The Hon Moyra Jean Campbell 1924-2024

The Hon Moyra Jean Campbell, who died 18 June, 2024, aged 99, was a scion of the Barons Stratheden.

Moyra was one of the last Wrens of the highly secret Y-Service who in the Second World War listened to German VHF voice messages in the North Sea and fed coded HF transmissions to Bletchley Park...Fluent in German, she listened to enemy VHF voice messages in the North Sea, and fed coded HF transmissions to Bletchley Park ...in later years she worked for Moët et Chandon. 

She was born 14 July, 1924, the eldest of the three daughters of the 4th Baron Stratheden, CBE, JP (1899-1981), and his first wife the former Jean Helen St Clair Anstruther-Gray, CBE (1901-1956), scion of the Anstruther baronets. She had younger sisters, (2) the Hon Clayre Campbell (1927-2015), who  was wife of (1) the Rt Hon Nicholas Ridley, PC, scion of the Viscount Ridley (he was later Baron Ridley of Liddesdale 1929-1993), a Conservative MP and government minister, and (2) Capt Lord Richard Charles Percy (1921-89), 3rd son of the 8th Duke of Northumberland; and (2) the Hon Fiona Campbell (born 4 Feb, 1932).

She was unmarried. 

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Nicholas Anthony Gray 1934-2024

 Nicholas Anthony Gray, who died 24 June, 2024, aged 90, was a scion of the Gray baronets (cr UK, 1917); born 21 June, 1934, the second son of Sir William Gray, 2nd Baronet (1895-1978), and his first wife the former Josephine Eveleigh (1904-1943); and married 29 June, 1956, Amanda Edwards, daughter of Harold William Edwards, of Newbury, Berkshire, by whom he had issue, a daughter, Daisy (born 1970).

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Melanie Fiona Louisa Black (née Lowson) 1940-2024

 Melanie Fiona Louisa Black (née Lowson), who died 23 June, 2024, aged 84, was a scion of the Lowson baronets, a daughter of Sir Denys Lowson, 1st Baronet (1906-1975), Lord Mayor of London, 1950-51.

She was born 12 June, 1940, the younger daughter of Denys Colquhoun Flowerdew Lowson, and his wife the former Hon Ann Patricia Macpherson (1919-2003), daughter of the 1st Baron Strathcarron (1880-1937); her elder sister, Gay (1938-2016), was wife of the 15th Earl of Kinnoull (1935-2013).

She married 17 September, 1964, Charles Archibald Adam Black (1937-2013), son of Archibald Adam Gordon Black (1907-1990), and his wife the former Violet Rosamund Hyde Villiers (1911-1985), scion of the Earls of Clarendon, by whom she had issue, a son, Adam Sebastian Black (born 25 Aug, 1965), and a daughter, Holly Patricia Black (born 27 January, 1968).

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Minna Alexa Henley (born 2024)

 Antonia Grace Henley [nee Magor, born 1990], wife of Richard James Henley [born 1989], scion of the Barons Henley, gave birth to a daughter, Minna Alexa, 19 June, 2024, a sister for Oscar Robert Charles, who was born 12 January, 2022.

Antonia is a daughter of Philip Magor, of Stype, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Alexa Catherine Vaughan-Lee, scion of that landed gentry family.

Richard is a son of Robert Anthony Nigel Henley [born 23 August, 1942], of Boldre, Hampshire, and his wife the former Anne Beadle.

Robert, 2nd Baron Henley > Rev Hon Robert Henley > Capt Charles Beauclerk Henley > Robert Stephen Henley > Robert Anthony Nigel Henley > Richard James Henley '> Minna Henley

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Alexander Fraser to marry Chloe Gillespie

  The engagement was announced 27 June, 2024, between Alexander William Malise Fraser (born 5 July, 1990), the only son of Capt Mark Malise Nicolson (born 24 Sept, 1954), of Cairnbulg Castle, Fraserburgh, by his wife the Hon Katharine Ingrid Mary Fraser (born 11 Oct, 1957), eldest daughter and heir presumtpive to the 21st Lady Saltoun (born 18 October, 1930), and Chloe S. Gillespie, 27, the only daughter of Mr John Davies Gillespie, of Harrison, New York, and Ms Andrea Varrell Borden, of Barrington, Rhode Island.

Alexander Fraser, a future Lord Saltoun, is a descendant of Queen Victoria:-

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) > Prince Arthur Duke of Connaught (1850-1942) > Princess Patricia of Connaught (1886-1974) > Capt Alexander Ramsay of Mar (1919-2000) > Hon Katharine Fraser (b 1957) > Alexander Fraser (b 1990)

The bride-to-be's mother, Andrea Varrell Borden, married John Davies Gillespie, on 18 June, 1989, at North Stonington, Connecticut. Mr Gillespie is a son of George J. Gillespie III, a US lawyer. They divorced in 2019. 

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Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon found guilty of concealing birth of their baby daughter and perverting the course of justice

Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been found guilty of concealing birth of their baby daughter and perverting the course of justice.

The baby of wealthy aristocrat Marten, 36, and Gordon, 49, named Victoria died after they went off-grid on the South Downs.

The couple had fled authorities last January in an attempt to keep their newborn child after four other children were taken into care, the trial heard.

They were arrested in Brighton last February 27, two days before Victoria’s decomposed body was found inside a Lidl bag in a disused allotment shed.

The cause of the child’s death could not be established.

Marten had claimed her daughter died by accident when she fell asleep holding her under her jacket the day after pitching a tent.

But the prosecution suggested that Victoria could have died after being exposed to cold conditions with inadequate clothes.

Perverting the course of justice carries a maximum term of life imprisonment, with the average sentence being between a community order and seven years in custody.

Miss Marten is a great-granddaughter of the 3rd Baron Alington. 

The couple abandoned their burning car on the hard shoulder of the M61 and fled – an aristocrat, a sex offender, and their baby, born just one or two days before. From the inferno near Bolton, thought to have destroyed all their belongings, they travelled first to Liverpool, then to Harwich in Essex, to Colchester and on to East Ham station in east London, over the course of two days.

That blurry CCTV footage from 7 January, 2023, is the last confirmed sighting of 35-year-old Constance Marten, the heiress’s face wrapped in a red scarf, her baby swaddled inside her coat. Alongside her is 48-year-old convicted rapist Mark Gordon, his head covered and bowed away from the camera. Police, concerned for the health of the baby, have been searching for the couple, but they are thought to have with them a large amount of cash, allowing them to stay off the grid.

So just how did Marten, whose father was a page of honour to Queen Elizabeth II, go from gracing the pages of society bible Tatler to being on the run with a man who, after burgling and raping a woman as a teenager, spent 20 years imprisoned in Florida before being deported to Britain?

Marten’s father, Napier Anthony Sturt Marten (born 28 March, 1959) points to an estrangement that began when his daughter met Gordon, tearing her away from family and friends to embark on an itinerant life. Making a heartfelt plea to Constance through The Independent newspaper, Napier – his voice wavering with emotion – told his daughter: “Darling Constance, even though we remain estranged at the moment, I stand by, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us.

Constance is a granddaughter of the Hon Mary Anna Sibell Elizabeth Marten, OBE, (nee Sturt), who died at Crichel, Wimborne, Dorset, 18 January, 2010, aged 80. She was a a scion of the extinct Barons Alington (dau of the 3rd Baron), & was a goddaughter of HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother & was a close friend of the Queen & Duke of Edinburgh; she was born in London 12 September, 1929, as the Hon Mary Anna Sturt, dau of the 3rd Baron Alington (1896-1940), by his wife the former Lady Mary Sibell Ashley-Cooper, dau of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, KP,GCVO, sometime Lord Steward to the Household of King George V & Queen Mary, by his wife Lady Constance Sibell Grosvenor (d 1957), a great friend of Queen Mary, dau of Earl Grosvenor, and sister of Bendor, 2nd Duke of Westminster, &c. Her marriage to Lieutenant-Commander George Gosselin Marten, MVO, DSC, RN, son of Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Marten, KBE, CB, CMG, CVO, took place at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, 25 Nov 1949. He was an equerry to King George VI, and the marriage was attended by King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone and Major-General the Earl of Athlone. The Hon Mrs Marten was High Sheriff of Dorset in 1989. 

