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Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Nicholas Paul Beresford-Jones (died 2025)

Nicholas Paul Beresford-Jones died 22 April, 2025, aged 81. He married in 1971, as her second husband, Deirdre Nell Bathurst Norman (born 19 Oct 1946), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Rumbold Bathurst Norman, GM (1901-1966), and his wife the former Ann Prunella Beckett (1907-2001), scion of the Barons Grimthorpe, by whom he had a daughter, Alexandra Juliet (born in 1973).

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The Baroness Clitheroe 1936-2025

The Baroness Clitheroe, who died at her home, Downham Hall, Lancashire, 10 April, 2025, aged 88, was the wife of the 2nd Baron Clitheroe.

She was born Juliet Hanbury, 16 November, 1936, scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Lionel Hanbury, MBE, TD (1905-1997), and his wife Lettice Mary Charrington (1906-1980), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 2 May, 1961, the then Hon Ralph John Assheton (born 3 November, 1929), son and heir of the 1st Baron Clitheroe (1901-1984), and his wife the former Hon Sylvia Benita Frances Hotham (1903-1991), scion of the Barons Hotham. Her husband succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Clitheroe, 18 September, 1984.

Lady Clitheroe is survived by her 95 year-old husband and two sons, the Hon Ralph (b 16 March, 1992), and the Hon John (born 12 July, 1964), and by a daughter, the Hon Elizabeth (b 6 Oct, 1968).

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Saturday, April 26, 2025

Hodgson/Newton engagement

The engagement was announced 26 April, 2025, between the Hon Toby Henry Storr Hodgson (born 1988), of son of life peer the Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, CBE (born 25 April, 1942), and his wife the life peer Baroness Hodgson of Abinger, CBE (born 7 Nov, 1954), & Sarah C. Newton, daughter of Mr and Mrs Michael Newton of Melbourne, Australia.

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Molesworth/Dunlop engagement

 The engagement was announced 26 April, 2025, between Lachlan James Simon Molesworth (born 1984), scion of the Viscounts Molesworth, eldest son of Simon Richard Molesworth (born 2 April, 1954), of Melbourne, Australia, and his wife the former Rosalind Marie Cochrane (born 1954), & Diana H.R. Dunlop, daughter of the late Dr Alexander Boyd Dunlop, and Mrs Aurelia Dunlop, of Melbourne, Australia.

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Fairbairn/Berg engagement

The engagement was announced 26 April, 2025, between Jack Edmund Brooke Fairbairn (born 22 March, 1995), elder son and heir of Sir Robert William Fairbairn, 7th Baronet (born 10 April, 1965), of New York and Salcombe, and his wife the former Sarah Frances Colleypriest Griffin (born 1965), & Sarah V. Berg, daughter of Andrew and Catherine Berg of Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States.

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Connie Jeanne Cubitt (born 2025)

 Eleanor Cubitt (nee Milligan-Manby), wife of James William Cubitt [born 25 July, 1992], scion of that landed family, gave birth to a daughter, Connie Jeanne, 11 April, 2025, a sister for Wilbur Thomas Owbridge, who was born 10 April, 2023.

James Cubitt is the elder son of Major General Sir William George Cubitt, KCVO  [born 1959], of Honing, Norfolk, by his wife the former Lucy Jane Pym [born 24 Sept, 1961], scion of that landed gentry family.

Eleanor Cubitt, scion of the Milligan-Manby landed gentry family, is the elder daughter of James Milligan-Manby, of Thorganby, Lincolnshire, by his wife Emma.

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Humphreys/Bunting engagement

The engagement was announced 26 April, 2025, between Edward Jasper G. (Ned) Humphreys (born 18 Oct, 1994), son of Toby J. Humphreys (born 1963), of Berwick St James, co Wilts, and his wife the former Sarah L. Hicks, & Sophie Elizabeth Bunting (born 25 March, 1995), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Mark Charles Bunting (born 27 February, 1959), of Pen Selwood, Somerset, and his wife the former Jill E.G. (Jilly) Carey (born 1959), scion of that landed gentry family.

Sophie Bunting is a niece of the Marchioness of Downshire (born 12 Sept, 1962), wife of the 9th Marquess of Downshire (born 4 Feb, 1959).

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James Peter George Steele (born 2025)

  Caroline Mary Steele [née McCorquodale, born 1987], wife of Thomas A.L. Steele, gave birth to a son, James Peter George, 9 April, 2025, a brother for William Hamish Lindsay, who was born 24 June, 2022.

Tom Steele is the son of Julian Steele, of Pitroddie, Perthshire. Caroline Steele is a scion of the McCorquodale landed family, daughter of Hamish Norman McCorquodale [born 1945], and his wife the former Mary Anne Cookson [born 1952], descended from the Brassey family, &c.

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Dido Selina Kerr-Smiley (born 2025)

 (Leonora) Brilliana Kerr-Smiley (nee Harley, born 1992), wife of Frederick Hugh Kerr-Smiley [born 25 March, 1992], descended from the Smiley baronets, gave birth to a daughter, Dido Selina, 13 April, 2025.

Frederick is a son of Mark Alexander Kerr-Smiley [born 30 March, 1961],  of Kensington, London, and his wife the former Manuela Marie Raquez.

Brilliana, a scion of the Harley landed gentry family, is the eldest daughter of Edward Mortimer Harley, OBE [born 1960], of Brampton Bryan Hall, Herefordshire, and his wife the former [Alice] Victoria Mather [born 1960], daughter of Lieutenant-Col Sir [David] Carol Macdonnell Mather, MC, MP [1919-2006], and his wife the former Hon Philippa Selina Bewicke-Copley [born 5 Dec. 1925], daughter of the 5th Baron Cromwell [1893-1966].

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Hamilton-Russell/Mitchell engagement

The engagement was announced 26 April 2025, between the Hon (Gustavus) Archie Edward Hamilton-Russell (born 13 June, 1999), son and heir of the 11th Viscount Boyne (born 27 May, 1965), of Burwarton Shropshire and Lucy, Viscountess Boyne (born 1965),  2nd daughter of George J S Potter, of Foxdale, Bunbury, co. Chester, by his wife Leila O McConomy, & Ottilie Rose Mitchell (born 1997), daughter of William Jonathan Edward (Jol) Mitchell (born 1958), of Benacre, Suffolk, and his wife the former Sarah Streeter.

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Friday, April 25, 2025

Kaye/Scrope engagement

 The engagement was announced 25 April, 2025, between Capt. Stuart Alexander Fairlie Kaye, MVO, The Life Guards (born 1993), younger son of (Richard Wilfrid) Mark Kaye (born 1951), of East Woodlands, Somerset, and his late wife the former Philippa S. (Pippy) Checketts (1959-2024), & Rose Edith Lygon Scrope (born 7 November, 1994), scion of the ancient house of Scrope of Danby, daughter of Adrian Richard Scrope (born 8 August, 1949), of New Hayward, Berkshire and Mrs Sarah Patricia Scrope (nee Ward, born 3 February, 1968), of Chilton Foliat, Berkshire, scion of the Earls of Dudley.

