Lady Eliza Spencer engaged to Channing Millerd

 The engagement has been announced between Mr Channing James Millerd (born 1991) and the Lady Eliza Victoria Spencer (born 10 July, 1992) a twin daughter (with her sister Lady Amelia) of the 9th Earl Spencer (born 20 May, 1964), of Althorp House, Northamptonshire, and his 1st wife the former (Catherine) Victoria Lockwood (born 1964).

The bride-to-be is a niece of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and a first cousin of the Prince of Wales. 

Lady Eliza and Channing were holidaying on Santorini when Channing went down on one knee to propose. Photographs of the moment were uploaded to Lady Eliza's Instagram account.

Mr Millerd has a son, Nate (born January, 2014), from a previous marriage. He was educated in South Africa, and is the son of Carey Anthony Millerd (born 14 June, 1958), and his wife Heather. Carey Millerd, who is Irish/Canadian living in South Africa, is Chief Executive Officer at Prescient Group LLC and a Non-Executive Director at Prescient Wealth Management (Pty) Ltd, and is on the Board of Directors at Prescient Holdings (Pty) Ltd. 

Millerd is an entrepreneur and brand strategist launching and scaling premium consumer brands across beverage, fashion, and technology sectors. Currently serving as COO at Marxhoff, He leads operations and strategic growth across a portfolio of ventures including Bomb Squad Beer (founded with Springbok rugby players Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff) and Lala V, a luxury Provence rosé wine co-founded with his bride-to-be Lady Eliza. 

Lady Eliza's twin sister, Lady Amelia, married her long time boyfriend Greg Mallett in South Africa in 2023. Eliza's eldest sister, Lady Kitty (born 28 Dec, 1990), married Michael Lewis in 2021.

Eliza's brother Louis, Viscount Althorp (born 14 March, 1994), is one Britain's most eligible bachelors.

Lady Eliza also has two half-brothers Samuel Aitken (born 2003), and the Hon Edmund Spencer (born 6 Oct, 2003), and half-sisters Lady Lara (born 16 March, 2006), and Lady Charlotte (born 30 July, 2012).

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Joan Rosemary Fursdon (née Worssam) 1928-2025

Joan Rosemary Fursdon, died 16 July, 2025, aged 97.

She was born in 1928, daughter of Charles Archie Worssam, OBE (1882-1971), of Sevenoaks, Kent, and his wife the former Audrey Elizabeth Kathleen Hall, MBE (1895-1984); and married in 1950, Major-General Francis William Edward Fursdon, CB, MBE, OStJ (1925-2007), head of that landed gentry family, son of George Ellsworth Sydenham Fursdon (1893-1936), and his wife the former Aline Lucinda Gastrell (1894-1982), by whom she had issue, a son, (Edward) David (born 1952), and a daughter, Sabina Mary (born 1956). The son is Lord Lieutenant of Devon.

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Roe/Miller engagement

 The engagement was announced 31 July, 2025, between James Hugh A. Roe (born 1996), the younger son of Alexander F.J. Roe, of Upper Farringdon, Hampshire and his late wife the former Caroline Jane Maltby (1957-2021), and Bonny Welcome Miller (born 1996), daughter of (James) Robert Miller, of Swerford, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Amanda Susan Mary Lyon.

James Roe is descended from the Earls of Malmesbury:-

The 6th Earl of Malmesbury (1907-2000) > Lady Sylvia Harris (1934-2022) > Caroline Maltby (1957-2021) > James Roe (b 1996)

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Hon Sir Mark Alexander Lennox-Boyd 1943-2025

The Hon Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd, who died 24 July, 2025, aged 82, was a former Conservative MP and a scion of the Viscounts Boyd of Merton.

He was born at the Dorchester, London, 4 May, 1943, the third son of the then Alan Tindal Lennox-Boyd CH, PC, DL (1904-1983), Conservative MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, 1931-60, by his wife the heiress Lady Patricia Florence Susan Guinness (1918-2001), daughter of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh, KG (1874-1967).

Alan Lennox-Boyd was a member of Sir Winston Churchill's peacetime government as Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation from 1952 to 1954, and raised to the peerage in 1960, as Viscount Boyd of Merton.

Mark Lennox-Boyd served as the Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lonsdale from 1979 to 1983, and the (slightly renamed) Morecambe and Lunesdale from 1983 until his defeat at the general election in May, 1997. 

He was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford from which he graduated with a BA in 1964 and an MA in 1965. He was called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1968.

Lennox-Boyd contested Brent South in October 1974, being defeated by Labour's Laurie Pavitt. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy from 1981 to 1983, PPS to the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1983 to 1984, Assistant government whip from 1984 to 1986; a Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury (Government whip) from 1986 to 1988, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher from 1988 to 1990, and as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of state in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1990 to 1994. He was dubbed a knight in 1994.

Lennox-Boyd was a member of the Court of the Fishmongers' company, Prime Warden 1998–99, and served as chairman of the company's Education and Grants committee 2010–15. He was a trustee of the Georgian Group, and was chairman between 2014 and 2015. He was a Patron of Prisoners Abroad, a charity that supports the welfare of Britons imprisoned overseas and their families, and Patron of the British Sundial Society.

He married 29 June, 1974,  Italian-born Arabella Parisi, daughter of Piero Parisi, by whom he had one daughter, Patricia Irene Lennox-Boyd (born 13 Aug, 1980).

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Penelope, Baroness Wrenbury 1933-2025

 Penelope, Baroness Wrenbury, who died 16 July, 2025, aged 91, was the widow of the 3rd Baron Wrenbury (1927-2014).

She was born in 1933 as Penelope Sara Frances Fort, daughter of Edward Dimond Fort, of The White House, Sixpenny Handley, co. Dorset; and married 6 October, 1961, as his second wife, John Burton Buckley, 3rd Baron Wrenbury (who was born 18 June, 1927), who had succeeded to the barony (cr 1915), on the death of his father, the 2nd Baron, 30 May, 1940.

Her husband was admitted a solicitor 1952; Deputy Legal Adviser, The National Trust 1955-56; Partner, Freshfields 1956-74 and Thomson Snell & Passmore 1974-90; ordained Deacon (C of E) 1990; Priest 1991; non-stipendiary incumbent of Brightling, Dallington, Mountfield and Netherfield 1990-2014. He died 27 September, 2014.