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The King's first appointment to his family order

 The King’s new Family Order has been worn for the first time by the Queen at the state banquet for the Emperor of Japan this evening.

Queen Camilla stepped out wearing the diamond-encased miniature portrait of her husband topped with a tiny gold and enamel Tudor crown and suspended on a pale blue silk bow on her left shoulder for the glittering event in the Buckingham Palace ballroom.

The unveiling of the new King Charles III’s Family Order comes nearly two years after the King's accession. 

Family Orders badges are worn at formal evening occasions by female members of the royal family and personally bestowed by the sovereign, and are a sign of the importance of the wearer within the royal household.

The King will have privately presented the Order to his “darling wife” and Queen consort, Camilla – whom he praised in his first televised address as monarch for her “steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much”.

The couple faced the challenge together this year of the King being diagnosed with cancer and having ongoing treatment, with the Queen urging her husband to take it easy but revealing he “won’t slow down and won’t do what he’s told”.

More than one Family Order can be worn at the same time and Queen Camilla was also wearing the late Queen Elizabeth II’s which is mounted on a chartreuse yellow ribbon, below that of the King’s.

King George IV started the tradition of presenting Family Orders – miniature portraits of the sovereign set in diamonds suspended from a ribbon – to female members of the family more than 200 years ago.

But the King has modernised some of the elements of his own, while keeping to the traditional appearance. His miniature portrait is painted on a synthetic material called polymin, rather than on ivory as was the tradition, and the diamonds are spare ones – existing loose jewels from the Royal Collection rather than newly acquired.

Polymin is a translucent treated plastic sheet similar in texture to ivorine, which is a synthetic ivory made from cellulose nitrate.

The diamonds are brilliant-cut and have a total weight of 10.41 carats – and the Order, designed by the Crown Jeweller Mark Appleby, was crafted in 18 carat white and yellow gold which was already in royal possession.

The King personally selected the pale blue colour of the ribbon which is based on the bow on the Family Order of his great-grandfather King George V.

Sovereigns presenting jewelled portraits of themselves have tended to use different-coloured ribbon from other monarchs.

King George V’s was pale blue, George VI’s was rose pink, and Queen Elizabeth II’s was chartreuse yellow.

The painting of the King – depicting the monarch wearing the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet, the Sash of the Royal Victorian Order, the Garter Star and Thistle Star and the Garter Collar and Neck Orders of the Order of the Bath and the Royal Victorian Order – was by portrait miniaturist Elizabeth Meek.

Meek previously painted a miniature portrait of the King when Prince of Wales in 2005, and the new image was based on a photographic portrait by Hugo Burnand, taken in 2023.

Before 1820, the sovereign’s portrait set in a jewelled frame had been worn by both ladies and gentlemen at Court, but especially by female members of the royal family.

Queen Camilla was given the late Queen’s Family Order by her mother-in-law on her 60th birthday in July 2007.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother used to wear the Orders of both her daughter and late husband King George VI, while Queen Elizabeth II wore George VI’s Order and George V’s Order together.

The silk bow was made by the milliner Philip Treacy.

The Order’s reverse, in yellow gold, has an engine-turned ground engraved with a sunray pattern, superimposed with the King’s crowned cipher.

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The Emperor of Japan appointed a Knight of the Garter

 His Majesty the King has appointed the Emperor of Japan to be a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan arrived in London today at the start of their State Visit to the United Kingdom. At the state banquet at Buckingham Palace this evening, Emperor Naruhito wore the Garter star and sash for the first time.  New members join the Order, England's highest order of chivalry, at the sole discretion of the sovereign.

The Garter Star, which signifies membership in the Order of the Garter, is "worn on full dress uniforms, court dress, morning coat, full evening dress coat, or dinner jacket," per the Journal of Heraldry, and it was first introduced by King Charles I in 1629. "At first, the star was embroidered, but fairly soon it was made of silver and enamel, and in some cases acquired diamonds and rubies. In 1946 the original Stuart shape was re-introduced," the Journal notes. On Garter Day, which takes place every June, members wear their insignia as they parade from Windsor Castle to St George's Chapel.

Emperor Naruhito joins four other Japanese emperors to have received the Garter; his father, Emperor Akihito, was appointed to the Order, the 985th member, by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. King George V appointed two different Emperors to the Garter—Emperor Hirohito, in 1929, and Emperor Yoshihito, in 1912—and King Edward VII appointed Emperor Meiji (Naruhito's great-great-grandfather) in 1905.

Emperor Naruhito is the 1,022nd individual to be appointed to the order since the creation of the order by King Edward III, and the seventh knight to be created in the reign on King Charles III.

Also today, Emperor Naruhito presented the King with the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, the highest honor in Japan. (He was awarded it back in October 1971, but had yet to formally receive the Collar.)

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Sarah Ursula Scoular (née Spencer-Nairn) 1937-2024

 Sarah Scoular, who died 16 June, 2024, aged 87, was a scion of the Spencer-Nairn baronets.

Sarah Ursula Spencer-Nairn was born 13 June, 1937, elder daughter of Major Michael Alastair Spencer-Nairn, TD (1909-2002), and his wife the former Ursula Helen Devitt (1912-2011), scion of the Devitt baronets; and was a granddaughter of Maj Sir Robert Spencer-Nairn, 1st Baronet (1880-1960); and married 28 April, 1967, John Richard Scoular (1931-2020), son of the Rev John Greenshields Scoular, by whom she had issue, a son, Alastair (born 24 Dec, 1972), and a daughter, Anys (born 1978).

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Sir Andrew Milne-Watson, 4th Baronet 1944-2024

  Sir Andrew Milne-Watson, 4th Baronet, died 20 June, 2024. He was 79.

He was proprietor of A.D.R. Associates Ltd from 1993; sales and management trainee, Sidney Flavel and Co Ltd 1965-68; management trainee East Midlands Gas Board 1968-69; with Ogilvy & Mather, 1969; Account Manager, 1970; Account Director 1973-79; Managing and Client Service Director, Mathers Advertising Ltd 1979-82; Phoenix Advertising Ltd 1982-84; Deputy Chairman, Lewis Broadbent Advertising Ltd 1984-87; founded: Minerva Publications Ltd  1987-89; MW Communications Ltd 1989-90; Director of Advertising  and Marketing, Inc Publications 1990-1993; Liveryman, Grocers' Co. 

Andrew Michael Milne-Watson was born 10 November, 1944, son of Sir Michael Milne-Watson, 3rd Baronet, CBE (1910-1999), and his wife the former Mary Lynette Gunion Bagnall (1914-1993), and succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death, 27 April, 1999.

The baronetcy was created in 1937 for his grandfather David Milne-Watson, DL (1869-1945), 'gas industrialist'.

Andrew Milne-Watson married firstly, 3 April, 1970 (div 1981) Beverley Jane Gabrielle Cotton, daughter of Philip Cotton, of Majorca; and married 2ndly, 1983, as her second husband, Gisella Tisdall (born 1948), daughter of Hans John K. Tisdall (1910-1997), and his wife the former Isabel C.A. Gallegos (1911-2007).

Sir Andrew leaves issue from both marriages. His son from his first marriage, David Alastair Milne-Watson (born 24 August, 1971), now succeeds as the fifth baronet.