Capt. Kaye, who has been Equerry to the Princess Royal since 2022, was appointed to the Royal Victorian Order, in the personal gift of the King, in the New Years Honours 2025. He is a grandson maternally of Squadron Leader Sir David Checketts, KCVO, RAF (born 23 Aug, 1930), former Private Secretary to HM The King (when Prince of Wales) and an Equerry to the late Duke of Edinburgh and to the King (when P of W).

Rose Scrope is a granddaughter maternally of Gerald John Ward, CBE, DL (1938-2008), Berkshire landowner, a great friend of HM The King, Old Etonian, Royal Horse Guards officer, godfather of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, & a scion of the Earls of Dudley, by his 1st wife the former Rosalind Elizabeth Lygon (1946-2020), scion of the extinct Earls Beauchamp.

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Bertie Charles Alister Weston Brooke (born 2025)

 Alice Daisy Brooke (née Jack, born 1991), wife of John Weston (Jock) Brooke (born 23 February, 1992), scion of the Brooke baronets, gave birth to a son, Bertie Charles Alister Weston, 19 April, 2025, a brother for Amelia Ann Rosemary, who was born 28 October, 2023.

Jock Brooke, heir presumptive to the Brooke baronetcy, is the son of the late Charles Weston Brooke (1951-2024) , by his wife the former Tanya Elizabeth Maurice.

Alice Brooke is a daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Alister William Jack, KBE, DL (born 7 July, 1963), a former Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway and Secretary of State for Scotland 2019-2024, by his wife the former Elisabeth Ann Hodgson (b 1965). Sir Alister has been nominated for a life barony in Rishi Sunak's Resignation Honours List 2025.

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Hill/Tricker engagement

 The engagement was announced 25 April, 2025, between Julian Roger G. Hill (born 1997), second son of Guy Henry Charles Hill (born 1958), of Awbridge, Hampshire, and his wife the former Hon Emma Louisa Angela McGowan (born 13 June, 1963), & Saskia Catherine Tricker (born 1998), younger daughter of Graham John Tricker (born 1962), of Manea, Cambridgeshire, and his wife the former Lisa Victoria Fitzhugh (born 1966).

Julian Hill is a grandson maternally of the 3rd Baron McGowan (1938-2003).

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Thursday, April 24, 2025

Harmsworth/Wood engagement

 The engagement has been announced between the Hon Vere Richard Jonathan Harold Harmsworth (born 20 October, 1994), son and heir of the 4th Viscount Rothermere (born 3 December, 1967), and his wife the former Claudia Caroline Clemence (born 1967), & Alexandra (Mwana) Wood (born circa 1999), daughter of Duncan Wood, of Zimbabwe, and Hilary Campbell.

Vere Harmsworth, whose father Viscount Rothermere is chairman of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc, publishers of the Daily Mail, MailOnline and The Mail on Sunday, was educated at Eton and St Peter's College, Oxford, where he read history. After working for BCG, the global management consulting group, he joined the family firm, learning all aspects of the publishing business. He has held a string of senior roles and is currently chief commercial officer for DMG Media.

Vere's mother Claudia is one of three sisters to marry into the peerage. Sister Katya was married to Richard Milborne-Swinnerton-Pilkington , of the baronets of that name, and sister Sarah-Jane was wife of Lord Francis Russell, son of the late Duke of Bedford and is now Lady Thatcher, wife of Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet.

Vere is heir to the titles Viscount Rothermere, of Hemsted in the County of Kent (United Kingdom, let. pat. 17 May 1919), the Barony of Rothermere, of Hemsted in the County of Kent (United Kingdom, let. pat. 17 Jan 1914), and the Baronetcy styled "of Horsey" (United Kingdom, let. pat. 14 Jul 1910).

Alexandra Wood, the daughter of tobacco farmers, was educated at Peterhouse Girls, one of the top independent schools in southern Africa. She is a project manager in the construction industry and currently completing a master's in construction economics at University College London.

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The Earl of Hardwicke to marry Nicola Osmond-Evans

 The engagement was announced 24 April, 2025, between Joseph Philip Sebastian Yorke, 10th Earl of Hardwicke (born 3 February, 1971), and Nicola Antonia Osmond-Evans (born 1973).

Nicola is the eldest daughter of Mr Anthony William David Osmond-Evans (born 1943), writer, publisher, of Suffolk, and his former wife Mrs Yvonne Christiane Timberlake (nee Schwencke), of Haslemere, Surrey.

Lord Hardwicke is the son of Philip Simon Prospero Lindley Rupert Yorke, styled Viscount Royston (born 20 Apr 1938; dvp. 1 Jan 1973), by his wife the former Virginia Anne Lyon (died 1988), daughter of Geoffrey Lyon, of Hambledon, Godalming, co. Surrey.

The 10th Earl succeeded to the family honours on the death of his grandfather, the 9th Earl, 31 December, 1974.  He took his seat in the House of Lords at the age of twenty two, making him the youngest member then sitting; he was a member from 1993 to 1999, since he was not elected as a representative Peer under the House of Lords Act 1999.

In 1999, Lord Hardwicke received a suspended two-year prison sentence for supplying cocaine following a sting operation by the News of the World newspaper at the House of Lords. Journalists had posed as Arab sheiks, with the jury noting the "extreme provocation" used in the incident. Lord Hardwicke was suspended by the Conservative Party following the revelations.

Lord Hardwicke married firstly, in 2008, Siobhan Sheryl Loftus (born 1961), daughter of Kevin Loftus. They have one child, Philip Alexander Joseph Yorke, Viscount Royston (born 3 December, 2009), who is the heir apparent to the peerages. 

The peer is the 10th Earl of Hardwicke (Great Britain, let. pat. 2 Apr 1754); 10th Viscount Royston (Great Britain, let. pat. 2 Apr 1754); 10th Baron Hardwicke, of Hardwicke in the County of Gloucester (Great Britain, let. pat. 23 Nov 1733)

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Zoë, Baroness Monk Bretton 1938-2025

  Zoë, Baroness Monk Bretton, who died at her home near Montreux, Switzerland, 19 April, 2025, was the widow of the 3rd Baron Monk Bretton.

She was the former Zoë Diana Mary Alicia Scott, born in 1938, the daughter of Ian Douglas Murray Scott, and his wife the former Marjorie Mead,  and married 29 January, 1958, Charles John Dodson, 3rd Baron Monk Bretton, DL, born 17 July, 1924, son of the 2nd Baron Monk Bretton, CB [1869-1933], and his wife the former Ruth Brand [who died 5 Aug, 1967], scion of the Viscounts Hampden. 

Her husband succeeded to the peerage at the age of 9. The barony of Monk Bretton was created in 1884 for his grandfather, John Dodson, who was Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons 1865-72;  Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1873-74;  President of the Local Government Board 1880-82, 1874-80;  Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1882-84, &c.

Lord Monk Bretton died 26 May, 2022, aged 97, was a peer for almost 89 years, having succeeded to the title, 29 July, 1933. He was the longest ever holder of a peerage, and sat in the Lords from 1948 to 1999.

Lady Monk Bretton leaves two sons, Christopher, the 4th Baron, and the Hon Henry Dodson. 

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Monday, April 21, 2025

Robert Heydon Gayner 1947-2025

Robert  Heydon Gayner died 10 April, 2025, aged 77.