Lady Wrenbury leaves issue, a son, William, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Katherine. Her son is the fourth Baron Wrenbury (born 19 June, 1966).

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Elms/Fergusson engagement

The engagement was announced 30 July, 2025, between Mungo Arthur Elms (born 1993), son of Charles Richard Elms (born 1956), and his wife the former Fenella Jane Tadman (1964-2022), and Elizabeth Sarah Tukino (Lizzie) Fergusson (born 1991), youngest daughter of the Hon George Duncan Fergusson (born 30 September, 1955), and his wife the former Margaret Sheila Wookey (born 1953).

Lizzie Fergusson is a granddaughter of the late Baron Ballantrae, KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE (1911-1980), and his wife the former Laura Margaret Grenfell (1920-1979), scion of the Barons Grenfell.

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The Baron Desai 1940-2025

 The Baron Desai, a renowned India-born British economist, academic, and member of the UK’s House of Lords, died 29 July, 2025, aged 85, after a brief illness in Gurugram.

Meghnad Desai, known for his sharp intellect, bold opinions, and deep-rooted connections to both India and the UK, Desai leaves behind a legacy that spans decades of impactful contributions to economics, politics, and public discourse.

Born in Gujarat, Desai completed his master’s degree at the University of Bombay before earning his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in just three years.

He went on to teach at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 1965 to 2003, eventually becoming an emeritus professor. During his long academic tenure, he founded the Centre for the Study of Global Governance in 1992 and played a pivotal role in establishing LSE’s Development Studies Institute, mentoring generations of students.

Desai was appointed to the House of Lords in 1991, taking the title Baron Desai of St Clement Danes. Initially joining as a Labour peer, he later resigned from the party in 2020 over its handling of antisemitism and continued his work as an independent voice. He was widely respected across political lines for his originality and independence of thought.

Desai’s wife, writer and columnist Kishwar Desai, said, “I am devastated, as he was my rockstar husband, larger than life. Indestructible. I adored him.”

The Baron Bilimoria remembered him as “truly iconic,” while the High Commission of India in London praised him as a “thought leader” and a lifelong advocate of India-UK friendship. Among his many cultural contributions, Desai played a key role in the installation of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at London’s Parliament Square.

Beyond academia and politics, Desai was also a prolific writer whose works explored the intersections of economics, cinema, and culture. His books include Nehru’s Hero: Dilip Kumar, in which he described the actor as one of the greatest talents in world cinema.

Desai was known not just as a scholar and statesman but as a fearless and independent voice who challenged conventions, defied political orthodoxies, and shaped critical dialogue across continents.

Name change for husband of archduchess

From the London Gazette 28 July 2025:

Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual

The KING has been graciously pleased by Warrant under His Royal Signet and Sign Manual bearing date 17 July 2025 to give and grant His Royal Licence and Authority that John Straker Constable formerly John Constable Straker of Burton Constable in the County of East Yorkshire and his issue may continue to bear and use the surname of Constable in lieu of and substitution for that of Straker and that he and they may bear and use the Arms and Crest of Constable according to the Laws of Arms the said Armorial Bearings being first duly exemplified according to the Laws of Arms and recorded in His Majesty’s College of Arms: otherwise the said Royal Licence and Permission to be void and of none effect.

John Straker Constable (born 23 October, 1990), a scion of that landed gentry family, is the elder son of the late James Andrew John Straker (1959-2022), and his wife the former Rodrica Consuelo Chichester-Constable (born 31 March, 1963), of Hexham, scion of that landed gentry family, of Burton Constable.

In May 2025 he married Anna-Carolina, Archduchess of Austria (born 11 June, 1996), eldest daughter of  Eduard Karl Joseph Michael Marcus Antonius Koloman Volkhold Maria, Archduke of Austria ( born 12 January, 1967), and his wife the former Marie Theresa von Gudenus (born 11 February, 1967).

Mr Straker Constable is heir to the Burton Constable Hall estate, a large Elizabethan country house, with 18th- and 19th-century interiors and a fine 18th-century cabinet of curiosities. The hall, a Grade I listed building, is set in a park designed by Capability Brown with an area of 300 acres. It is located 3 miles south-east of the village of Skirlaugh in the East Riding of Yorkshire, approximately 9 miles north-east of the city of Hull, and has been the home of the Constable family for over 400 years. The hall and park are owned by the Burton Constable Foundation, a registered charity.

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A daughter for the Duke and Duchess of Westminster

 The Duke and Duchess of Westminster have announced the birth of their first child. The Billionaire aristocrat 7th Duke and his wife Olivia, who married in June last year, have welcomed a baby girl named Lady Cosima Florence Grosvenor, born in London, 27 July, 2025.

“The Duke and Duchess of Westminster are thrilled to announce the birth of their baby daughter,” a spokesperson for the couple said. “Both the duchess and Cosima are doing well.

“The duke and duchess now look forward to spending this special time together as a family.”

The duke, one of the UK’s biggest landowners, is a close friend of both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, and godfather to Prince George of Wales and also reportedly to Prince Archie of Sussex.

The Duke of Westminster married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on 7 June, 2024. The Prince of Wales stood 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 was one of the 400 guests.

The Duke's calculated wealth of just over £9.7 billion puts him 13th on the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List. He was until 2024 perhaps one of the country's most eligible bachelors.

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.

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 Olivia Henson became engaged at Eaton Hall in April 2023.

Hugh Westminster, 34,  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 9.7 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 2023, 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 have secured the peerage and the vast Grosvenor inheritance. The peerage can only be inherited by male heirs. The current heir presumptive to the Marquessate of Westminster, but not the dukedom, is a Grosvenor cousin, Francis Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton (born 8 Feb, 1934).

A future son will be heir apparent to the titles Duke of Westminster (United Kingdom, let. pat. 27 Feb 1874), Marquess of Westminster (United Kingdom, let. pat. 13 Sep 1831), Earl Grosvenor (Great Britain, let. pat. 5 Jul 1784), Viscount Belgrave (Great Britain, let. pat. 5 Jul 1784), Baron Grosvenor, of Eaton in the County of Chester (Great Britain, let. pat. 8 Apr 1761), and a Baronet, styled "of Eaton" (England, let. pat. 23 Feb 1621/22).

Some ducal statistics: The 1st Duke, and most prolific of the Westminsters, was the father of seven sons and five daughters; the 2nd Duke (Bendor), four times wed, died leaving two daughters. A son died in childhood; the 3rd and fourth dukes were childless; the 5th Duke fathered one son  and two daughters; the 6th Duke, who died in 2016, left a son, the current peer, and three daughters.