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Stopford Sackville/Pops marriage

 The marriage took place 22 June, 2024, at St Peter's Church, Lowick, Northamptonshire, between  Luke Mordaunt Stopford Sackville (born 3 June, 1993), scion of the Earls of Courtown, only son of Charles Lionel Stopford Sackville (born 14 February, 1961), of Lowick, Northamptonshire, and his former wife the former Shona McKinney (born 6 Apr, 1960 - now Mrs Shona Wilkinson, of Battersea, London), & Miss Anna L. Pops, only daughter of Mr and Mrs Richard Pops, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States.

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Capt Sir David Younger, KCVO 1939-2024

 Captain Sir David Younger, KCVO, who died 14 June, 2024, aged 85, was Lord Lieutenant of Tweeddale from 1994 to 2014. He retired on reaching the age of seventy-five.

(John) David Bingham Younger was born 20 May, 1939, son of Maj Oswald Bingham Younger, MC, and his wife the former Dorothea Elizabeth Hobbs, and was educated at Eton and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He married in 1962, Anne Rosaleen Logan, by whom he had a son and a daughter.

Younger was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1959, and served in Borneo and Singapore before joining the Directorate of Military Operations at the Ministry of Defence in 1967. He retired from the Army in 1969 and was with Scottish and Newcastle Breweries from 1969 to 1979 before becoming one of the founding partners of the Broughton Brewery in 1979.

In 1969 he became a member of the Royal Company of Archers, which is the Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland, and was its Secretary from 1993 to 2007. He was vice-president of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland in 1994, and became Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Tweeddale in 1992, before becoming Lord Lieutenant in 1994.

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Fergus Brodie Maitland Jewell (born 2024)

Alexandra Heriot-Maitland [born 1989], scion of the Earls of Lauderdale, wife [?] of Calum Jewell, gave birth to a son, Fergus Brodie Maitland, 13 May, 2024.

Alexandra is a 5 x gt-granddaughter of the 6th Earl of Lauderdale [who died in 1744], and is the third daughter of Mr Patrick Richard Heriot-Maitland [born 23 April, 1947], of Dunning, Perthshire, by his wife the former Marilyn Lois Grant.

 Calum Jewell is the younger son of Mr Stanley Jewell, and Mrs Ann McKinsley, both of Dunfermline.

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Hon Mrs David Erskine 1928-2024

 The Hon Mrs David Erskine, who died 12 June, 2024, aged 96, was a scion of the Earls of Harewood, a daughter of Sir Alan 'Tommy' Lascelles.

The former Caroline Mary Lascelles was born 15 February, 1928, the younger daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Alan Frederick 'Tommy' Lascelles, PC, GCB, GCVO, CMG, MC (1887-1981), & his wife the former Hon Joan Frances Vere Thesiger (1895-1971), daughter of the 1st Viscount Chelmsford.

Her father, the formidable Tommy Lascelles, served as assistant private secretary to King George V, 1935, and to King George VI 1936-43, Private Secretary to King George VI 1943-52, Keeper of the King's Archives 1943-52, Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II 1952-53, Keeper of the Queen's Archives 1952-53, &c.

Sher married firstly, 20 May, 1949, the Hon Antony Alfred Lyttelton (born 23 Oct, 1920), son of the 1st Viscount Chandos (1893-1972), and his wife the former Lady Moira Godolphin Osborne (1892-1976), daughter of the 10th Duke of Leeds (1862-1927). Her 1st husband succeeded his father as 2nd Viscount Chandos, 21 January, 1972, and died 28 November, 1980.

As Caroline, Viscountess Chandos, she married 2ndly, in 1985, as his second wife, the Hon David Hervery Erskine (born 5 November, 1924), scion of the Earls of Mar & Kellie, 3rd son of Major Lord Erskine (1895-1953), by his wife the former Lady Marjorie Hervey (1898-1967), daughter of the 4th Marquess of Bristol (1863-1951), and a yr brother of the 13th Earl of Mar & Kellie (1921-93).

Caroline Erskine leaves issue from her first marriage to Viscount Chandos, two sons, Thomas and Matthew, and two daughters, Laura and Deborah. Her elder son is the 3rd Viscount Chandos.

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Amelia Rosemary Hind (born 2024)

 Venetia Hind (nee Trotter, born 1991), wife of Capt Edward John M. Hind [born 1992], of the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, gave birth to a daughter, Amelia Rosemary, 23 May, 2024.

Capt Hind is a son of Mr Michael C. Hind, of Denbighshire, by his wife the former Angela Marshall.

Venetia Hind is a daughter of Mr Peter M.H. Trotter, of Aldsworth, Gloucestershire, and Mrs Janet Trotter [nee Buchanan-Dunlop, scion of that landed gentry family], of Andoversford, Gloucestershire.

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Jill Vivienne Wellesley (née Burton) 1927-2024

Mrs Richard Wellesley, who died 11 June, 2024, aged 96, was the widow of Major Richard Wellesley, scion of the Dukes of Wellington.

She was born in 1927, as Jill Vivienne Burton, daughter of Group Capt Eric Burton, RAF, and his wife the former Jessie Vivienne Freeman; and married in 1970, as his second wife, Major Richard Wellesley (born 22 June, 1920), son of Wing Commander Lord George Wellesley (1889-1967), and his first wife the former Louise Nesta Pamela FitzGerald (1889-1946), scion of the FitzGerald baronets, knights of Kerry. Her husband, a grandson of the 4th Duke of Wellington, died 27 April, 1984, aged 63. No issue.

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The Garter service at St George's Chapel, Windsor

 The King and Queen, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family have taken part in the annual Garter Day service at Windsor Castle today, 17 June, 2024 - but despite her appearance at the Trooping the Colour, the Princess of Wales was absent from the ceremony.

The celebration commemorating the ancient Order of the Garter traditionally takes place on the Monday after the Birthday Parade and on the day before the commencement of Royal Ascot week,  as the busy royal summer period begins in earnest. 

Today, members of the royal family who are Ladies and Knights of the Order of the Garter – the country's oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry – processed down the hill from the Berkshire castle's State Apartments to St George's Chapel, dressed in white ostrich feather plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes. They include the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Gloucester. 

The procession was watched by crowds of onlookers, which included the Duchess of Edinburgh, who in other years has been joined by the Princess of Wales.  After the ceremony, the King and Queen Camilla and members of the royal family departed by carriage and returned to the castle.

The Duchess of Gloucester was invested today as a Royal Lady of the Garter. The former Birgitte van Deurs, 77, has been a member of the Royal Family since marrying Prince Richard, King George V's youngest grandson, in 1972.

Lord Lloyd-Webber, the composer and impresario, Lord Kakkar, emeritus professor of surgery at University College London and Air Chief Marshal the Lord Peach, were installed as Knight Companion. Founded in 1348 by King Edward III, the Order of the Garter is awarded by the sovereign for outstanding public service and achievement.

It is limited to 24 Knights or Ladies Companion, in addition to the King and the Prince of Wales and several "supernumerary members", including some foreign monarchs such as the Emperor of Japan, the King of Spain, the King of Norway, the King of Sweden, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, her son, the King of the Netherlands and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Recipients of the honour are chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally.

The appointment of Knights and Ladies of the Garter is the King's gift and is made without consulting ministers. The investing of new companions with the Order's Insignia is a key feature of the annual ceremony and is done by the monarch.

The Pages of Honour in attendance on the King and Queen were the Hon Guy Aylmer George Tryon, son and heir of the 4th Baron Tryon, and Charles Hugh Valentine van Cutsem.

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Julia Mary Budworth (nee Bowles) 1932-2024

 Julia Mary Budworth (nee Bowles), who died 19 May, 2024, aged 92, was part-owner of The Lady magazine.

Julia Mary Bowles was born in March, 1932, daughter of George Frederic Stewart Bowles, and his wife the former Madeline Mary Tobin, and was a cousin of the famed 'Mitford Sisters', Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica, and Deborah.