He was born in April, 1947, son of Wing Commander John Richard Hensman Gayner, DFC, RAF (1918-1987), and his wife the former Pamela Rolt (1913-1985), scion of that landed gentry family; and married in 1972, Virginia Eilun Hamilton Borthwick (born Dec. 1948), daughter of Commander David Aubrey Hamilton Borthwick, RN (1921-2010), and his wife the former Pamela Walker (1921-2019), by whom he had issue, three sons, James Richard Heydon (born 1976), Oliver Stuart Heydon (born 1977), and Henry Charles Heydon (born 1983).

He was descended from the Walker baronets:-

Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, 1st Baronet > Mary Carlaw Walker > Evelyn Roylance Court > Pamela Rolt > Robert Gayner (d 2025)

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Rosemary Dorothea (Rosie) Wynne Finch 1940-2025

 Rosemary Dorothea Wynne Finch, died 10 April, 2025, aged 85. Descended from the Lumley Earls of Scarbrough, she was a niece of the 11th Earl, KG GCSI GCIE GCVO PC.

She was the former Rosemary Dorothea Austin, born in 1940, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Clive Grantham Austin, DL (1901-1974), Royal Horse Artillery, of Roundwood, Micheldever, Hampshire, and his wife the Lady Lilian Mary Theodora Lumley (1900-1981), (who was raised to the rank of an earl's daughter in 1945 following her brother's succession to the Earldom of Scarbrough).

She married 28 January, 1967, Charles Edward Ifan Wynne Finch (1929-2008), late the Coldstream Guards, (who died 18 April, 2008, aged 79), a scion of the Earls of Aylesford. He was a former High Sheriff of Denbighshire, son of Colonel John Charles Wynne Finch, CBE, MC (1891-1982), by his wife the former Alice Mary Sybil (d 1970), daughter of Charles Edward Ifan, by whom she had issue, a son David Wynne Finch (born 19 Apr, 1970), and two daughters, Mary Davina (b 1 Mar, 1968), and Harriet Jane (b 24 May, 1971).

NOTE: some works of reference place her date of birth as 22 May, 1940. Her birth was registered in Winchester Jan-March 1940.

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Rosemarie Hume Gray (died 2025)

 Rosemarie Hume Gray, who died 5 April, 2025, aged 97, was the mother of Sir William Gray, 3rd Baronet.

She was the former Rosemarie Hume Elliot-Smith, daughter of Air Commodore Charles Hume Elliot-Smith, AFC; and married 22 April, 1954, William Talbot Gray (born 4 July, 1931), of the 9th Lancers, of Eggleston, near Barnard Castle, son and heir of Sir William Gray, 2nd Baronet (1895-1978), and his wife the former Josephine Eveleigh (who died 19 March, 1943). Her husband, heir to the baronetcy, died as the result of a motor accident, 9 July, 1971.

Mrs Gray leaves issue, a son, Sir William Hume Gray, 3rd Baronet (born 26 July, 1955), of Eggleston Hall, Barnard Castle, who succeeded his grandfather in the baronetcy, 1978; and two daughters, Victoria (born 15 July, 1958), and Emma (born 9 Oct, 1962).

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Saturday, April 19, 2025

Sir Roger Joseph Clifford, 7th Baronet 1936-2025

Sir Roger Joseph Clifford, 7th Baronet, of Christchurch, New Zealand, died 31 March, 2025. He was 88.

He was born 5 June, 1936, son of Sir Roger Charles Joseph Gerrard Clifford, 6th Baronet (1910-1982), and his wife the former Henrietta Millicent Elizabeth Kiver (who died in 1971); and succeeded to the baronetcy (cr UK, 1887), upon his father's death, 5 July, 1982.

He married 12 April, 1968, Joanna Theresa Ward (born 20 January, 1940), daughter of Cyril James Ward (1913-1984), of Christchurch, New Zealand, by his wife the former Janet Graham Stevenson, by whom he had two daughters, Angela Mary Jane (born 24 Mar 1971), and Annabel Mary Louise (born 16 June, 1973).

The baronetcy now becomes extinct.

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David Michael Ralph Nevill 1941-2025

 David Michael Ralph Nevill, who died at Tunbridge Wells, on 20 March, 2025, aged 83, was a descendant of the noble house of Nevill, and heir presumptive to the earldom of Abergavenny, held by his cousin, the 6th Marquess of Abergavenny.

He was born 20 June, 1941, the elder son of Michael George Ralph Nevill (1917-1943), who was killed in action in North Africa, by his wife the former Maureen Ethné David Rhodes (1920-2002), daughter of Maj (Arthur) Tahu Gravenor Rhodes, MVO (c1894-1947) and his wife the former Hon Helen Cecil Olive Plunket (1895-1968),  daughter of the 5th Baron Plunket (1864-1920) and Lady Victoria Alexandrina Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood (1873-1968), scion of the Marquesses of Dufferin & Ava.

Mr Nevill, of Birling Place, Kent, married 16 March, 1972, Katherine Mary Westenra, daughter of Rossmore Derrick Westenra, of Christchurch, New Zealand, by whom he had issue, a son, Guy Michael Rossmore Nevill (born 12 November, 1973), who is now heir pres to the Abergavenny earldom, and two daughters, Anna Louise (b 16 Feb, 1976), and Georgina Rose (b 16 May, 1981).

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Motion/Cottrell engagement

 The engagement was announced 19 April, 2025, between William Frederick M. Motion (born 1998), son of Andrew Barrie Motion, of Sandwich, Kent, and his wife the former Celestine Maria del Pilar Atkins, & Matilda Clarinda Cottrell (born 1998), daughter of Edward A.C. Cottrell (born 1959), of East Marden, West Sussex, and his wife the former Camilla J. Neal (born 1960).

William Motion is a brother of Davina Rose Cadogan, styled Viscountess Chelsea (born 1996), wife of George Cadogan, styled Viscount Chelsea, son and heir of the 9th Earl Cadogan.

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Moreton/Jodrell engagement

 The engagement was announced 19 April, 2025, between Jack E. Moreton, son of Mr & Mrs Nigel Moreton, of Lower Stonnall, Staffordshire, & Marina Louise Jodrell (born 13 April, 1997), daughter of Henry Francis Mostyn-Owen Jodrell (born 28 Apr, 1967), of Easton Grey, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Christina Roselle Phillips.

Marina is descended from the Mostyn-Owen landed family and the Ramsden and Boord baronets.

Sir John Ramsden, 4th Bt > Capt Henry James Ramsden > John Charles Francis Ramsden > Lt-Col Henry Ramsden-Jodrell > Susan Dorothy Mostyn-Owen-Jodrell > Henry Francis Mostyn-Owen-Jodrell > Henry Francis Mostyn-Owen-Jodrell > Marina Jodrell

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Friday, April 18, 2025

Hallaran/Norton engagement

The engagement was announced 18 April, 2025, between Charles Francis Hallaran (born 27 January, 1990), son of the late Michael William Hallaran (1938-2022), and his wife the former Olivia de Tessier (born circa 1950), now of Mere, Wilshire, & Lucinda Katherine Norton (born 1994), daughter of Richard W. Norton, of Rendcomb, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Caroline Taylor.