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 Duchess of Westminster (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)> Lady Cosima Grosvenor (b 2025)

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) > Prince William (b 1982)

Lady Cosima 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 > Lady Cosima Grosvenor

The infant'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 > Lady Cosima

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.

The infant'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) > Lady Cosima Grosvenor (b 2025)

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Wright/Mountbatten engagement

 The engagement has been announced between Fergus Wright and Ella Mountbatten, a scion of the Marquesses of Milford Haven, a niece of the 4th Marquess. 

Ella Louise Georgina Mountbatten (born 20 March, 1996), is the eldest of the three daughters of Lord Ivar Alexander Michael Mountbatten (born 9 March, 1963), and his first spouse, the former Penelope Anne Vere Thompson (born 17 March, 1966).

Fergus Benjamin Nicholas Wright was born 20 February, 1996, son of Nicholas Richard Wale Wright (born 1961), of Badlingham Manor, Chippenham, and his wife the former Lucinda Clare Benson (born 6 Aug,1965), scion of that landed gentry family of Stanway House. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was one of Lucinda's godmothers.

Fergus is a nephew of the Baroness Howard De Walden (nee Lucinda Suzanne Wright), wife of Peter Czernin, 11th Baron Howard De Walden.

Fergus has a sister, Jessica Laura H. Wright (born 16 September, 1997).

Fergus's grandfather, Robert Stephen (Robin) Benson (born 11 August, 1934), married 23 July, 1964, Jane Elliott Allday (born 19 Dec, 1937), scion of that landed gentry family, Extra Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and sometime Librarian, Courtauld Institute of Art, daughter of Colonel Frank Elliott Allday (1911-70), CBE, TD, DL of the Old Manor House, Halford Warwickshire, by his wife the former Agnete Kuhn (born 5 March, 1909), youngest daughter of Overretssagforer Christian Frederick Kuhn, of Sobakke, Hunleback, Denmark.

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Peter John Nicholas Prideaux-Brune 1944-2025

Peter John Nicholas Prideaux-Brune, who died 10 July, 2025, aged 80, was the head of the landed gentry family of that name.

He was born 21 Aug, 1944, a son of John Charles Fulke Prideaux-Brune (1916-1988), and his wife the former Margaret Mary Hearne (1917-1982); and married twice, firstly, 1971, to Vivien Patricia Gibson (1944-1983), daughter of Maj Arthur Creagh Gibson, MC (1912-1970), scion of the Brasier-Creagh landed gentry family, by his wife the former Barbara Maeveen Blundell Brown; and married 2ndly, 1988, Elizabeth Grant Peterkin (born 1948). He leaves two sons from his 1st marriage, Nicholas and William. The elder son, Nicholas Pagan Prideaux-Brune (born 1975), succeeds as head of the family.

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Houston/Napier engagement

  The engagement was announced 26 July, 2025, between Michael Charles Woodbine Houston (born 3 July, 1991), son of Charles Robson Hamilton Houston (born 16 Oct, 1959), of Neen Sollars, Shropshire, by his wife the former Emma Woodbine Parish (born 1957), scion of that landed gentry family, & Isabel Louisa Rodier Napier (born 1994), scion of the Napier baronets, middle daughter of Brigadier Philip Martin Lennox Napier (born 29 December, 1964), of Ugford, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Philippa Rawson (born 1964).

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Kit Hamish Stewart Birrell (born 2025)

  Camilla Birrell (née Davidson-Houston, born 1988), wife of Henry James F. Birrell [born 1989], gave birth to a son, Kit Hamish Stewart, 10 July, 2025, a brother for Lila Iris Nancy, who was born 31 December, 2023.

Henry Birrell is a son of Christopher Ros Stewart Birrell [born 1954], of Cucklington, Somerset, by his wife the former Emma G.A. Breton [born 1956].

Camilla Sophie E. Birrell is a scion of that landed gentry family, the elder daughter of Patrick Elrington O'Reilly-Blackwood Davidson-Houston [born 1954], of Colkirk, Norfolk, by his wife the former Angelina F. Nelson-Sullivan [born 1958].

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Ivo Angus Ribaroff (born 2025)

 Gemma Clare Ribaroff (born 1992, nee Mostyn-Owen), wife of Dr George A. Ribaroff, gave birth to a son, Ivo Angus, 24 June, 2025, a brother for Casper Felix, who was born 9 December, 2023.

Dr Ribaroff is the eldest son of Alexander and Denise Ribaroff, of St George's, Bermuda.

Gemma Ribaroff is a scion of the Mostyn-Owen landed gentry family, daughter of Owen William Luxardo Mostyn-Owen [born 1961], by his wife the former Candida Zoe Pryce-Jones [born 1963], a granddaughter of the life peer, Baron Caccia [1905-90].

The infant is a great-nephew of Allegra Mostyn-Owen, first wife of the Rt Hon Boris Johnson, Prime Minister 2019-2022.

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Josh Berry, comedian & impressionist to marry Eliza Plowden

The engagement was announced 25 July, 2025, between Joshua Henry Hyde Berry (born 5 July, 1996),the elder son of Paul S. Berry, of Towcester, Northamptonshire, and Mrs Sarah Berry (nee Hyde), of Reading, Berkshire, and Eliza Mary Rose Plowden (born 10 May, 1994), scion of the Plowden of Plowden landed gentry family,  elder daughter of Charles Edward Philip Plowden (born 31 December, 1960), of Humbie, East Lothian, and his his wife the former Ruth Hindhaugh (born 1962).

Josh Berry is a British comedian, writer and celebrity impressionist.

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Lady Lucy Mary Frances Lytton 1957-2025

Lady Lucy Mary Frances Lytton died 26 June, 2025 aged 68.

Lady Lucy, who did not use the courtesy title, was born 29 January, 1957, the second daughter of the 4th Earl of Lytton (1900-1985), and his wife the former Clarissa Mary Palmer (1916-2006). She was unmarried.

Lucy Lytton is a sister of the 5th Earl of Lytton (born 7 June, 1950).

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Rona Lowsley-Williams (nee McCorquodale) 1936-2025

 Rona Lowsley-Williams, who died 19 July, 2025, aged 89, was a scion of the McCorquodale landed gentry family. Her home was the magnificent Chavenage House, near Tetbury, inherited by her husband in the 1950s.

