephen Hamilton (born 6 October, 1982).

The peerage now passes to his brother the Hon Ion Henry James Hamilton (born 12 June, 1956).

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Elizabeth Jane Scrope 1937-2024

 Elizabeth Jane Scrope, who died 20 March, 2024, aged 86, was a scion of the Scrope landed family, of Danby.

She was born 5 June, 1937, daughter of Richard Ladislas Scrope (1901-1990), head of that ancient dynasty, and his wife the former Lady Jane Mary Egerton (1909-1978), scion of the Earls of Ellesmere.

Miss Scrope was a granddaughter maternally of the 4th Earl of Ellesmere (1872-1944).

She was unmarried.

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Edward Charles McCorkell (born 2024)

 Emily Flora Isobel McCorkell [née Ayles, born 1990], wife of Harry James Michael McCorkell [born 1988], scion of that Irish landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, Edward Charles, 26 March, 2024, a brother for William and Sophia.

Emily is a daughter of Dr Anthony Charles Murray Ayles, and his wife the former Catherine Rose Law [born 1962], scion of the Barons Ellenborough.

Harry is the son of John Barry Ernest McCorkell [born 1952], and his wife the former Sara Caroline Paget Galbraith [born 1950], a granddaughter of the 1st Baron Strathclyde .

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Lord Hoyle, JP 1930-2024

 The Lord Hoyle, JP, life peer and former Labour MP, died 6 April, 2024, aged 94.

Eric Douglas Harvey Hoyle, Baron Hoyle was born 17 February, 1930. He was chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 1992 to 1997 and a lord-in-waiting from 1997 to 1999. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Nelson and Colne from 1974 to 1979 and Warrington North from 1981 to 1997.

Doug Hoyle first stood for Parliament at Clitheroe in 1964, but came second. In 1970, he first fought Nelson and Colne, and was defeated by the Conservative incumbent David Waddington by 1,410 votes. He fought the seat again in February 1974, and reduced Waddington's margin to 177. He was finally elected at the general election of October 1974 for Nelson and Colne by 669 votes; this was the first Labour gain to be announced on election night. Hoyle narrowly lost his seat at the general election of 1979, but returned to Parliament in 1981 when he saw off a strong challenge from Roy Jenkins in a traditionally safe Labour seat. This was a notable by election in Warrington when enthusiasm for the newly created Social Democratic Party was at its peak. Constituency boundaries were redrawn for the general election of 1983, when he became MP for Warrington North.

Hoyle retired from the House of Commons at the general election of 1997, and on 14 May 1997, he was created a life peer as Baron Hoyle, of Warrington in the County of Cheshire. He retired from the Lords on 25 June 2023.

Lord Hoyle was a son of William Hoyle and his wife Leah Ellen. He married in 1953, Pauline Spencer (who died in 1991). His only son is Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP (born 10 June, 1957), who has been Member of Parliament for Chorley since 1997 and Speaker of the House of Commons since 2019.

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Monty Jack Westropp-Rutter (born 2024)

Marina Monica (Mimi) Rutter (nee Westropp, born 22 Dec, 1993), wife of George Edward W. Rutter [born 1993], gave birth to a son, Monty Jack Westropp-Rutter, 31 March, 2024.

Mimi Rutter is a scion of the Westropp landed gentry family, daughter of Anthony Henry [Harry] Westropp [born 22 December, 1944], of Goadby Marwood, Leicestershire, and his wife the Hon Victoria Monica Watson [born 7 May, 1958], daughter of the late 3rd Baron Manton [1924-2003].

George Rutter is a son of Paul Stuart Rutter [born 1967], of Leadhall Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Karen Steel. 

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Lord Clinton, 22nd Baron 1934-2024

 Lord Clinton, the 22nd Baron, JP, DL, holder of one of England's oldest peerages, died 2 April, 2024, aged 89. He was the largest landowner in Devon.

Gordonstoun educated Lord Clinton, who took his seat in the House of Lords in 1965, was a member of the Prince of Wales's Council 1968-79, a JP for Bideford 1963-83, and a deputy Lieutenant of Devon from 1977.