Charles is descended from the Ballantine-Dykes landed gentry family, and from the Howard Earls of Carlisle (who themselves descend from the Howard Dukes of Norfolk)

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Charlotte Anne Gerard Sethi (née Buxton) 1955-2025

  Charlotte Anne Gerard Sethi, who died 18 March, 2025, aged 69, was a scion of the Buxton baronets.

She was born 25 September, 1955, the elder daughter of Lieutenant Commander Gerard St John Roden Buxton, RN (1927-2008), and his wife the former Judith Averil Campbell (1927-2021), a granddaughter of the 1st Baron Colgrain, JP (1866-1954). Charlotte was a sister of Sir Crispin Buxton, 8th Baronet.

She married in 1981, (Sardar) Mandhir Singh Sethi (who died a week after his wife), by whom she had issue, two daughters, Selina (born 1984), and Hermione (born 1988).

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Thursday, April 17, 2025

Victoria Alexandra Elise More Nisbett (born 2025)

 India More Nisbett (née Williamson), wife of Charles Nielson George More Nisbett (born 1984), scion of that Scottish landed gentry family, gave birth to a daughter, Victoria Alexandra Elise, 11 April, 2025, a sister for Elizabeth Sarah Rose, who was born 20 May, 2023.

India, from Houston, Texas, married circa 2021, Charles More Nisbett, younger son of (George) Alan More Nisbett (born 1940), of The Drum, Edinburgh, and his wife the former Patrea Evelyn MacDonald.

 Charles More Nisbett is a great-great grandson of Lady Agnes Dalrymple, daughter of the 9th Earl of Stair.

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Hanbury/Stopford Sackville engagement

 The engagement was announced 17 Apr, 2025, between George Snowden Hanbury (born 18 August, 1989), scion of the LG family of that name of Drumstinchall, Kirkcudbrightshire formerly of Poles, the only son of Nigel John Hanbury (born 4 March, 1957), of West Harting, Sussex, and his wife the former Daphne E. Boyle, and Ela Lucinda Stopford Sackville (born 8 April, 1995), scion of the Earls of Courtown, the eldest daughter of Charles Lionel Stopford Sackville (born 14 February, 1961), of Lowick, Northamptonshire, and his former wife the former Shona McKinney (born 6 April, 1960) (now Mrs Shona Wilkinson, of Battersea).

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Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Evander Canning Jin Zhou Kwan Loyd (born 2025)

 Stephanie Loyd (née Kwan), wife of James Canning (Jamie) Loyd (born 1 September, 1988), scion of the Loyd landed gentry family formerly of Monk's Orchard, gave birth to a son, Evander Canning Jin Zhou Kwan, 11 April, 2025.

Stephanie Rachael May Wah Loyd is a daughter of Mr and Mrs Steve Kwan of Whitebridge, New South Wales.

Jamie Loyd is the elder son of David William Arnold Loyd (born 4 January, 1949), of Mildenhall, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Anabel Laura Dorothy Morrison (born 31 Dec, 1955), scion of the Barons Margadale.

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Wade/Monteith engagement

 The engagement was announced 16 April, 2025, between Joshua B. Wade, son of Mr & Mrs Chris Wade, of Towersey, Oxfordshire, and Marina Catherine E. Monteith (born 1996), daughter of Desmond Monteith, of Oxhill, Warwickshire, and his wife the former Emma Jenefer Seyfried (born 1964), daughter of Capt John Beeton Seyfried, Royal Horse Guards (who died 28 March, 2008, aged 84), and his 2nd wife the former Anne Daphne Holbech, scion of that landed gentry family.

Marina Monteith is a niece of David John Seyfried Herbert, 19th Baron Herbert (born 2 March, 1952).

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The 4th Baron Forres 1946-2025

 Lord Forres the fourth Baron, died in Orange, New South Wales, 12 April, 2025. He was 78.

Alastair Stephen Grant Williamson was born 16 May, 1946, son of John, 3rd Baron Forres (1922-1978), and his first wife the former Gillian Ann MacLean Grant, 1st daughter of Maj John MacLean Grant, of The Cavalry Club, Piccadilly, London, and succeeded to the peerage (cr UK, 1922), and the family baronetcy (Cr UK, 1909), on his father's death, 22 September, 1978.

He took his seat as a Crossbencher in the House of Lords on his father's death in 1978, but lost his seat with the eviction of the hereditary peers in Blair's reform of the upper house in Nov 1999.

He married 2 May, 1969, Margaret Ann Mallam, daughter of George John Mallam, of Mullumbimby, New South Wales, Australia, by whom he had issue, two sons, the Hon George Archibald Mallam Williamson (born 16 Aug, 1972), and the Hon Guthrie John Williamson (born 14 Apr, 1975). The elder son succeeds as 5th Baron Forres.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Sarah Tate (died 2025)

 Sarah Tate, died 6 April, 2025, aged 88. She was a daughter of Lieut-Col. Angus John Campbell Rose (1909-1981), of Comrie, Perthshire, by his first wife the former Alison Margaret Logan Beveridge (1908-60) ; and married 7 December, 1960, William Nicolas Tate (born 19 Nov, 1934), scion of the Tate Bts, second son of Sir Henry Tate, 4th Baronet (1902-1994), and his wife the former Lilian Nairne Gregson-Ellis (1901-1984), by whom she had issue, 4 children. She is survived by two, a son, Rupert (born 13 Nov, 1962), and a daughter, Georgina (born 8 March, 1969). She had a daughter, Melissa (1964-69), and a son who lived for 2 days in 1966.

Her husband predeceased her, 24 September, 2022.

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Jennifer Mary Stevenson-Hamilton (née Habershon) 1933-2025

 Jennifer Mary Stevenson-Hamilton (née Habershon), died 8 April, 2025. She was 91.

She was born 10 May, 1933, the second daughter of the Rev Francis Edward Habershon (1886-1968), and his wife the former Norah May Fairlie Dobbs (1900-1992), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 9 June, 1960, James Christopher Stevenson-Hamilton, 17th of Fairholm (born 21 May, 1933), head of that landed family, son of James Stevenson-Hamilton (1867-1957), by his wife the former Hilda Cholmondeley (1901-1979), scion of that landed family, by whom she had issue, three sons, James (born 26 Apr, 1962), Andrew (born 23 Feb, 1965), and John (born 31 May, 1969).

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Sir Andrew John Alexander Ogilvy-Wedderburn, 7th Baronet 1952-2025

 Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Andrew Ogilvy-Wedderburn, 7th Baronet, died 9 April, 2025. He was 72. 

Sir Andrew was a bobsledder. He competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Andrew John Alexander Ogilvy-Wedderburn was born 4 August, 1952, the only son of Sir John Peter Ogilvy-Wedderburn, 6th Baronet (1917-1977), and his wife the former Elizabeth Katharine Cox (who died 8 Nov, 2003); and succeeded to the baronetcy (cr UK, 1803), on his father's death, 13 August, 1977.

The baronet, and officer in the Black Watch, of Silvie, Alyth, Perthshire, married 1stly, 1984 (div) Gillian Meade Adderley, daughter of Richard Boyle Adderley; and married 2ndly, 8 March, 2014, Fiona Margaret Anne Beaton.