She married in 1952, David Dutton Budworth (1920-1974), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Major-General Charles Edward Dutton Budworth, CB, CMG, MVO (1869-1921), and his 2nd wife the former Helen Blewitt.

She leaves issue, four sons, Ben, Richard, Adam and William. Another son, Alexander, pre-deceased her.

From the Times 17 June 2024: Julia Budworth took enormous pride in her role as the grande dame of The Lady and fought a vocal and very public battle to uphold the magazine’s traditional standards against the tide of modernisation. The Lady was founded in 1885 as “a journal for gentlewomen” by her grandfather Thomas Gibson Bowles. She was born in the flat above the magazine’s offices in Covent Garden and grew up immersed in the code of good manners and proper behaviour that it championed in its pages.

The magazine was where the aristocracy advertised for maids, nannies and other domestic servants. A typical ad read: “Titled Sir and Lady, without children, require a butler and housekeeper for a couple position in a beautiful country house on their estate in Yorkshire. The suitable couple will be responsible for the smooth running of the house, chauffeuring when required, care of fine antiques, fabrics and furniture, and must be knowledgeable in laundering full clothing and care of ­silver.”

When Budworth was growing up, The Lady’s contributors included her cousin Nancy Mitford…

[Her son] Ben ­appointed Rachel Johnson, sister of ­Boris, as the magazine’s editor. Over the previous 125 years, The Lady had steered a serene and stately path under only eight editors, but the ninth came in with a mission to shake up the magazine and make a noise…

…The daughter of Madeleine (née Tobin) and George Frederic Stewart Bowles, she was born Julia Mary Bowles in London in 1932. Her father had taken over The Lady on the death of his father in 1922 and nursed the magazine through the 1929 crash and the Depression. “He kept it going and they lived over the shop because they had very little money,” Budworth said…

…As a child she escaped the smoke in the company of her cousin Debo, the youngest of the six Mitford sisters and whose father, David Mitford, Baron Redesdale, had at one time been general manager of The Lady. Debo, the future Duchess of Devonshire and chatelaine of Chatsworth, was 12 years older and pushed her cousin’s pram when she was an infant. Later she taught her to ride and to milk a cow on the Hebridean island of Inch Kenneth, which the Mitford family owned.

They were together on the island in 1939 when the Second World War was declared. At the time, Debo’s sister Unity was in Munich under Hitler’s patronage and another sister, Diana, was about to be interned with her husband Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British fascists…

…Julia herself married David Budworth, who ran an engineering company, in 1952. He died in 1974 when the plane he was piloting crashed due to a technical fault. She is survived by their four sons, Ben, Richard and Adam, both barristers, and William, who works in security. A fifth son Alexander predeceased her…

Julia Budworth, magazine part-owner, was born in March 1932. She died of old age on May 19, 2024, aged 92

Albie Stewart Richard Mitchell-Innes (born 2024)

Charlotte Elizabeth Mitchell-Innes [born 1985, née Groves], wife of Peter Stewart Mitchell-Innes [born 1985], scion of that landed family, gave birth to a son, Albie Stewart Richard, 10 June, 2024, a brother for Jasper William David, who was born 8 February, 2017, and for Lyla Diana Helen, born 13 December, 2019. 

Peter is a son of Ian Stewart Mitchell-Innes [born 1947] by his wife the former Diana Brooke Dean. 

Charlotte is a daughter of Richard William Lewis Groves [born 1957], by his wife the former Helen Mary Keppel Charteris [born 1956], scion of the Earls of Wemyss & March.

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Lt-Col Robin James Stirling Bullock-Webster, OBE 1944-2024

Lieutenant-Colonel Robin James Stirling Bullock-Webster, OBE, who has died aged 79, was a career soldier who spent almost 30 years in the Irish Guards. He was head of the Bullock-Webster landed gentry family.

He was born 22 November, 1944, the only son of Capt Sandro Ansell George Stuart Bullock-Webster, RM (1919-2007), and his wife the former Joan Stirling Joll (1921-2012), descended from the Stirling baronets. He married 1stly, 1971, Susan Nicola Darby (1948-1979), daughter of Peter James Darby (1917-2008), and his wife the former Pamela Joan Poyer Lewis (1919-2010), scion of that Welsh landed gentry family; married 2ndly, 1980, Maria, Countess Cowley (nee Maria Della Buenaño), widow of the 6th Earl Cowley (1946-1975), and daughter of Enrique Buenaño.

His only son, James Richard Henry Llewelyn Bullock-Webster (born 21 Apr, 1981), succeeds as head of the landed gentry family.

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Clara Amélie MacHale (born 2024)

 Isabella Louise MacHale (nee Kerr-Smiley, born 19 February, 1990), wife of Thomas E. MacHale, gave birth to a daughter, Clara Amélie, 2 June, 2024, a sister for Clementine Thea, who was born 4 May, 2023.

Thomas MacHale is the younger son of Mr & Mrs Joseph MacHale, of Wonston, Hampshire.

Isabella MacHale is a scion of the Smiley baronets, elder daughter of Mark Alexander Kerr-Smiley [born 30 March, 1961], of Kensington, London, and his wife the former Manuela Maria Raquez.

Sir Hugh Smiley 1st Bt-->Peter Kerr-Smiley [1879-1943]-->Cyril Kerr-Smiley [1906-80]-->Peter Kerr-Smiley [b 1934]-->Mark Kerr-Smiley [b 1961]-->Isabella Kerr-Smiley [b 1990] > Clara MacHale [b 2024].

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Dexter Reuben Chastel de Boinville (born 2024)

 Serena Louise Chastel de Boinville [nee Cookson, born 1986], wife of Nicolai (Nico) Chastel de Boinville, gave birth to a son, Dexter Reuben, 1 June, 2024, a brother for Antigoni Shaunagh, born 3 July, 2019, and for Iola Angela, born 24 June, 2021.  

Nico Chastel de Boinville, jockey, is a scion of that landed family, of Walkern Hall, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, son of Mr Simon Murdoch Chastel de Boinville, of Baughurst, Hampshire, and the late Mrs Shaunagh Chastel de Boinville (d 2016).

Serena Chastel de Boinville is descended from the Barons Hemphill, daughter of Robert Edwin Cookson (descended from the Viscounts Falmouth), by his wife the former Hon Angela Mary Martyn Hemphill (b 1953), daughter of the 5th Baron Hemphill.

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Algernon Wilfred Cornell Scrope (born 2024)

Rosanna [Posie] Scrope [nee Staveley] wife of [Simon] Harry Richard Scrope [born 1974], head of the landed gentry family of Scrope of Danby, has given birth to a third son, Algernon Wilfred Cornell (Algie), 27 May, 2024, a brother Maximus Simon Parkinson, born 30 April, 2022, and for Henry Miles Titus 'Milo', born 28 August, 2023.  

Harry is the only son of the late Simon Egerton Scrope [1934-2010], of Danby on Yore, and his wife the former Jennifer Jane Parkinson, descended from the extinct Barons Bingley.

Rosanna Lorna Scrope [born 1988], scion of the Staveley landed gentry family, is a daughter of the late Simon Henry Staveley [1949-98], and his wife the former Judy O. Willis Fleming [b 28 June, 1954], scion of that landed gentry family, of Willis Fleming, of Stoneham.

Harry Scrope is a grandson maternally of the late Sir Kenneth Parkinson, Kt [1908-81], sometime chairman of Yorkshire Post Newspapers, and his wife the former Hon Dorothy Lane Fox [1909-80], a daughter of the 1st and last Baron Bingley [1870-1947].