She was born in Chelsea, 25 March, 1936, daughter of Major Angus McCorquodale (born 13 Dec, 1905, killed at Dunkirk, 31 May, 1940), by his wife (and cousin) Pamela Constance McCorquodale (1910-1944). 

She was a cousin of Mary, Countess of Strathmore & Kinghorne, who died in May, aged 92, and of Raine, Countess Spencer, step-mother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and of Neil McCorquodale, who married Diana's sister, Lady Sarah Spencer.

She married in 1958, Colonel David Lowsley-Williams, JP, TD, DL (born 1933), head of that landed gentry family, son of Major Philip Savile Lowsley-Williams (1899-1985), by his wife the former Ida Moira Josephine Carroll-Leahy(1900-1980), by whom she had issue, a son (David) George Savile Lowsley-Williams (born 19 April, 1959), who now succeeds, and two daughters, Caroline (b 13 Jan, 1962), and Joanna (b 13 Nov, 1963). Her husband, descended from the Savile Earls of Mexborough, died 8 April, 2023, aged 89.

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Lady Marshall (née Hutchison) 1941-2025

 Lady Marshall, who died 13 July, 2025, aged 83, was the widow of Sir Michael Marshall, DL, a former Conservative MP for Arundel.

She was born Caroline Victoria Oliphant Hutchison, 10 October, 1941, daughter of Major Alexander Oliphant Hutchison (1907-1973), and his wife the former Elizabeth Barbara Nairn (1915-1997), daughter of Sir Michael Nairn, 2nd Baronet (1874-1952); and married 1stly, 6 July, 1963 (div. 1970), George Charles Caswell Cornelius; married 2ndly, 1972, (Robert) Michael Marshall, DL (born 21 June, 1930), son of Robert Ernest Marshall, of Hathersage, Derbyshire. Her second husband was Conservative MP for Arundel 1974-1997, who was knighted in 1990, and died 6 September, 2006.

Lady Marshall leaves two daughters from her first marriage, Deborah (b 25 Feb, 1965), and Katherine (b 20 January, 1967).

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Sir James Angus Rhoderick McGrigor, 6th Baronet 1949-2025

 Tributes have been paid following the death of former Conservative MSP Sir Jamie McGrigor, 6th Baronet, who died 20 July, 2025, aged 75.

Sir Jamie served as an MSP for the Highlands and Islands for 17 years, from the dawn of devolution until 2016, and was later a councillor in Argyll and Bute.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay described him as "a true champion of the Highlands and Islands".

He said: "I'm deeply saddened to hear of Sir Jamie's death, and, on behalf of everyone in the Scottish Conservatives, send my condolences to his family and friends.

"Sir Jamie excelled in a number of frontbench roles, including fisheries, and was popular and respected by colleagues from across the political spectrum."

First Minister John Swinney also paid tribute on social media. "Very sorry to hear of the passing of Jamie McGrigor,” he wrote.

"We came from different political traditions and often held opposing views, but as an MSP, Jamie was a warm, engaging presence and was deeply committed to the Highlands and Islands. My thoughts are with his family and friends."

He was born 19 October, 1949, son of Capt Sir Charles Edward McGrigor, 5th Baronet (1922-2007), and his wife the former Mary Bettine Edmonstone (1927-2022), daughter of Sir Archibald Edmonstone of Duntreath, 6th Baronet (1898-1954).

He was twice married, firstly in 1988 (div 1993) to Caroline Roboh, daughter of Jacques Roboh, of Paris, by whom he had two daughters, Sibylla and Sarah. He married 2ndly, 30 October, 1997, Emma Mary Louise Fellowes, daughter of David Lyon Fellowes, DL, JP (1931-2016), of Inistrynich, Dalmally, Argyll, scion of that landed gentry family of Shotesham Park, by his wife the former Elizabeth Mary Tremlett (1930-2005), by whom he had further issue, a son, Alexander, and three daughters, Violet, Rosanna and Davina.

The son Alexander James Edward Lyon McGrigor (born 5 Aug, 1998), succeeds to the baronetcy.

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Vivienne Margaret Menzies (née Dixon) (died 2025)

 Vivienne Margaret Menzies died 16 July, 2025. She married 1stly, in July, 1969, Andrew Victor Dallmeyer (born 10 January, 1945), son of Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher James York Dallmeyer, DSO, TD (1907-1996), & his wife the Hon Ursula Nina Balfour (1914-2001), daughter of the 2nd Baron Kinross (1870-1939). She married 2ndly, Robin Menzies.

She leaves issue from her 1st marriage, Tobias (b 1973), and Amy (b 1985).

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Bernard Barclay Leatham 1936-2025

 Bernard Barclay Leatham, who died 5 July, 2025, aged 89, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 30 March, 1936, son of Maj Charles Barclay Leatham, MC, KOYLI (1893-1962), and his wife the former Gilberte Rogez (1909-2001); and married 26 January, 1963, Jennifer Freeth (born 1936), the only daughter of Henry William Finlay Freeth (1906-1971), of Woking, Surrey, and his wife the former Sybil Kathleen Storr (1902-1963), by whom he had one son, Charles, and a daughter Helen.

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Penelope Ruth Kirwan-Taylor (d 2025)

 Penelope Ruth Kirwan-Taylor (nee Parham), died 3 July, 2025.

A daughter of Bertram Hoare Parham (1899-1977), and his wife the former Phoebe de Pree (1906-1996); she married 2 July, 1960 (divorced), Roy Patrick Kirwan-Taylor (born 8 March, 1935), of the family of the Barons Grantchester, son of Gordon Kirwan Kirwan-Taylor (1901-1975), and his wife the former Mae Cozens (died 11 Oct, 1944), by whom she had issue, two sons, Julian Nicholas Hugh (b 1961) and Jeremy Robin Roy (b 1964), and two daughters, Caroline Phoebe Mae (b 1962) and Henrietta Cecilie Ilona Penelope (b 1970).

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Lord Johnstone marries Sarah Sherlock

 The marriage took place, 27 June, 2025, between David Patrick Wentworth Hope Johnstone, styled Lord Johnstone (born 13 October, 1971), son and heir of the 11th Earl of Annandale & Hartfell (born 19 April, 1941), of Annanbank, Dumfriesshire, and the late Countess of Annandale & Hartfell (the former Susan Josephine Ross, who died 4 Nov, 2022), and Sarah Catriona M. Sherlock (born 1979), daughter of Donald James Nugent Sherlock (born 1947), of Ramsbury, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Nicola Anne Elizabeth Mellor (born 1952).