He is survived by his second wife, Fi, and issue from his first marriage, two sons, Peter (b 20 Apr, 1987), his twin, Geordie, and a daughter, Katherine (b 1985). He was predeceased by a son, Sam (1990-1992).

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Monday, April 14, 2025

Robert James Scott-Kerr 1933-2025

 Robert James Scott-Kerr, who died 4 April, 2025, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 9 December, 1933, son of William Francis Scott-Kerr (1896-1976), and his wife the former Annette Abrahams; and married in 1962, Ann Sagar, by whom he had issue, a son and a daughter.

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The Hon Esmond Vyvyan Harmsworth 1967-2025

 The Hon Esmond Vyvyan Harmsworth, one of North America's leading literary agents for business, entrepreneurship and management books, died 9 April, 2025, while on holiday in Mauritius. He was 57.

A half uncle of the 4th Viscount Rothermere, chairman of Daily Mail and General Trust plc, Esmond lived in Boston in the US, where he had a hugely successful business representing authors from across the publishing spectrum.

His clients included the New York Times bestseller and the number one Wall Street Journal business bestseller Breakthrough: Secrets of America's Fastest Growing Companies by Keith McFarland; Amanda Ripley's New York Times bestseller The Smartest Kids in the World – And How They Got That Way; and Michelle Hoover's acclaimed 2016 literary novel Bottomland.

He was born 18 June, 1967, son of the 2nd Viscount Rothermere (1898-1978), by his third wife Mrs Mary Ohrstrom (former wife of Richard Ohrstrom, of The Plains, Virginia, USA), and eldest daughter of Kenneth Murchison, of Dallas, Texas, USA.

Mr Harmsworth was a younger half-brother of the 3rd Viscount Rothermere (1925-1998), and a half-uncle of the present 4th Viscount (born 3 Dec, 1967).

He was named after his father and was a half-brother of Vere, the 3rd Viscount. He was educated at Eton and Brown University in America from where he graduated magna cum laude in history and history of art. 

From 1992 to 1995 he studied at Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude. He was a founding partner of the former Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency which in 2016 merged with Kuhn Projects to form Aevitas Creative of which Esmond was president. Each year he sponsored the Esmond Harmsworth lecture at Oxford University's Rothermere American Institute.

With his husband Jerôme Buet, Esmond was the father of two children, Alfred and Liliane. 

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Ferdinando Edward Nicholas Fairfax (born 2025)

 Antigone Serena Cleopatra Fairfax (nee Quirini, born 24 April, 1987), wife of the Hon Edward Nicholas Thomas Fairfax [born 20 September, 1984], scion of the Lords Fairfax of Cameron, gave birth to a son, Ferdinando Edward Nicholas, 29 March, 2025, a brother for Olympia Jane Annabel, who was born 5 October, 2022.

Antigone is a daughter of Ms Jane Quirini, of Broadway, Worcestershire. The Hon Edward Fairfax is the eldest son and heir of the 14th Lord Fairfax of Cameron [born 4 January, 1956], of Bembridge, Isle of Wight, by his wife the former Annabel Ruth Morriss.

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Sunday, April 13, 2025

Son for Alexander Dru and his wife Lady Tatiana Mountbatten

 The Lady Tatiana Helen Georgia Dru (nee Mountbatten, born 16 April, 1990), wife of Alexander Bernard Molyneux Dru [born 25 August, 1991], gave birth to a son, Auberon James George (to be known as Albie), 14 March, 2025, a brother for  Elodie Marina Florence, who was born 20 September, 2023.

Lady Tatiana posted news of the birth on her Instagram page.

Lady Tatiana is a scion of the Marquesses of Milford Haven and descended from Queen Victoria, daughter of the 4th Marquess of Milford Haven [born 6 June, 1961], and his first wife the former Sarah Georgina Walker [born 1961, now Lady Spencer, of Alresford].

Alexander Dru is the son of Bernard Auberon Alexander Dru [born 29 December, 1951], of Bickham, Somerset, and his wife the former Catherine Margaret Norden [born 1960].

Royal Lineage of the baby :-

HM Queen Victoria > Princess Alice > Princess Victoria of Hesse  > George, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven > David, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven > George, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven > Lady Tatiana Mountbatten > Albie Dru

Dru descent from the Earls of Carnarvon:-

The 4th Earl of Carnarvon > Hon Aubrey Herbert > Gabriel Mary Hermione Herbert > Bernard Dru > Alick Dru > Albie Dru

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Saturday, April 12, 2025

Edmonstone/Robertson engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 April, 2025, between Jack William Charles Edmonstone (born 5 September, 1996), scion of the Edmonstone baronets, son of Nicholas William Mark Edmonstone (born 16 April, 1964), of Drumore Farm, Killearn, Stirlingshire, and his wife the former Arabella Charlotte Johnsen (born 30 Dec, 1966), descended from the Bowater baronets, & Sophie Olivia Robertson (born 1997), daughter of Timothy J. Robertson, of Fulham, London, & his wife the former Jane Edwards.

Jack Edmonstone is a grandson of Sir Archibald Edmonstone, 7th Baronet (born 3 Aug, 1934).

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Plunkett/Nicholson of Winterbourne engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 April, 2025, between Brian William Thomas Plunkett (born Nov, 1945), son of William Plunkett (1917-2010), and his wife the former Christine Delaney (1919-1990), and the Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (born 16 Oct, 1941), the Conservative life peer, the former Emma Harriet Nicholson, daughter of Sir Godfrey Nicholson, 1st (and last) Baronet (1901-1991), and his wife the former Lady Katherine Constance Lindsay (1912-1972), daughter of the 27th Earl of Crawford & Balcarres (1871-1940).

It will be Baroness Nicholson's second marriage. She wed 1stly, 9 May, 1987, Sir Michael Harris Caine (1927-1999), businessman, son of the economist Sir Sydney Caine, KCMG (1902-1991).

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Cecil/Jerram engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 April, 2025, between Edward William James Cecil (born 29 June, 1996), scion of the Marquesses of Salisbury, younger son of Lord Michael Hugh Cecil (born 23 March, 1960), of Battersea, London, and his wife the former Camilla Julia Scott (born 17 April, 1958), scion of the Scott baronets, and Lucinda Arabella Jerram (born 1996), youngest daughter of the late Mark John Jerram (born circa 1962), by his wife the former Charlotte Emma Rowe (born 1964).

Edward Cecil is a grandson of the late 6th Marquess of Salisbury, DL (1916-2003).

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John Adam Gyde (Johnnie) Heaven (born 2025)

 Alice Charlotte Rose Heaven (née Macmillan, born 1987), wife of Thomas Richard Gyde Heaven [born 1983], gave birth to a son, John Adam Gyde (Johnnie), 6 April, 2025.

Thomas Heaven is the eldest son of Nicholas R.G. Heaven, of Bude, Cornwall, and his wife the former Elizabeth R. Clancy [born 1958].

Alice Heaven is a scion of the Earls of Stockton, younger daughter of the Hon Adam Julian Robert Macmillan [1948-2016], and his wife the former Sarah Anne Mhuire MacGreevy.