The Scrope family (pronounced "Scroop") are seated at Danby, the family's 1,500-acre estate in North Yorkshire. The family descend from one of Edward the Confessor's Norman favourites, and were thus already settled in England at the time of the Conquest. The family motto, Devant si je puis (Forward if I am able), is a sardonic allusion to their name,which means "crab" in the Norman dialect. Establishing themselves in Wensleydale in the 12th century, Scropes distinguished themselves on the Crusades and in the Hundred Years War, were regularly summoned to medieval parliaments as barons, and have produced five Garter knights, and an Archbishop of York.

The Scrope coat of arms, Azure a bend or, was one of the earliest to be adopted and, to amateurs of heraldry, is a celebrated curiosity. Campaigning in Scotland in 1385, Richard, Lord Scrope of Bolton, was aghast to see it borne by a fellow knight, Sir Richard le Grosvenor. The matter was tried in the Court of Chivalry – John of Gaunt, Harry "Hotspur" and Geoffrey Chaucer all giving evidence on Scrope's behalf.

Depositions were conveniently heard in York Minster, the family burial place, where the Scrope arms were prominently on display, as they were – in glass, alabaster and stone – in more than 40 other churches in Yorkshire. The court's decision in favour of Scrope has long rankled with the Grosvenors. Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, was to name his famous racehorse (the 1880 Derby winner) Bend Or, and it was also his nickname for his grandson, the 2nd Duke, whose chestnut hair reminded him of the horse. For their part, the proud Scropes sport a distinctive family tie, based on their arms, of blue with diagonal gold stripes.

Harry Scrope descends from a junior branch of the family which succeeded to the headship in 1630. Christopher Scrope was by that time a convicted recusant and knew better than to press his claim to the titles and estates. Christopher's son seated himself at Danby-on-Yore, in the heart of the Scrope country, which the family had acquired through an heiress in 1576. Largely rebuilt in the 16th century, Danby Hall incorporates one of the most southerly examples of a peel tower, dating from the early 14th century. A small chamber at the top of the "old Tower" served as a chapel, the only place of Catholic worship for miles around. In the early 1800s a capacious priest's hole was rediscovered at the back of a fireplace. Generations of Scropes were barred, as Catholics, from public office. Their sons were sent abroad, with false identities, for their schooling. Forbidden to own any horse worth more than £5, they depended on kindly Protestant neighbours to hold them in their own names. The Scrope who bred Danby Cade, a famous 18th-century racehorse, was not his legal owner. "Penal times" ended with the passing of the Catholic Relief Act in 1829. Scrope of Danby petitioned in vain for the earldom of Wiltshire, but retained the heraldic supporters (a pair of Cornish choughs) that the family claim by prescription – supporters being an honour usually afforded only to peers and knights grand cross under Royal Warrant.

Rosanna Scrope is a granddaughter of Capt [William Arthur] Miles Staveley [1913-81], scion of the Staveleys of North Stainley Hall, Ripon, and his wife the former Nancy Constance Cail [1914-2007].

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Beatrice Veronica Sophia Spink (born 2024)

The Lady Iona Margaret Sophia Spink (nee Murray, born 13 March, 1992), wife of Capt Barnaby Frederick J Spink (born 1992), gave birth to a daughter, Beatrice  Veronica Sophia, 31 May, 2024.

Capt Spink is a son of [Andrew David] Jonathan Spink [born Oct 1960], of Kimbolton, and his wife the former Kathryn Anne Armstrong [born 1963].

 Lady Iona is a daughter of the 8th (and ninth) Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield (born 17 October, 1956) of Scone Palace, Perthshire, and the Countess of Mansfield (nee Sophia Mary Veronica Ashbrooke (born 22 January, 1959).

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Lord Ashton of Hyde appointed Master of the Horse

 His Majesty The King has appointed Lord Ashton of Hyde, PC, to succeed Lord De Mauley as Master of the Horse.

The Master of the Horse was once an important official of the sovereign's household, though the role is largely ceremonial today. The master of the horse is the third dignitary of the court, and was always a member of the ministry (before 1782 the office was of cabinet rank), a peer and a privy councillor. All matters connected with the horses and formerly also the hounds of the sovereign, as well as the stables and coachhouses, the stud, mews and previously the kennels, are within his jurisdiction.

Lord Ashton of Hyde,  a former Conservative chief whip in the Lords, is a Gloucestershire neighbour of the King, living at Moreton-in-the-Marsh, half an hour's drive from Highgrove.

Thomas Henry Ashton was born 18 July, 1958, son of the 3rd Baron (1926-2008), and his wife the former Pauline Brackenbury (who died 4 Nov, 2014). He married 31 Oct, 1987, Emma Louise Allinson, by whom he has issue, four daughters, Harriet, Isobel, Flora and Matilda.

Lord Ashton of Hyde will replace the serving Master of the Horse, the 7th Baron de Mauley (born 30 June, 1957) , whose final major duty will be to ride in this weekend’s Trooping the Colour ceremony as holders of the post are present when the Royal Mews supports state occasions.

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Baroness Manningham-Buller appointed Chancellor of the Order of the Garter

 The King has appointed the first female Chancellor of the Order of the Garter in history, the former head of MI5 Baroness Manningham-Buller.

The Order of the Garter, which was founded by King Edward III in 1348, is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry, with members appointed personally by the monarch for their contribution to public life.

Baroness Manningham-Buller, LG, DCB (born 14 July, 1948), was made a Lady Companion of the Garter by the late Queen Elizabeth II in April 2014. She became Director General of the MI5 in October 2002 and, in that capacity, led the Security Service's response to the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Following her retirement in April 2007, she became a crossbench life peer in 2008.

Buckingham Palace said the King has been “graciously pleased” to appoint Baroness Manningham-Buller to the office on the retirement of the 5th Duke of Abercorn, KG (born 4 July, 1934), who has held the office since 2012.

Elizabeth Lydia Manningham-Buller is a daughter of the 1st Viscount Dilhorne (1905-80), sometime Lord Chancellor, and his wife, Lady Mary Lilian Lindsay (1910-2004), daughter of the 27th Earl of Crawford & Balcarres (1871-1940). She is the first female Chancellor since the office’s inception in 1475. The role was held by the bishops of Salisbury and Oxford for nearly 500 years, before changing in 1937 to be someone selected from the existing Knights Companion of the Order.

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Yule/Lawson marriage

  The marriage took place 8 June, 2024, between Alastair J. Yule, son of Mr and Mrs Andrew Yule of La Fouly, Switzerland, and Tess Lawson (born 30 August, 1988), scion of the Lawson baronets, daughter of Sir Charles John Patrick Lawson, 4th Baronet (born 19 May, 1959), of St Mawgan, Cornwall, and his wife the former Lady Caroline Lowther (born 11 March, 1959), daughter of the late 7th Earl of Lonsdale (1922-2006), and his wife, and kinswoman, the Hon Jennifer Lowther (1932-2021), scion of the Viscounts Ullswater.

Tess Lawson is a niece of the 9th Earl of Lonsdale (born 9 July, 1957).

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Fortescue/MacDonald marriage

 The marriage took place, 8 June, 2024, at Biggar Kirk, Lanarkshire, between Capt Thomas Edmund Horatio Fortescue, Coldstream Guards (born 30 July, 1993), scion of the Earls Fortescue, the elder son of John Andrew Francis Fortescue (born 27 March, 1955), of Wincombe, Dorset, and his wife the former Phoebe Anne Cecilia Burridge (born 25 July, 1959), & Louisa A.R. MacDonald, daughter of Lt Col and Mrs Angus MacDonald, of Muirburn, Peeblesshire. 

Capt Tom Fortescue's father is heir pres to the 8th Earl Fortescue (born 10 May, 1951)

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Sir Martin Wakefield Jacomb 1929-2024

Sir Martin Jacomb, who has died aged 94, was a barrister and merchant banker who became founder chairman of BZW, the investment banking arm of Barclays, and a key adviser to the government on the privatisation of British Telecom; he went on to be chairman of Prudential, Canary Wharf and the British Council.