Lord Johnstone and Miss Sherlock have issue, a son, Kit (born 1 Aug, 2019).

Lord Johnstone's first marriage, 19 May, 2001, was to Penny Macmillan, daughter of the late John Macmillian, and has a son and a daughter from his first marriage.

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Horton/Spendlove marriage

The marriage took place at St Bride's Church, London, 19 July, 2025, between Hugo Frederick Horton (born 1995), .son of James Frederick Horton (born 22 March, 1968), of Alverstone, Isle of Wight, and his wife the former Emma Jane Petch (born 1966), and Arabella Diana Spendlove (born 28 August, 1996), daughter of Peter Edwin Spendlove (born 13 May, 1954), of London, and his wife the former Tessa M. Olliver (born 1958).

Hugo Horton is descended from the Wombwell baronets:-

Sir Frederick Wombwell, 6th Baronet > Elizabeth Anne Wombwell > James Frederick Horton > Hugo Horton

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Oliver/Arnott marriage

 The marriage took place 19 July, 2025, at St Michael's Church, Aldbourne, between Angus Michael Yool Oliver (born 1996), eldest son of Paul James Yool Oliver, of Stoke, Hampshire, and his wife the former Susan Mary (Susie) Millard, & Isabella Anastasia (Bizzy) Arnott (born 25 May, 1996), scion of the Arnott baronets, youngest daughter of Stephen John Arnott (born 19 February, 1962), of Aldbourne, Wiltshire, & his wife the former Katherine Jane Keep Thompson.

The bride is a niece of former Penelope Anne Vere Thompson, former wife of Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a younger son of the 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven.

Bizzy Arnott is a wedding photographer.

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Rosie Jeanne Burke Roche 2005-2025

Rosie Jeanne Burke Roche, who committed suicide, 14 July, 2025, aged 20, was a scion of the Barons Fermoy, and a second cousin of the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex.

She was born 21 June, 2005, the eldest child of the Hon (Edmund) Hugh Burke Roche (born 5 February, 1972), and his wife the former Phillipa Kate Victoria Long, and was a granddaughter of the 5th Baron Fermoy (1939-1984). She was a maternal granddaughter of Derek F.D. Long (born 1941), and his wife the former Elizabeth Rae McGregor (born 1945), of Goldsborough, North Yorkshire.

Miss Roche was found dead by her mother and sister on 14 July 2025 - with a firearm laying near to her body at the family home in Norton, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire. During an inquest hearing at Wiltshire and Swindon coroner’s court, area coroner Grant Davies said police “have deemed the death as non-suspicious and there was no third-party involvement”. Rosie was working towards obtaining a degree in English Literature at Durham University. A spokeswoman said she “will be sorely missed”.

The inquest at Wiltshire and Swindon coroner's court was adjourned until October 2025.

Rosie's grandfather, the 5th Baron Fermoy, the uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales, shot himself in August, 1984. He was 45 years old. A businessman and former steeplechase jockey, Lord Fermoy was found dead at his home, Eddington House in Hungerford, Berkshire. A police spokesman said Lord Fermoy had been suffering from depression for a long time.

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The Baron Alliance, CBE 1932-2025

Extracts courtesy of the Jewish News:

Lord Alliance, who died 18 July, 2025, aged 93, was an Iran-born Israeli-British businessman and Liberal Democrat politician.

In a message sent on Friday afternoon, the S&P expressed its regret to have to inform members of “the passing of Lord David Alliance CBE.

“We send our deepest condolences to his wife Lady Homa Alliance; children Graham Alliance, Sara Esterkin and Joshua Alliance; siblings Tella Jebreel, Nigel Alliance OBE and Moshe Alliance.

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“He was deeply loved and admired by so many in our community and globally. His loss will be profoundly felt by us all.”

“We wish all the family a long life free from further sorrow.”

David Alliance was born in the Iranian city of Kashan in 1932. His father was in the wool and linen industry, and apprenticed him at age 13 into the grand bazaar in Tehran. At the age of 18, he travelled to Manchester, then still the centre of a thriving textile trade.

As described in his 2015 autobiography, A Bazaar Life, “six years later he bought a loss-making textile mill, turned it around in six months and went on to build the biggest textile company in the Western world. At one stage his businesses, including his mail-order company, N Brown Group, employed more than 80,000 people.”

Knighted in 1989, he was elevated to the Peerage in 2004, where he took the Liberal Democrat whip.

Known for his significant philanthropy, Lord Alliance was also directly involved in successful efforts to help rescue Ethiopian Jews and bring them to Israel, negotiating directly with the then-dictator of Ethiopia, Mengistu Haile Mariam.

An Iranian studies centre at Tel Aviv University is named for Alliance. Additionally, the Manchester Business School was renamed the Alliance Manchester Business School a decade ago, honouring the longstanding relationship between the Alliance Family foundation and the educational centre.

The funeral is understood to be taking place in Israel.

Lady Byatt 1929-2025

 Lady Byatt, who died 10 July, 2025, aged 96, was the widow of Sir Hugh Campbell Byatt, KCVO, CMG (1927-2011).

She was the former Fiona Mary Mackenzie Coats, born 25 February, 1929, scion of the Coats baronets, daughter of Ian Pountney Coats (1901-1980), and his wife the former Hilda May Latta (1899-1997); and married 19 June, 1954, Hugh Campbell Byatt (born 27 Aug, 1927), the diplomat, son of Sir Horace Byatt, GCMG (1875-1933), by his wife the former Olga Margaret Campbell (1891-1943).

Hugh Byatt was Deputy high commissioner Nairobi, 1977—1978. Ambassador to Angola, 1978—1981, to Sao Tome, 1980—1981, and to Portugal, 1981—1986. He was appointed CMG in 1979, KCVO in 1985, and died 16 February, 2011, having had issue, three children, Lorne, Lucy and Duncan.

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Serena Jane Chaplin 1954-2025

Serena Frances Jane Chaplin, who died 2 July, 2025, aged 71, was kin paternally of the extinct Viscounts Chaplin, and maternally of the Ridley baronets.

She was born 24 April, 1954, daughter of Major Richard Mark Chaplin (1919-1973), and his wife the former Susan Frances Mary Ridley (1921-1998), and was unmarried.