The infant is a great-great grandson of Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, Prime Minister 1957-63. The great 'Super Mac'.

9th Duke of Devonshire > Lady Dorothy Macmillan = Harold Macmillan (Prime Minister) > Maurice Macmillan MP > Adam Macmillan > Alice Macmillan > Johnnie Heaven

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Claudia Anna Codrington (born 2025)

 Louisa Alice Clare Codrington (nee Dalrymple, born 1990), wife of Major Hugo C. Codrington, of the Coldstream Guards, gave birth to a daughter, Claudia Anna, 2 April, 2025, a sister for Serena Emily, who was born 22 July, 2023.

Maj Codrington is a scion of that landed gentry family, son of Stephen Mark Codrington [born 1957], of Brightwalton, co Berkshire, by his wife the former Ursula J. Dawson.

Louisa Codrington, a scion of the Earls of Stair, is daughter of Andrew David Dalrymple [born 1959], of Gifford, East Lothian, by his wife the former Bryony Winterton Major.

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Falconer/McGillycuddy engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 April, 2025, between Nick M Falconer, son of Ian and Gillian Falconer of Hampshire, and Aoife Elizabeth Brennan McGillycuddy (born 1997), scion of the ancient Irish landed family whose head enjoys the splendid handle - the McGillycuddy of the Reeks, daughter of Conor Charles McGillycuddy (born 4 Aug, 1959), of London, and his former wife the former Roisin Brennan (now Roisin Croker, of Kent).

The wedding will take place later in 2025 in Ireland.

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Hon Melissa Llewelyn-Davies 1945-2025

 The Hon Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, who died 24 March, 2025, aged 79, a documentary film maker, was the daughter of two life peers, the Baron Llewelyn-Davies and the Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe.

She was born 1 June, 1945, the eldest daughter of Richard Llewelyn-Davies (1912-1981), created a life peer in 1964, by his wife the former Annie Patricia Parry (1915-1997), created a life peer in 1967, as Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe.

She married in 1974 (div) as his first wife, Christopher Desmond Curling (born 1947), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Lt-Cdr Bryan William Richard Curling, VRD, RNVR (1911-2008), and his wife the former Elizabeth Mary Bonham (1914-1992), daughter of Sir Eric Henry Bonham, 3rd Baronet (1875-1937).

She leaves a son, Richard William Samuel (b 1983), and a daughter, Allegra Rose Elizabeth (b 1979).

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Paul Mostyn 1945-2025

 Paul Mostyn, who died 29 March, 2025, aged 79,  was descended from the Mostyn baronets.

He was born 8 October, 1945, as Paul Tuzinkiewicz, son of the then Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Tuzinkiewicz (1896-1969), who in 1949 assumed the surname of Mostyn in lieu of his patronymic, by his wife Hermione Mary Josephine Mostyn (1906-1999), scion of the Mostyn baronets; and married in 1971, Elizabeth Catherine Bernadette Lunn, daughter of Peter Northcote Lunn, CMG, OBE (1914-2011), and his wife the former Hon Eileen Antoinette Mary Preston (1912-1976), daughter of the 15th Viscount Gormanston (1879-1925), &c.

He leaves issue, two daughters, Theresa Antoinette (b 1973), and Olivia Mary (b 1977).

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Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list announced

 Veteran cabinet minister Michael Gove has been awarded a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list.

Mr Gove - now editor of The Spectator magazine - was first elected to parliament in 2005 and immediately joined then-Conservative leader David Cameron's shadow cabinet.

He was appointed education secretary when the party entered government in 2010 and held multiple cabinet posts until the 2024 general election, when he stood down from parliament.

Mr Sunak elevated seven allies to the House of Lords, including former cabinet ministers Mark Harper, Victoria Prentis, Alister Jack, and Simon Hart. Former chief executive of the Conservative Party, Stephen Massey, also becomes a peer, as well as Eleanor Shawcross, former head of the No10 policy unit. He also awarded a number of honours.

Eleanor Shawcross is wife of the life peer the Baron Wolfson of Aspley Guise, and is a granddaughter of the late Baron Shawcross. 

It is traditional for prime ministers to award peerages and other awards upon their resignation from office - with key political allies, donors and staff often rewarded.

An outgoing prime minister can request that the reigning monarch grants peerages, knighthoods, damehoods or other awards in the British honours system to any number of people.

In the case of peerages, the House of Lords Appointments Commission vets the list, and for other honours, the Cabinet Office conducts checks.

Resignation honours are separate from dissolution honours, which are awarded by the incumbent prime minister and opposition leaders after the dissolution of parliament preceding a general election.

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Barratt/Hall engagement

The engagement was announced 10 April, 2025, between Frederick David Nicholas Barratt (born 1987), younger son of David John Barratt (born 18 July, 1947), of Great Witchingham, Norfolk, and his wife the former Penelope Constance Isabel Lloyd (born 1954), & Dr Zinnia Elizabeth Dalton Hall (born 1993), elder daughter of Timothy Julian Dalton Hall (born 1961), of Dunfermline, Fife, and his wife the former Elizabeth Caroline Macleod (born 1965).

Frederick Barratt descends from the Lords Ruthven of Freeland and is in remainder to that Scottish peerage. The bride-to-be descends from the Persse landed gentry family.

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Jane, Lady Portal 1924-2025

 Jane, Lady Portal, who died 1 April, 2025, aged 100, was the widow of Sir Francis Portal, 5th Baronet (1903-1984).

She was born 13 September, 1924, a daughter of Capt Albert Henry Williams, OBE (1863-1941), of Langstone, Hampshire, and his wife the former Edith Barbara Crow (1892-1930); and married, 7 Oct, 1950, as his 2nd wife, Francis Spencer Portal (born 27 June, 1903), son of Sir Spencer John Portal, 4th Baronet (1864-1955), and his wife the former Mary Laura Florence Mure (who died 4 Apr, 1932). Her husband succeeded his father in the baronetcy, 25 Nov, 1955, and died 11 Nov, 1984.

She leaves two children,  sons, Sir Jonathan Portal, 6th Baronet (born 13 Jan, 1953), and Philip Francis Portal (born 6 July, 1957), and was predeceased by a daughter, Mary Jane (1955-2012).

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Lady Pamela Blackmore (née Maxwell-Fyfe) 1928-2025

The Lady Pamela Blackmore, who died 25 March, 2025, aged 96, was a scion of the Earls of Kilmuir (ext).

She was born Pamela Maxwell-Fyfe, 14 October, 1928, the second of the three daughters of the then David Maxwell Fyfe (born 29 May 1900), and his wife the former Sylvia Margaret Harrison, DBE (later Countess De La Warr), sister of the English actor, Sir Rex Harrison.

Her father, a lawyer, was MP for West Derby, deputy chief prosecutor at Nuremberg, Attorney-General and Lord Chancellor for a decade from 1952. He was created Viscount Kilmuir in 1954, and Earl of Kilmuir in 1962. He was GCVO (1953), PC (1945), and died 27 January, 1967 when his honours became extinct.

