A 'royal' engagement has just been announced. The latest member of the House of Windsor to become engaged is Lady Marina Windsor, a granddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The happy bride to be has shared an Instagram image of the engagement ring and her aristocratic fiancé, Nico Macauley.
It is not known when Lady Marina and Nico, both 32, started dating though the socialite cousin of the King was first linked to the cyber security account executive in 2023, when she posted a selfie with Nico to mark his 30th birthday. Lady Marina recently has shared images on Instagram featuring Nico in a loving embrace at last year’s Glastonbury festival.
Nico Julian Macauley (born 6 April, 1993), is the elder son of the late William Francis Macauley (born 30 Sept, 1953), and his wife the former Nicola Jane Thompson. Nico's father died 16 June, 2019, aged 65. He was a grandson of the newspaper magnate, William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (1879-1954).
Nico was educated at the top Catholic school Ampleforth College in Yorkshire and at Newcastle University.
Nico's grandfather, William Perine Macauley (who died in 1990), of Ballward House, County Wicklow, married 7 April, 1948, the Hon Diana Phyllis Berry (1924-94), fourth daughter of the 1st Viscount Camrose.
The 1st Viscount Camrose started his working life as a journalist and established his own paper, Advertising World, in 1901. Berry made his fortune with the publication of the First World War magazine The War Illustrated, which at its peak had a circulation of 750,000. In partnership with his younger brother, Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley (the elder brother was Seymour Berry, 1st Baron Buckland), he purchased The Sunday Times in 1915 and was its editor-in-chief until 1937. In 1919 the pair also purchased the Financial Times.
In 1924 the Berry brothers and Sir Edward Iliffe set up Allied Newspapers and purchased the Daily Dispatch, the Manchester Evening Chronicle, the Sunday Chronicle, the Sunday News, and the Sunday Graphic, as well as a string of other newspapers across the country. In Cardiff they merged four newspapers into the Western Mail. In 1927 they purchased The Daily Telegraph from the 2nd Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham, with William Berry becoming its editor-in-chief. In 1937 they purchased its rival, The Morning Post.
In 1926, the Berry brothers/Allied Newspapers purchased Amalgamated Press (AP), which had been started by Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, in 1901 (Harmsworth had died in 1922).
Berry bought out his partners in 1937 and amalgamated The Morning Post with The Daily Telegraph, with himself as chairman and editor-in-chief. His sons Seymour, the 2nd Viscount, and subsequently Michael, continued to run the newspaper until 1986; in addition, Seymour was Vice Chairman of Amalgamated Press from 1942 to 1959 (when AP was acquired by the Mirror Group).
Camrose provided financial assistance to Sir Winston Churchill after the Second World War. He and ten other wealthy well-wishers each donated £5,000 to the Churchills, allowing them to keep their home, Chartwell, on the condition that it would be presented to the nation upon their deaths.
One of Nico's great-aunts, Sheila, Countess of Birkenhead (nee Berry) (1913-92), was a lady-in-waiting to Lady Marina's great-grandmother and namesake, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent from 1949 to 1953. Another of Nico's great-aunts was Shelagh (nee Macauley), Countess of Lisburne (who died in 2016), wife of the 8th Earl of Lisburne, a television executive. Nico's father was a first cousin of Lady Juliet Townsend, DCVO, a Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon from 1971 to 2002.
Nico's cousin, Valerie McNair-Scott was wife of the 8th Earl of Longford. She died 22 January, 2023. Another cousin is the actor Joshua Sasse (born 9 December, 1987).
Lady Marina Charlotte Alexandra Katharine Helen Windsor (born 30 September, 1992), is a great-great granddaughter of King George V and a second cousin once removed of King Charles III. She is the second child, and eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of St Andrews. Her father is the elder son and heir of HRH The Duke of Kent, who is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lady Marina’s only brother is Edward, styled Baron Downpatrick, who will one day succeed to the dukedom of Kent. Marina’s sister, Lady Amelia, is a mannequin. Both Edward and Amelia are single.
Nico's parents married in Westminster, 5 February, 1992. They have a younger son, Alexander Ronnie Macauley born in 1995.
Lady Marina is a Roman Catholic and excluded from the line of succession to the Throne.
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