Martin Wakefield Jacomb was born 11 November, 1929, son of Hilary Jacomb and his wife Felice, and was educated at Eton and Worcester College, Oxford.

At various times he was a member of the court of the Bank of England, an adviser to the US Federal Reserve, deputy chairman of Commercial Union and a director of Marks & Spencer, British Gas, RTZ, Christian Salvesen and The Telegraph. He served on the boards of the Royal Opera House, the OUP, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and was Chancellor of Buckingham University. He was knighted in 1985.

In later years he occasionally contributed to the business pages of The Spectator – and to Daily Telegraph obituaries. Into his nineties, though notably stooped, he remained active in City and political debate. He voted Remain in the EU referendum, “but only because the EU will collapse unless reformed, and I would like the UK to lead the reformation”.

He married 30 Apr, 1960, Evelyn Helen Heathcoat Amory (born 4 June, 1939), scion of the baronets of that name, elder daughter of Richard Frank Heathcoat Amory (1903-57), and his wife the former Hon Margaret Irene Gaenor Scott-Ellis (1919-2002), daughter of the 8th Baron Howard De Walden (1880-1946), by whom he had issue, a daughter Emma (born 15 May, 1961), and two sons, Matthew (born 11 June, 1963), and Thomas (1964-2023).

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Lloyd/Offord engagement

The engagement was announced 7 June, 2024, between Orlando William F. Lloyd (born 12 Jan, 1992), younger son of Mr Peregrine M.A. Lloyd (born c. 1956), of Kingston Lisle, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Annabel Cynthia Higgins (born 1958), & Cecily Katherine Offord (born 1992), younger daughter of Peter Nicholas Offord (born 1949), of Bickleigh, Devonshire, and his wife the former Elizabeth Laura Gascoigne (born 31 July, 1958), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Crispin Gascoigne (1929-2001), and his wife the Hon Elizabeth Ann Harcourt (1932-2020), daughter of the 2nd (and last) Viscount Harcourt (1908-1979).

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Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson marry

 The Duke of Westminster is marrying Olivia Henson today at Chester Cathedral. The Prince of Wales is acting as one of the duke’s ushers.

Crowds lined the streets of Chester to cheer the arrival of the duke, his bride with her father, and the Prince of Wales. Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank is one of the 400 guests.

The bride looked magnificent in a gown by London-based designer Emma Victoria Payne and she completed her bridal look with the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, one that Grosvenor brides wear on their wedding day. Olivia was wearing blue velvet shoes - 'something borrowed and something blue'.

A spokesman for the duke said: “The Duke and Miss Henson have taken a great deal of care in planning the wedding, putting their own personal stamp on all the arrangements and have made a conscious effort to involve local and regional suppliers in several aspects of the day.”

While the Prince of Wales is playing a key role in today's event, the majority of the Royal Family will miss the big day. The King and Queen have been in Normandy for the events surrounding 80th anniversary of D-Day. His brother the Duke of Sussex is not in Chester, with mixed reporting on whether he actually got an invitation or not. The wedding comes amid a long-running rift between the princes.

The Duke is one of Britain’s wealthiest men, with his calculated wealth of just over £9.7 billion putting him 13th on the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List. Once considered one of the country's most eligible bachelors.

The couple are surprisingly low-key, and have released just one photograph of themselves together - until now. On 7 May, exactly one month before the nuptials took place, the duke and his bride-to-be visited a number of charities in Chester to see the projects that his organisation, the Westminster Foundation, is funding.

The young duke is a fourth cousin once removed of the King. They both have Romanov blood, the duke via his mother Natalia, and the King via the late Prince Philip's Romanov descent.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Miss Henson said: “The couple have chosen the cathedral for both its beauty and long association with the Grosvenor family, including to the Duke personally. Cheshire is the Grosvenor family’s ancestral home and as Miss Henson’s connection to the region continues to grow, they are keen to plan their wedding there.”

The duke's parents, the 6th Duke and Natalia Phillips married at Chester Cathedral, 7 October, 1978, and the Royal Family were there to celebrate the union of one of Britain's wealthiest men and Natalia, daughter of one of Queen Elizabeth II's great friends, the former Georgina Wernher. The duke's aunt, Lady Leonora Grosvenor, married the late 5th Earl of Lichfield at the cathedral, 8 March, 1975, and another aunt, Lady Jane Grosvenor married the 10th Duke of Roxburghe there, 10 September, 1977.

"The Duke and Miss Henson became engaged at Eaton Hall in April 2023, and have been incredibly grateful for the warm messages of congratulations they have received since then."

One of Britain’s wealthiest men, certainly our richest duke, 33,  is godfather to Prince George of Wales, and a close confidante of the Prince and Princess of Wales. He was born 29 January, 1991, the only son of the 6th duke (1951-2016).

Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, the 7th duke, inherited the Eaton Hall estate near Chester, and large land holdings in London, Lancashire, Scotland, and in Canada, on the death of his late father, who died suddenly on his Abbeystead estate in Lancashire,  9 August 2016. The Westminster fortune is estimated to stand at 9.46 billion. 

The duke’s mother, the former Natalia Ayesha Phillips (born 8 May 1959), descended from the Russia tsars and from Pushkin, is a granddaughter of Lady Zia Wernher, of Luton Hoo, a great friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It was at Luton Hoo where the late Queen and her consort spent many wedding anniversaries in the lifetime of Lady Zia, who died in 1977, and her husband Harold, who died in 1973.

The Duke was present at the Coronation of the King and Queen in May last year, and he carried a standard in the procession into Westminster Abbey. 

The duke has three sisters, Lady Tamara van Cutsem (born 20 Dec 1979), wife of another of the King’s godsons, Edward van Cutsem, and Lady Edwina Snow (born 4 Nov, 1981), a criminologist, wife of historian and broadcaster Dan Snow, and Lady Viola Roberts (born 9 Oct, 1992), wife of Dragoon Guards officer, Angus Roberts.

Their is no heir to the dukedom, and a son and heir would secure the peerage and the vast Grosvenor inheritance.

The dukedom of Westminster was the last dukedom to be given outside the confines of the royal family, and was created by Queen Victoria in 1874.

The new duchess (born 1 Sept, 1992), is a senior account manager with Belazu, an ethical food company, in London. She is extremely well connected, with lines of descent from the Hoare banking dynasty, the Marquesses of Britsol, of Ickworth, Suffolk, and the Dukes of Rutland, of Belvoir Castle. She is the elder daughter of Mr Rupert Cornelius Brooke Henson (born 7 September, 1962), of Longworth, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Caroline Belinda Frisby (born 17 August, 1963), scion of that landed gentry family, descended from the Hoare banking family and the Marquesses of Bristol. Olivia’s uncle, Charles Wolrige Gordon, is the Grand Master of Scottish freemasons, Scotland’s senior freemason. Olivia’s mother is the twin sister of Charles’s wife, Angela Clare Wolrige Gordon.

Olivia has a brother Jasper (born 1994), who announced his engagement last year to the Spanish aristocrat Isabel Rodriguez-Legorburu Cabrera Kabana, and a sister, Emilia (born 1997).

Olivia is a granddaughter paternally of Thomas John Brooke Henson, MC (1931-2024), and his first wife the former Jennifer Caswell Cornelius (born 1938), daughter of Leonard Raymond Cornelius (1907-88), and his wife the former Betty Kathleen Caswell (1916-2010). Her grandparents divorced and in 1983 Mrs Jennifer Henson married Robert Christopher Thoroton Hildyard (1912-86), scion of a Yorkshire landed gentry family, descended from the Foljambe Earls of Liverpool.