She married 1stly, 24 May, 1950, Clive Wigram, barrister-at-law (who died 17 Aug, 1956), son of Nathan Graham Wigram (1899-1944), of Sloane Street, SW3, by his wife the former Dorothy Lilian Woolfe (1892-1982); and married 2ndly, 1957, Courtenay Thomas Gardner Blackmore (1922-1992), son of William Blackmore, by his wife the former Isabella Armstrong.

She leaves a daughter from her first marriage, Caroline (b 20 Feb, 1952), and a son and two daughters from her second marriage, Thomas David Maxwell Fyfe Blackmore (b 1960), and two daughters, Katharine Fanny (b 1958), and Victoria Jane (b 1965).

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Wednesday, April 09, 2025

Prince Andreas Michael Arnim Siegfried Friedrich Hans Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha, Duke of Saxony 1943-2025

Prince Andreas Michael Arnim Siegfried Friedrich Hans Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha, Duke of Saxony, a descendant of Queen Victoria, has died aged 82.

He was head of the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha.

He was born 21 March, 1943, the eldest son of Prince Friedrich Josias Carl Eduard Kyrill Harald of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha (1918-1998), and his 1st wife the former Viktoria Luise Gfn zu Solms-Baruth (1921-2003), and was a grandson of Leopold Charles Edward George Albert, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, 2nd Duke of Albany, &c (1884-1954), and a great-grandson of Leopold George Duncan Albert, Prince of Gt Britain & Ireland, 1st Duke of Albany, KG KT GCSI GCMG PC (1853-1884), fourth son of HM Queen Victoria (1819-1901).

 He married 31 Jul 1971, (with the pemission of his father as Head of the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) Carin Dabelstein (born 16 Jul 1946), daughter of Adolf Wilhelm Martin Dabelstein by his wife Irma Maria Margarete Callsen, and by her had issue,two sons, Prince Hubertus Michael (born 16 Sept, 1975), and Prince Alexander Philip (born 4 May, 1977), and a daughter, Princess Stephanie Sibylla (born 31 Jan, 1972). His elder son succeeds as head of the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha.

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Lord Vivian has married Saweda Kamara

The marriage took place at the weekend between Charles Crespigny Hussey Vivian, 7th Baron Vivian (born 20 December, 1966), son of the late 6th Baron Vivian (1935-2004), of Glynn and Truro, and his former wife Catherine (née Hope) now Countess of Mexborough, of Helmsley, North Yorkshire, and Saweda K. Kamara, the only daughter of the late Mr Alex Kamara and Mrs Jeanette Eccles-James (née Smythe-Macaulay), of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

It is Lord Vivian's second marriage. His first, in 2011, to Mrs Mary Elizabeth Wimpress, daughter of Gregory Vatterott of St Louis, Missouri, USA, ended in divorce, and without issue.

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Tuesday, April 08, 2025

Countess Sophie Vladimirovna Kleinmichel (Mrs Philip Goodman) 1930-2025

 Countess Sophie Vladimirovna Kleinmichel (Mrs Philip Goodman), died 5 April, 2025. She was 95.

She was descended from the Royal House of Mecklenberg-Strelitz and was a direct descendant of George II, King of Gt Britain & Ireland.

She was born 27 March, 1930, daughter of Count Vladimir Petrovich Kleinmichel, CVO (1901-1982), the courtier who King George V despatched to Denmark to negotiate the purchase of the Romanov jewels from the King's aunt, the Empress Marie of Russia. Count Vladmir's wife was Countess Marie Catherine Sophie von Carlow (1893-1979), daughter of Georg, Duke of Mecklenberg-Strelitz (1859-1909), and descended from King George II.

Her father had arrived in England as a penniless exile in the 1920s, became a merchant banker in the City of London, and also was appointed by the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, the sister of the murdered Tsar Nicholas II, to be the Comptroller of her household. Her parents were veritable pillars of the parish of the London Russian Orthodox Church in Exile. Countess Marie was the Patron of the parish Sisterhood of Saint Xenia for the last 20 years of her life; and the Count was both Treasurer and Starosta of the parish for more than 40 years, and it was his prudent care of the meagre resources of the parish that paved the way for building the London Russian Orthodox Cathedral (ROCOR). Following the death of Count Kleinmichel, his daughter became Starosta. It was while Mrs Goodman was Starosta that the ROCOR London parish found the courage (and the resources) to buy a plot of land in west London, on which today stands the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs, an everlasting testimony to the faithful devotion of the Kleinmichel family to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.

Sophia married 17 May, 1957, Philip Henry Russell Goodman (born 17 June, 1931), son of Sir Victor Goodman, KCB, OBE, MC (1899-1967), a public servant and sometime Clerk of the Parliaments, and his wife Julian Ottoline Morrell (1906-1989), scion of that landed gentry family.

Her husband's grandmother was Lady Ottoline Violet Ann Cavendish-Bentinck (1873-1938), scion of the Dukes of Portland, and a kinswoman of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, whose mother was a Cavendish-Bentinck.

Philip Goodman died 29 March, 2025, aged 93. 

She leaves issue, five daughters, Mary, Catherine, Elizabeth, Sophia and Xenia.

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Saturday, April 05, 2025

Wilbur Hubert Piers Pratt (born 2025)

Constance Elizabeth Pratt [born 1989, neé Mainwaring-Burton], wife of [Edward Roger] George Pratt [born 1989], gave birth to a son, Wilbur Hubert Piers, 9 March, 2025, a brother for Romy and Ned.

George Pratt is a scion of the landed gentry family of that name, son of [Edward Roger] Piers Pratt [1956-2014], and his wife the former Sarah Tilley.

Constance Pratt is a daughter of Guy Anthony Mainwaring-Burton [born 1956], scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Bridget Mary Riley [born 1958].

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Philip Henry Russell Goodman 1931-2025

Philip Henry Russell Goodman, who died 29 March, 2025, aged 93, was a grandson maternally of the Lady Ottoline Morrell, the society hostess, influential in artistic circles.

He was born 17 June, 1931, son of Sir Victor Goodman, KCB, OBE, MC (1899-1967), a public servant and sometime Clerk of the Parliaments, and his wife Julian Ottoline Morrell (1906-1989), scion of that landed gentry family.

His grandmother was Lady Ottoline Violet Ann Cavendish-Bentinck (1873-1938), scion of the Dukes of Portland, and a kinswoman of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, whose mother was a Cavendish-Bentinck.

He married 17 May, 1957, Countess Sophie Vladimirovna Kleinmichel (born 27 March, 1930), daughter of Count Vladimir Petrovich Kleinmichel, CVO (1901-1982), the courtier who King George V despatched to Denmark to negotiate the purchase of the Romanov jewels from the King's aunt, the Empress Marie of Russia. Count Vladmir's wife was Countess Marie Catherine Sophie von Carlow (1893-1979), daughter of Georg, Duke of Mecklenberg-Strelitz (1859-1909), and descended from King George II.

Philip Goodman leaves issue, five daughters, Mary, Catherine, Elizabeth, Sophia and Xenia.

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Friday, April 04, 2025

Mariella Davies (born 2025)

 The Lady Jemima Juliet Davies (nee Herbert, born 4 October, 1989), wife of Hugo Patrick Trehearne Davies [born 1989], & scion of the Earls of Pembroke & Montgomery, gave birth to a daughter, Mariella, in March, 2025, a sister for Delfina (Delfi), who was born 12 December, 2022.