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Capt Walter Edward Browning Godsal, RN 1924-2025

Capt Walter Edward Browning Godsal, RN, died 15 July, 2025. He was 100. He was a scion of that landed gentry family of Iscoyd Park, Salop.

He was probably the last survivors of the last major surface action of the Second World War in the Far East... he helped sink the Haguro in the last major surface battle of the war in the Far East ...

As a midshipman on the foc’s’le of Verulam he counted the destroyer’s torpedoes running towards the Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro

He was born 3 December, 1924, younger son of Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Godsal, MC (1880-1963), head of that family, and his wife the former Violet Mary Browning (1890-1978).

He married 1970, Pamela Anne de Lisle Caulfeild (1924-2004), former wife of his elder brother, Philip, and daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Wilmot Smyth Caulfeild, MC (1887-1980), and his 1st wife the former Meredith de Lisle John (1899-1924). No issue of the marriage. 

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Charles Arthur George Haggas (born 2025)

 Serena Catherine Lucinda Haggas (nee Tite, born 1994), wife of George Frederick Haggas [born 1993], gave birth to a son, Charles Arthur George, 26 June, 2025.

George Haggas is a son of John Haggas (born 1961), of Gayton, Norfolk, and his wife the former Tracey Speed.

Serena Haggas is a daughter of Christopher Charles Tite [born 1959], of Putney, London, and his wife the former Lucinda Jane Slade [born 15 Nov, 1959].

Serena's grandfather, the Rt Hon Sir Christopher John Slade, Kt, PC [1927-2022] was a Lord Justice of Appeal, 1982-91, who married 30 Dec, 1958, Jane Gwenllian Armstrong Buckley [1936-2023], scion of the Barons Wrenbury, daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Denys Burton Buckley, Kt, PC [1906-98], a Lord Justice of Appeal 1970-81, and his wife the former Gwendolen Jane Armstrong-Jones [1905-85], an aunt of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, GCVO [1930-2017].

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Rufus John Gauloises Neville (born 2025)

 Beatrice Rosamond Crawley Neville [born 4 April, 1994, nee Smith], wife of George Titus Conrad Neville  (born 4 August, 1994), and scion of the Samuel Smith brewing family, gave birth to a second son, Rufus John Gauloises, 5 July, 2025, a brother for Jude Geoffrey Justin, who was born 7 July, 2022.

Beatrice Neville, also descended from the Woollcombe landed gentry family, is the second daughter of Oliver Geoffrey Woollcombe Smith (born 12 Aug 1947), of Healaugh, North Yorkshire, by his wife the former Priscilla Mary Elspeth Crawley (born 1959), scion of that landed family.

George Neville is the younger son of the Rev. Michael R.J. Neville (b 1945) and Mrs Neville (nee Elizabeth H.Terry), of Chelsea, London.

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Reginald Nicolas Jermyn Beale (born 2025)

Rose Elizabeth Frances Beale (born 1992, née Crosthwaite), wife of Christopher Hugo Jermyn (Kit) Beale (born 1993), gave birth to a son, Reginald Nicolas Jermyn, 5 July, 2025.

Kit Beale is the younger son of Simon Charles Waldegrave Beale (b 1961), of Evenlode, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Caroline Margaret Jermyn Holborow (b 1961).

Rose is a daughter of Nicolas James Goland Crosthwaite (b 1948), of Laverstoke, Hampshire, and his wife the former Lucinda Margaret Baxendale (b 1958), scion of that landed gentry family.

The infant is descended from the Earls Fortescue:-

The 5th Earl Fortescue (1888-1958) > Lady Elizabeth Fortescue (1926-2010) > Lucinda Margaret Baxendale (b 1958) > Rose Crosthwaite (b 1992) > Reginald Beale (b 2025)

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Coreth/FitzHerbert engagement

The engagement was announced 19 July, 2025, between Capt Frederick Guy (Freddie) Coreth (born 23 April, 1998), younger son of Major Mark Rudolph Coreth (born 1958), of Tisbury, Wiltshire, late The Blues & Royals, the sculptor, and his wife the former Seonaid Mary Goodbody (born 1961), scion of that landed gentry family; and Francesca Norah FitzHerbert (born 21 April, 1998), daughter of Sir Richard Ranulph FitzHerbert, 9th Baronet (born 2 November, 1963), of Tissington, Derbyshire, and his former wife the former Caroline Louise Shuter (born 1965, now Mrs Charles Hurt, of Wistanstow, Shropshire).

Freddie Coreth is a grandson paternally of Count Maurice Botho Rudolf Maria Coreth zu Coredo und Starkenberg (1929-1997), and his wife the former Jenny Mary Gloria Elwes (1930-2014), scion of that landed gentry family, of Roxby.

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Marina Tyndale-Biscoe (nee Szokoloczi) 1936-2025

 Marina Tyndale-Biscoe died in Australia, 18 July, 2025, aged 89.

She was the former Marina Szokoloczi, born 27 January, 1936, and wife of (Cecil) Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe (born 16 Oct, 1929), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Eric Dallas Tyndale-Biscoe (1901-1988), and his wife the former Phyllis Mary Long. She leaves a son, Simon (born 1961).

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Duff Hart-Davis 1936-2025

 Duff Hart-Davis, who died 10 July, 2025, aged 89, was a biographer, naturalist and journalist.

(Peter) Duff Hart-Davis was born 3 June, 1936, son of Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (1907-1999), the publisher and author and his wife the former Catherine Comfort Borden-Turner. 

He was 'officially' a direct descendant of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan, though his father believed otherwise (see below). 

Hart-Davis married Phyllida Barstow (born 1937), the author, by whom he had one son, Guy, and a daughter, the journalist Alice Hart-Davis.

His biography of his godfather, the adventurer and writer Peter Fleming, entitled Peter Fleming: A Biography, was published in 1974.

King William IV = Mrs Jordan > Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence = William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll > Lady Agnes Hay = James Duff, 5th Earl of Fife > Lady Agnes Duff = Sir Alfred Cooper > Sybil Cooper = Richard Hart-Davis > Sir Rupert Hart-Davis = Catherine Borden-Turner > Peter Duff Hart-Davis (d 2025)

Sir Rupert (according to his ODNB entry) “ostensibly was the son of Richard Vaughan Hart-Davis (d. 1964), a stockbroker, for whom he never greatly cared; but he himself gradually became certain that his true father was Gervase Beckett (1866–1937), brother of the second Baron Grimthorpe, and his contemporaries among the Beckett family tended to agree with him.”