The Romanov link:-

Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia (1796-1855) > Grand Duke Michael of Russia (1832-1909) > Grand Duke Michael of Russia (1861-1929)  > Lady Zia Wernher (1892-1977)  > Georgina Wernher (1919-2011)  > Natalia Ayesha Phillips (b 1959), The 7th Duke of Westminster (b 1991)

Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia (1796-1855) > Grand Duke Constantine of Russia (1827-1892) > Grand Duchess Olga of Russia (1851-1926) > Prince Andrew of Greece (1882-1944) > Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) > King Charles III (b 1948)

Olivia is also descended from the Dukes of Rutland :-

The 5th Duke of Rutland > Lady Katherine Manners > Lord Augustus Henry Charles Hervey > Lady Geraldine Mariana Hervey > Angela Beryl Hoare > Simon Rollo Frisby > Caroline Belinda Frisby > Olivia Grace Henson

Olivia's descent from the Marquesses of Bristol-

Frederick, 2nd Marquess of Bristol > Lord Augustus Henry Charles Hervey >Lady Geraldine Hervey > Angela Beryl Hoare > Simon Frisby . Caroline Frisby > Olivia Grace Henson 

The Duke and Olivia are both 6x great grandchildren of the 5th Earl of Carlisle (making them 7th cousins) and 7x great grandchildren of the 4th Duke of Beaufort (making them 8th cousins).

Olivia is a great-great granddaughter of Henry Hoare (1866-1956), partner in the eponymous family concern -  Hoare's Bank, of Ellisfield Manor, Basingstoke, White Wings, Angmering, Sussex, and La Lucretola, Lago di Como, Italy. The Old Etonian died 29 July, 1956.

Olivia's descent from the Arbuthnot baronets:--

Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet (1766-1829) > John Alves Arbuthnot (1802-75) > William Arbuthnot (1833-96) > Alice Arbuthnot (b 1869) > Capt William Herbert Fox (1901-40) > Sara Fox (d 2018) > Caroline Frisby (b 1963) > Olivia Henson (b 1992)

The 6th Baron Hindlip 1940-2024

 Lord Hindlip, the 6th Baron, businessman, who has died aged 83, was for many years at Christie's, the fine arts auction house, in which he was General Manager of Christie's New York and later Chairman of Christie, Manson & Woods and finally of Christie's International. He was the father of the TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp.

Charles Henry Allsopp was born 5th August, 1940, son of the 5th Baron Hindlip (1912-1993), and his wife the former Cecily Valentine Jane Borwick (1910-2000); and succeeded to the peerage (created UK, 1886), on his father's death, 19 December, 1993.

He married 18 April, 1968, Fiona Victoria Jean Atherley McGowan (1947-2014), daughter of the Hon William Johnston McGowan (1909-1977), and his wife the former Helen Myrtle Dorothy Atherley (died 16 March, 1976); and a granddaughter of the 1st Baron McGowan (1874-1961).

Lord Hindlip leaves issue, three daughters, Kirstie (born 31 Aug 1971), Sophia (born in 1980), and Natasha (born 1986), and a son, the Hon Henry William Allsopp (born 8 June, 1973), who now succeeds as 7th Baron Hindlip.

Cranstoun/Rhys-Evans engagement

The engagement was announced 5 June, 2024, between Alexander John George Cranstoun of that Ilk and Corehouse, Yr (born 15 June, 1995), elder son of Colonel David Alexander Somerville Cranstoun of that Ilk (born 19 Dec, 1943), head of that landed family, of Corehouse, Lanarkshire, by his wife Dr Maja Martha Glattli, & Olivia Frances Rhys-Evans (born 1996), elder daughter of the late Peter Howell Rhys-Evans, FRCS (died 2022), and his second wife the former Frances Knight, now of Petworth, West Sussex.

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The Baroness Jessel (died 2024)

 The Baroness Jessel, who died 27 May, 2024, aged 91, was the widow of the 2nd & last Baron Jessel.

She was the former Jessica Marian de Wet, daughter of William de Wet, of Rondesbosch, Cape Town, South Africa; and married 20 Dec, 1960, as his second wife, Edward Herbert Jessel, the 2nd Baron Jessel (born 25 March, 1904), son of the 1st Baron Jessel, CB, CMG, TD, DL, JP (1866-1950), and his wife the former Maud Goldsmid (1874-1965), daughter of Sir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet (1838-96).

Her husband died 13 June, 1990, when the peerage (created in 1924) became extinct.

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Stephen Andrew Romilly Michael Asquith 1944-2024

 Stephen Asquith, who died 31 May, 2024, aged 80, was a scion of the Earls of Oxford and Asquith, and was a great-grandson of H.H. Asquith, the Liberal statesman and prime minister.

Stephen Andrew Romilly Michael Asquith was born 27 January, 1944, the elder son of Michael Henry Asquith (1914-2004), and his 1st wife the former Diana Eveline Montagu Battye (1915-2004), scion of that landed gentry family; and married firstly, in 1963 (div 1965), Nicola Scott, daughter of Lt-Cdr Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE (1909-1989) (son of Scott of the Antarctic), and his first wife the writer Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923-2014); married 2ndly, in 1983, as her second husband, Clare Frances Stanton, scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel John Richard Guy Stanton, MBE (1919-1990), and his wife Margaret Frances Harries, OBE (1917-2004).

From his first marriage he leaves a son, Daniel (born 1964), and two daughters, Emily (b 1965), and Lucy (b 1967), and from his second marriage, a son, Thomas (b 1980), and a daughter, Portia (b 1978).

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Timothy Ward Seely 1935-2024

Timothy Ward Seely, who died 18 May, 2024, aged 88, an actor, was a scion of the Seely baronets, and was rumoured to be the illegitimate son of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII, and Duke of Windsor).

In 1957, he made his theatre debut in the play Tea and Sympathy at the London Comedy Theatre. Seely played the young Tom Lee, who fell in love with the senior Laura, played by Elizabeth Sellars. He played the same role in the adaptation at New Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool. There he also played Rodolfo in Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge. In 1958, he acted alongside Maggie Smith at the London St Martin's Theatre in an adaptation of The Stepmother. Seely was member of the BBC Radio Drama Company, with which he acted the title role in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He also had roles in various Shakespeare plays, including as Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Polonius in Hamlet, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing and the King of France in All's Well That Ends Well. In the late 1950s, he also took roles in film and television productions. One of his more prominent roles was as Midshipmen Ned Young in the 1962 version of Mutiny on the Bounty, where Seely appeared alongside Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. He also made several appearances in the YTV soap Emmerdale, as Sir Thomas Weir, in 1994-95.

Seely was born 10 June, 1935, the second son of the late Major Frank James Wriothesley Seely (1901–1956), and a great-grandson of Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet. His mother was Vera Lilian Birkin (1903-1970), a friend of the future King Edward VIII, a daughter of British Colonel Charles Wilfred Birkin (1865-1932) (fourth son of a lace embroidery and tableware magnate of Nottingham, Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin 1831-1922).  His aunt was Freda Dudley Ward (1894-1983), Marquesa de Casa Maury, a mistress of King Edward VIII (1894-1972) and wife of William Dudley Ward (1877-1946). 

Biographer Andrew Lownie claims that 'a convincing case' can be made for Seely's illegitimate royal birth. "This is interesting, as Seely was born in 1935, after the affair with Wallis had begun, but we know from Special Branch reports that the Prince of Wales was not monogamous - he was enjoying an affair with an Austrian Princess at the same time."

The future King had been best man at Vera Birkin's wedding to Jimmy Seely in 1925 and the prince often stayed with the Seelys in Nottinghamshire. "The family later played down the story, and refused to talk about it but, after the Duke's death, Seely was contacted by the Duke's lawyers," says Lownie, who himself approached the Seelys in August 2020. He received an email from Timothy's wife Camilla: "Over the years, various authors/reporters have contacted Tim but the response was always the same, he is not interested. He is immensely discreet… We would not wish to be even a small part of yet more unworthy stories concerning The Royal Family."