Lord Clinton was seated at Heanton Satchville a historic manor near Okehampton, North Devon. With origins in the Domesday manor of Hantone, it was first recorded as belonging to the Yeo family in the mid-14th century and was then owned successively by the Rolle, Walpole and Trefusis families. The mansion house was destroyed by fire in 1795. In 1812 Lord Clinton purchased the manor and mansion of nearby Huish, renamed it Heanton Satchville, and made it his seat. The nearly-forgotten house was featured in the 2005 edition of Rosemary Lauder's "Vanished Houses of North Devon".

Lord Clinton was born Gerard Nevile Mark Fane, 7 October, 1934, the only son of Capt Charles Nevile Fane (1911-1940), and his wife the former Gladys Mabel Lowther; and was a grandson of the Hon Hon Harriet Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis (1887-1958), the elder daughter and co-heir of the 21st Baron Clinton, GCVO, PC, JP, DL (1863-1957); and he succeeded to the barony (created in 1298/99) on the termination of the abeyance of the peerage, 18 March, 1965.

Lord Clinton assumed the additional surname of Trefusis in addition to his patronymic, in 1958.

He married 18 July, 1959, Nicola Harriette Purdon Coote (born 6 January, 1937), eldest of the five daughters of Major Charles Robert Purdon Coote (1875-1954), of Ballyclough Castle and Bearforst, County Cork, by his wife the former Noel Margaret Jephson Stracey (1908-2009), scion of the Stracey baronets, by whom he had issue, a son, Charles, and two daughters, Caroline (born 23 May, 1960), and Henrietta (born 31 Jan, 1964.)

The son, the Hon Charles Patrick Rolle Fane Trefusis (born 21 March, 1962), now succeeds as 23rd Baron Clinton.

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James Sammy Chadwick Davis-Goff 1989-2024

 James Sammy Chadwick Davis-Goff, who died in a helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps, 2 April, 2024, aged 34, was a scion of the Davis-Goff baronets.

 'Jimmy Goff' was among three people who died in the crash. Davis-Goff, pilot Jerome Lovey and ski guide Adam George were killed when their Air-Glaciers B3 type helicopter was hit by an avalanche while on the summit of the Petit Combin mountain in southern Switzerland. They were due to go “heli-skiing”, which involves being dropped off by a helicopter at the top of a mountain. The helicopter was carried away off a steep slope and plunged 500 metres down the mountain before coming to a stop. Three passengers survived the fall: Edward Courage and brothers Teddy and Guy Hitchens.

James Davis-Goff was born in 1989, third son of Sir Robert William Davis-Goff, 4th Baronet (born 12 September, 1955), and his wife the former Nathalie Sheelagh Chadwick. 

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Sir William Mark Charles Garthwaite, 3rd Baronet

  Sir Mark Garthwaite, 3rd Baronet, died 23 March, 2024. He was 77.

Sir Mark was educated at Gordonstoun and the University of Pennsylvania (BSc)

William Mark Charles Garthwaite was born 4 November, 1946, son of Sir William Francis Cuthbert Garthwaite, 2nd Baronet, DSC (1906-1993), and his 2nd wife the former Patricia Beatrice Eden Neate (1916-2002); and succeeded to the baronetcy (cr UK, 1919), on his father's death, 15 December, 1993.

He married in 1979, Victoria Lisette (Vicki) Tuzo (born 1952), the only child of General Sir Harry Crauford Tuzo, GCB, OBE, MC (1917-1998), by whom he had issue, a son, William (born 14 May, 1982), and two daughters, Rosie Francesca (born 1980), a journalist, and Jemima Victoria (born 1984).

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Charles Alexander Nicholas Clifford (born 2024)

The Hon Mrs Alexander Clifford, wife of Lord Clifford of Chudleigh's heir, the Hon Alexander Clifford, gave birth to a son, Charles Alexander Nicholas, 12 January, 2024.

Mrs Clifford is the former Lucy Jane Lenygon (born 1986), daughter of Mr Nicholas J. Lenygon (born 1954) and Mrs Sarah J. Lenygon (nee Murray).

Alexander Clifford (born 24 September, 1985), is the elder son and heir of the 14th Baron Clifford of Chuldeigh (b 17 Mar, 1948) (Peerage of England, cr 1672), of Ugbrooke Park, Chudleigh, Devon, by his former wife (Muriel) Suzanne Austin. 

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