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Hon Miriam Tennant (born 2025)

 The Baroness Glenconner, wife of Cody Charles Edward Tennant, 4th Baron Glenconner [born 2 February, 1994], gave birth to a daughter, the Hon Miriam Tennant, in 2025.

Lord Glenconner is the son of the late Hon Charles Edward Pevensey Tennant [1957-1996], and his wife the former Sheilagh Scott [now the Hon Mrs Charles Tennant, of Edinburgh], daughter of Matthew Raymond Scott, of Peebles.

Lady Glenconner, formerly Rebeka McDonald, is a daughter of Mr & Mrs Colin McDonald, of Archerfield.

Cody Tennant succeeded to the Glenconner peerage [created in 1911] on the death of his grandfather, the 3rd Baron, who died 27 Aug, 2010. The 3rd Baron was owner of Mustique, and a great friend of Princess Margaret. He married in 1956, Lady Anne Coke [born 1932], one of the Queen's trainbearers at the Coronation, 1953, a daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, &c.

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The Baron Marlesford, DL 1931-2025

 The Baron Marlesford, who died 13 July, 2025, aged 93, was a Suffolk landowner, and a Conservative politician and life peer. He was head of the Schreiber landed gentry family of Marlesford Hall, Suffolk.

Mark Shuldham Schreiber was born 11 September, 1931, son of Wing Commander John Schreiber (1901-68), of Marlesford Hall, and the former Constance Maureen Dent (who died 12 Dec, 1980). He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. 

He married 18 Oct, 1969, Countess Gabriella Federica di Castelletto d'Uzonne, daughter of Conte Teodora Veglio di Castelletto d'Uzonne, of Johannesburg, by whom he had issue, two daughters, Nicola and Sophie.

In his political career as Mark Schreiber he was one of the team who advised Sir Edward Heath on making Whitehall more efficient, and subsequently from 1974 to 1991 an accomplished Lobby correspondent for The Economist.

From 1968 to 1970 Schreiber was a councillor on East Suffolk County Council, and from 1970 to 1974 was a special adviser to the Government, working mainly for Lord Rothschild, head of the Central Policy Review Staff. 

He served on the Countryside Commission from 1980 to 1992 and the Rural Development Commission from 1985 to 1993 and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk in 1991. He chaired the Council for the Preservation of Rural England from 1993 to 1998 and was president of the Suffolk Preservation Society from 1998, as well as chair of Marlesford parish council.

He was an independent director of The Times, a director​ of Eastern Electricity, Royal Ordnance and British Rail’s Anglia Region, and an adviser to John Swire & Sons and Mitsubishi. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Suffolk in 1991.

He was raised to the peerage for life in 1991 as Baron Marlesford, of Marlesford in the County of Suffolk.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon found guilty of manslaughter of their baby

 Aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon, a convicted rapist, have been found guilty of the manslaughter of their newborn baby.

Marten, 38, and Gordon, 51, went on the run with daughter Victoria in early 2023 after their four other children were taken into care.

Police had launched a nationwide hunt after their car burst into flames on the motorway near Bolton, Greater Manchester.

The couple travelled across England and went off grid sleeping in a tent on the South Downs where baby Victoria died.

After seven weeks on the run, the defendants were arrested in Brighton, East Sussex.

Following a desperate search, police found their baby dead amid rubbish inside a Lidl bag in a disused shed nearby.

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

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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Cullinan/Mitchell engagement

The engagement was announced 14 July, 2025, between Thomas Michael Cullinan (born 1984), son of Michael Cullinan and his wife the former Janet Ayling, & Venetia Alexandra Jane Mitchell (born 23 June, 1983), daughter of Capt Simon Alexander Francis Mitchell (born 1951), and his wife the former Clarissa Catherine Rosamond Woollcombe Smith (born 20 March, 1952), descended maternally from the Woollcombe landed gentry family, and paternally from the Samuel Smith brewing family, of Tadcaster.

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Robert Gregor Nicholson Boulton 1938-2025

Robert Gregor Nicholson Boulton died 7 July, 2025, aged 86.

He was born 13 Aug, 1938, son of Raymond Percy Boulton (1904-1970), and his wife the former Monica Elizabeth Greer (1907-1987), scion of that Irish landed gentry family; and married 1961, Patricia Kathleen Mary Cochrane, daughter of S.R. Cochrane, of Londonderry, by whom he had issue, three sons, Roderick, Philip and Nicholas. 

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Michael Eliot Howard 1947-2025

 Michael Eliot Howard died 26 June, 2025, aged 78. He was born in 1947, a son of Eliot Charles Stewart Howard (1903-1990), and his wife the former Daphne Gladys Colville (1911-1949), scion of that landed gentry family, of Bellaport Hall, Shropshire; and married 8 September, 1973, Caroline Anne Pelly (born 23 November, 1950), scion of the Pelly baronets, daughter of John Gordon Pelly, RNVR (1923-2004), and his wife the former Patricia Maureen Fuller (who died 2020), by whom he had 2 sons, Nicholas and Harry and a daughter, Joanna.

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Witherow/Kotlarczyk engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 July, 2025, between Thomas Edward Codrington Witherow (born 12 Oct, 1991), son of Ross O'Neill Witherow (born 1945), of Fulham, and of Bridget Margaret Codrington (born 7 November, 1958), of Marlborough, Wiltshire, scion of the Codrington baronets; and Agnieszka M., Kotlarczyk, daughter of Jaroslaw Kotlarczyk, and Jolanta Czaicka-Kotlarczyk of Mount Vernon, Washington, United States, and Krakow, Poland.

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Penelope Agnes Marion Garnett (nee Frere) 1926-2025

 Penelope Agnes Marion Garnett (nee Frere), died 7 July, 2025, aged 99.

She was born 25 June, 1926, daughter of Philip Beaumont Frere, MC (1897-1981), & his 1st wife the former Jean Winifred Mary Scott-Makdougall (1897-1990); and married 21 Dec, 1946, Thomas Ronald Garnett (1915-2006), Headmaster of Geelong Grammar School in the years when HM The King was a pupil, son of Edward Norman Garnett, of of South Tawton, Okehampton, Devon, by whom she had issue, three sons and one daughter.