Tim Seely studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

He married firstly,  He m 1st 1960 (div) Anna Henrietta Maria St Paul Butler (later Lady Younger) 1924-96 (her 3rd husband was Sir Jock Younger 3rd Bt) daughter of Capt Horace George St Paul Butler (1898-1971) by his wife Dorothy Henrietta Torlesse (1899-1934); and married secondly, in 2001, (Ann) Camilla Cartwright,  daughter of John Sheward Cartwright. 

From his first marriage he leaves a son, Hugo Michael David St. Paul Seely (born 1961).

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Boyer/Hearn engagement

The engagement was announced 3 June, 2024, between Thomas McKenzie Boyer (born 1992), son of the late Miles Roger Boyer (1957-1992), and his wife the former Penelope J. McKenzie (now of Gloucestershire), & Olivia Lucy-Rose Hearn (born 24 September, 1988), elder daughter of Simon Nigel Richard Hearn (born 1958), of Hampshire, and his wife the former Henrietta Lucy Calder-Smith (born 1961).

Olivia is descended from the Tetley brewing family, from the Nettlefold family, landed gentry, and from the Martineau family, and thus a distant kinswoman of HRH The Princess of Wales. The Nettlefolds were seated at Nether Lypiatt Manor, sometime home of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Olivia ia also descened from the Courtauld family.

John Edmund Bedwell Tetley (1904-73) = Mary Margaret Martineau > Susan Lucy Tetley (1931-2012) = Maj John Hearn = Simon Hearn (b 1958) > Olivia Hearn (b 1988)

George Martineau (b 1796) > David Martineau (b 1828) > Howard Martineau (1864-1953) = Dorothy Nettlefold, of Goodyns Place, Dorking (1873-1918).

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Aurelius Balthazar Cobbold Bush (born 2024)

 The Hon Morwenna Gray Lytton Bush (nee Cobbold, born 16 Aug, 1989), wife of Philip Horatio Bush, gave birth to a son, Aurelius Balthazar Cobbold Bush, 26 April, 2024.

 Philip Bush is the son of Mr & Mrs Graham Bush, of Smeeth, Kent. 

The Hon Morwenna Bush is daughter of the the 3rd Baron Cobbold [born 12 May, 1962], of Knebworth, Hertfordshire, by his wife the former Martha Frances Boone.

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Bradstock/Parson engagement

 The engagement was announced 1 June, 2024, between James Rupert Bradstock (born 6 Oct, 1993), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Rupert John Bradstock (born 8 Oct, 1958), of Trinity, Jersey, and his wife the former Anna Louise Riley (born 18 Oct, 1962), & Olivia Anne Parsons (born 1993), daughter of Peter John Parsons (born 1949), of Eastleach, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Carolyn Ann Stuart (born 1955).

The 8th Viscount Molesworth (1829-1906) > Hon Andalusia Molesworth (d 1912) > Lt-Col Christopher Riley (1894-1958) > Maj. John Riley (b 1925) > Anna Riley (b 1962) > James Bradstock (b 1993)

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Campbell/Leese engagement

The engagement was announced 1 June, 2024, between Ferdinand James Marc (Ferdy) Campbell (born 29 April, 1994), elder son of of the late Colonel the Hon Alastair James Calthrop Campbell (1952-2021), of Ferne, Wiltshire, (see Campbell of Croy life peerage), by his wife the former Primrose Felicia Palmer (born 18 February, 1960), & Mimi Constance Leese (born 1995), daughter of the late Julian S. Leese, by his wife the former Nichola Mimi Vestbirk (now wife of Piers Robert Conyngham Plunket (born 27 June, 1959, scion of the Barons Plunket), of Chilhampton, Wiltshire.

Ferdy Campbell is descended from the Earls of Longford:-

The 5th Earl of Longford (1864-1915) > Lady Pansy Pakenham (1904-99) > Horatia Lamb (b 1933) > Primrose Palmer (b 1960) > Ferdy Campbell (b 1994)

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Robert Hew Dalrymple 1946-2024

 Robert Hew Dalrymple, who died 27 May, 2024, aged 77, was a scion of the Earls of Stair.

He was born 10 November, 1946, son of the Hon Hew North Dalrymple (1910-2012), and his first wife, the former Mildred Helen Egerton (1903-1980), scion of the Earls of Ellesmere; and was a grandson paternally of the 12th Earl of Stair (1879-1961); & married 22 April, 1976, Caroline Anne Hunting, daughter of (Charles) Patrick Hunting, CBE, TD (1910-1993), by his wife the former Diana Margaret Pereira (1920-1995), by whom he had two sons, Hamish Hew (born 1979), & Alastair North (born 1982).

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Wallis/Camps engagement

 The engagement was announced 1 June, 2024, between Nicholas W.J. Wallis, the only son of Mr and Mrs Brian Wallis, of Tonbridge, Kent, and Elizabeth Ann (Lizzie) Camps (born 1994), younger daughter of Michael P. Camps, of Barnham, West Sussex, and his wife the former Sally Alexandra Harwood (born 11 May, 1960).

The bride-to-be is descended from the 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS, prime minister 1945-51.

Clement Attlee, 1st Earl of Attlee (1883-1967) > Lady Felicity Attlee (1925-2007) > Sally Alexandra Harwood (b 1960) > Lizzie Camps (b 1994)

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Brigadier Hugh William Kellow Pye 1938-2024

 Brigadier Hugh Pye, OBE, who died 30 May, 2024, aged 86, was a scion of the Pye landed gentry family, formerly of Blythe, and he commanded the 9th/12th Royal Lancers.

Hugh William Kellow Pye was born 23 May, 1938, son of Brigadier Randall Thomas Kellow Pye, DSO, OBE, known as 'Pudding' (1904-2002), and his wife the former Peggy Muriel Sagar-Musgrave-Brooksbank (1909-1999), scion of the Sagar-Musgrave landed gentry family.

Pye led the 9th/12th Royal Lancers on an operational tour to Northern Ireland, two tours with the UN in Cyprus and helped found the Oman Staff College.

Pye had firm opinions and expressed them with great clarity. His judgment on one candidate for an appointment as being “too short”, and on another as “not knowing how to enter a room”, would not be universally well-received in today’s climate. He also had enormous energy, a fierce determination to do things properly, a great sense of fun and a willingness to take on any challenge.

In 1992 Pye became treasurer and de facto chief executive of the Society of Merchant Venturers of Bristol. The society helps to provide care for older people and long-term support for young people in the city, helping them to achieve their goals through education, enrichment opportunities and workplace experiences. He was appointed OBE in 2003 on his retirement from the society.

Pye was also chairman of the governors of Colston’s Collegiate College and Colston’s Girls’ School. In 1996 he became chairman of CLIC: this charity for cancer and leukaemia in childhood needed reorganisation and finance, and with his energy and influence Pye assembled a new trustee board, put the charity on a sound financial basis and established its international role.

Settled in a village in Somerset, Pye loved his garden and was closely involved with the Spaxton Flower Show. He also enjoyed shooting and was a keen fisherman. He had a strong Christian faith and took a great interest in his local church.

He maintained his links with his regiment and had many friendships with old comrades up to the time of his death.

Pye married 8 June, 1968, Mary Ann Edwardes (born 8 February, 1947), scion of the Barons Kensington, daughter of Commander the Hon David Edwardes, DSC, RN (1907-1983), and his wife the former Elizabeth Broadley (1919-2012), and a granddaughter of the 6th Baron Kensington (1873-1938).

Brig. Pye leaves issue, a son, Robert Alec Kellow Pye (born 30 Oct, 1970), and a daughter, Victoria Ann (born 19 Oct, 1973).

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