Lady Jemima is the fourth daughter of the late 17th Earl of Pembroke [1939-2003], of Wilton House, Salisbury, by his second wife the former Miranda Juliet Oram [born 1962] (now Miranda, Countess of Pembroke), and is a half-sister of the 18th Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery.

Hugo Davies is the eldest son of Mr Mark Edward Trehearne Davies, CVO [born 20 May, 1948], of Admington, Warwickshire, by his wife the former Antonia Catharine Chittenden [born 1960], 

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Thursday, April 03, 2025

The 4th Baron O'Hagan 1945-2025

 The 4th Baron O'Hagan, Member of the European Parliament (Independent) 1973-75 and for Devon (Conservative) 1979-94; Junior Opposition Whip, House of Lords 1977-79, has died aged 79.

The peer died after suffering a severe head injury. An inquest opening in Exeter revealed that the former Conservative peer died 23 March, 2025, at the North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple. 

Lord O'Hagan, Charles Towneley Strachey, was a godson of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and was a Page of Honour to the Queen 1959-1962.

He was born 6 September, 1945, son of Maj the Hon (Thomas) Anthony Edward Towneley-O'Hagan later Strachey (1917-1955), and his wife Lady Mary Sophia Palmer (1920-2001), a close friend of the late monarch, Lady-in-Waiting to HRH The Princess Elizabeth 1944-47, and an Extra Lady-in-Waiting to HRH until 1949, third daughter of the 3rd Earl of Selborne, CH, PC (1887-1971), and his wife the former Hon Grace Ridley (died 22 September, 1959), daughter of the 1st Viscount Ridley, PC (1842-1904).

He succeeded as 4th Baron O'Hagan (Peerage of the UK, cr 1870), on the death of his paternal grandfather, the 3rd Baron, 18 December, 1961.

He married 1stly, 13 Jul 1967 (div. 1984) HSH Princess Tamara Imeretinsky (former wife of Lt Cmdr Thomas Mervyn Smith-Dorrien-Smith RN, of Tresco Abbey, Isles of Scilly), 1st daughter of S/Ldr HSH Prince Michael Imeretinsky, of La Colle, Route de Castellar, Menton, France, by his wife Margaret Stella Kinnaird, former wife of Hon Patrick Charles Kinnaird MC (5th son of Arthur Fitzgerald [Kinnaird], 11th Lord Kinnaird, by his wife and cousin Mary Alma Victoria Agnew, 5th daughter of Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw, 8th Bt.) and 2nd daughter of Henry FitzHerbert Wright, of Yeldersley Hall, co. Derby; and married 2ndly, March 1985 (div. 1995) Mrs Mary Claire Parsons, only dau. of Rev Leslie Roose-Francis, of Trencoth, Blisland, Bodmin, co. Cornwall; and married 3rdy, Dec 1995, Elizabeth Lesley Eve Smith, daughter of Hubert Smith, of Exeter. co. Devon.

Lord O'Hagan leaves issue, a daughter from his first marriage, the Hon Nina Natalia, and a daughter from his second marriage, the Hon Antonia Philippa Mary.

The peerage now passes to his younger brother, the Hon Richard Towneley Strachey (born 29 Dec, 1950).

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The 3rd Viscount Craigavon 1944-2025

 The Viscount Craigavon, third holder of the peerage, has died at the aged of 80.

Janric Fraser was born 9 June, 1944, son of the 2nd Viscount Craigavon (1906-1974), and his wife the former (Angela) Fiona Tatchell (died 6 Nov, 2007), daughter of Dr Percy Tatchell; and succeeded to the peerage (cr 1927) and baronetcy (cr 1918), on the demise of his father, 18 May, 1974.

The 3rd Viscount was one of the hereditary peers elected to the House of Lords in 1999.

The family honours, which now become extinct, were created for his grandfather, James Craig (1871-1940), the first prime minister of Northern Ireland.

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The 24th Lord Borthwick 1940-2025

Lord Borthwick, 24th holder of the Scottish lordship, died 26 March, 2025. He was 84.

Lord Borthwick, of Crookston, Heriot, Midlothian, was the Hereditary Royal Falconer of Scotland, and Chief of the Name and Arms of Borthwick.

John Hugh Borthwick of that Ilk, was born 14 November, 1940, the elder twin son of Henry Borthwick of Crookston (1905-96), who was recognised by Lyon Court 26 Jul 1944 as Borthwick of Borthwick;  and his claim to the Lordship of Borthwick was admitted by Lord Court in 1986, by his wife the former Margaret Frances Cormack (1911-1976). He succeeded to the Lordship on the death of his father, 30 Dec, 1996.

He married 9 Feb 1974, Adelaide Birkmyre (born 1945), daughter of Archy Birkmyre (1904-1992), of Overdale, Crieff, co. Perth (by his wife Doreen Barclay (1913-2005), daughter of Robert Barclay (1882-1949), of Glenpressen, Kilbirnie, co. Ayr), 2nd son of Sir Archibald Birkmyre, 1st Bt., CBE (1875-1935), of Dalmunzie, co. Perth, by whom he had two daughters, the Hon Georgina (born 18 Dec, 1975), and the Hon Alexandra (born 25 Aug 1977).

Lord Borthwick is succeeded by his younger twin brother, the Hon James Henry Alexander Borthwick of Glengelt.

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Wednesday, April 02, 2025

The Baron Kalms 1931-2025

 The Baron Kalms, who died 30 March, 2025, aged 93, was a Conservative life peer, businessman who was the life president and chairman of Currys plc. In 1948 he joined Dixons, which was founded by his father Charles Kalms in 1937. He spent his whole career with the company, through its various mergers and acquisitions into Currys. He was chairman of Volvere plc, a British turnaround group, from 2002 to 2011. Stanley Kalms had close connections to the University of Buckingham. He received an honorary degree from Buckingham, and Chris Woodhead was the Sir Stanley Kalms Professor of Education. He received his knighthood in the 1996 New Years Honours for his services to the electrical retailing industry and made a life peer as Baron Kalms, of Edgware in the London Borough of Barnet in 2004. Kalms ceased to be a member of the House of Lords on 9 July 2024 under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 because of non-attendance in the preceding session of Parliament.

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Tuesday, April 01, 2025

Richard Anthony Henry Pelham 1952-2025

 Richard Anthony Henry Pelham died 7 March, 2025, aged 72. He was a scion of the Earls of Chichester, and heir presumptive to the peerage.

He was born 1 August, 1952, the son of Major Anthony George Pelham (1911-1969), and his wife the former Ann Margaret Bergengren (1912-1990)[; and married in 1987, Georgina Levinge (Gina) Gilmour, daughter of David Gilmour, of Ringshall Grange, Suffolk, by whom he had issue, two sons, Duncan James Bergengren Pelham (born 24 Nov, 1987), and Christopher Douglas Gilmour Pelham (born 28 July, 1990).

The 5th Earl of Chichester > Hon Henry Pelham > Maj Anthony Pelham > Richard Pelham

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