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Timothy Brian Scott Bigland 1946-2025

Timothy Brian Scott Bigland died 27 June, 2025, aged 78.

He was born in 1946, son of T.S. Bigland and his wife nee ____ Castle; & married 1stly, 1970 (div 1983) Lavinia Susan Kennedy (born 1 Juy, 1948), daughter of Ian Alexander Kennedy and his wife the former Victoria Maud Lavinia Mary Gore (1915-2008), scion of the Earls Temple of Stowe; & married 2ndly, 1995, Janice E. Richmond. He leaves issue from his first marriage, a daughter, Alexandra Rosalind (born 1977).

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Criswell/Knudsen engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 July, 2025, between Dr Theodore Patrick Criswell (born 1994), the elder son of Michael Ian Criswell (born 1962), and his wife the former Constance Orfla (Conta) Rowan Hamilton (born 16 Oct, 1962), scion of that Irish landed family, and Capt Grace Coral Knudsen (born circa 1995), daughter of Mr and Mrs Christopher Knudsen.

Dr Criswell is a kinsman of HM The King, have Bowes Lyon ancestry:-

The 13th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne (1824-1904) > Lady Constance Bowes Lyon (1865-1951) > Phyllis Blackburn > Denys Archibald Rowan Hamilton (1921-2018) > Constance Rowan Hamilton (b 1962) > Theo Criswell (b 1994)

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Alexander Thomas Peter Birch Reynardson (born 2025)

 Tamara Manuela Birch Reynardson (born 1992, nee Koch de Gooreynd), wife of Edward Henry Birch Reynardson [born 1993], scion of that landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, Alexander Thomas Peter, 3 June, 2025.

Edward Birch Reynardson is a son of Thomas Henry Birch Reynardson [born 1956], of Adwell House, and his wife the former Imogen Mary Caldecott [born 1957].

Tamara, a scion of the Koch de Gooreynd landed gentry family, is a daughter of Peter Frederick Leopold Koch de Gooreynd [born 31 Aug, 1958], of Yarn Hill House, Epwell,  and his wife the former Carolyn Antonia N. Parker.

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Nairne Eiryls Farquharson (born 2025)

Rhiannon Farquharson of Finzean (née Rees), wife of Rory Finlay Mor Farquharson of Finzean Yr (born 1994), of that Scottish landed family, gave birth to a daughter, Nairne Eirlys, 26 June, 2025.

Rory is the son of Donald Hugh Miller Farquharson of Finzean (born 1963), head of that family, by his wife the former Catriona Rose.

Rhiannon is a daughter of Stephen Rees, of Amsterdam, and Mrs Carolyn Rees.

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Stride/du Luart engagement

The engagement was announced 12 July, 2025, between H. Roly C. Stride, son of David James Stride (born 1947), and Mrs Stride, of Stratton Park, Micheldever, Hampshire, and Emily Marie-Madeleine du Luart (born 1991), daughter of Comte Charles-Henri du Luart, of Paris, France, and his former wife the former Alexandra Katharine Butler, now Baroness Willoughby de Broke, wife since 2003 of the 21st Baron Willoughby de Broke, DL, of Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, daughter of Sir Adam Courtauld Butler (1931-2008), and his wife the former Felicity Sybil Molesworth-St Aubyn, scion of the baronets of that name.

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The Baron Blair of Broughton, QPM 1953-2025

Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Blair, who was in charge of the force during the July 7 bombings, died 9 July, 2025, aged 72.

Ian Blair, who ran the force from 2005 to 2008, took a seat as a crossbench peer in 2010 when he became Lord Blair of Boughton. He had earlier been knighted in 1999.

His death was confirmed by Christ Church Oxford, where he was an honorary student.

Ian Warwick Blair was born 19 March, 1953. son of Francis James Blair (1906-1989), and his wife the former Sheila Kathleen Law (1917-1995). 

In a statement on Friday, Christ Church Oxford said: "The Christ Church community would like to extend its condolences to the family of Ian Blair, the Lord Blair of Boughton QPM, who has died at the age of 72.

Lord Blair was chief constable of Surrey Police for two years before becoming deputy commissioner of the Met in 2000, taking over the top job five years later.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said: "Lord Ian Blair dedicated over 30 years to public service as a police officer - rising through the ranks from a graduate recruit to becoming Commissioner of the Met.

He was a police officer from 1974-2008, serving as Chief Constable of Surrey Police from 1998-2000 and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 2005-08. He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 1999, knighted in 2003, and created a life peer as Baron Blair of Boughton, of Boughton in the County of Cheshire, on 20 July 2010.

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Huntington-Whiteley/Murcia marriage

 The marriage took place in Italy, 6 July, 2025, between Toby Charles Huntington-Whiteley (born 1989), scion of the baronets of that name, son of Charles Andrew Huntington-Whiteley (born 7 May, 1957), and his wife the former Fiona Yvonne Jackson, & Noa Murcia.

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Macnab/Cameron marriage

The marriage took place 7 June, 2025, between Charles Alexander Macnab (born 5 September, 1996), scion of the Clan Macnab of Macnab, son of Ian Macnab (born 4 May, 1951), and his wife the former Hon Jane Maureen Allan (born 1952), & Helen C. Cameron, daughter of Mr Richard K. Cameron and Mrs Morag S. Cameron.

Charles Macnab is a grandson maternally of the life peer the Baron Allan of Kilmahew, DSO, OBE (1914-1979).

John Egerton Grey, CB 1929-2025

John Egerton Grey, CB, who died 24 June, 2025, aged 96, was a scion of the Earls Grey.

He was born 8 February, 1929, son of John Grey (1899-1979), and his wife the former Nancy Augusta Nickalls (who died 1984).

He married 7 January, 1961, his kinswoman, Patricia Grey Hanna, daughter of Colonel Walter Francis Hanna, MC (who died 1963), and his wife the former Kathleen Ethel Madeline Grey (1897-1976), by whom he had issue, two adopted sons, George and Thomas.

John Egerton Grey was called to the Bar and the Inner Temple, 1954; practiced at the Chancery Bar 1954-59; Clerk in Parliament Office House of Lords 1959-88; was Clark Assistant and Clerk of Public Bills, House of Lords 1974-88; was appointed CB in 1980. 

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Camilla, Lady Mackeson 1947-2025

 Camilla, Lady Mackeson, who died 29 June, 2025, aged 78, was a scion of the Keith landed family, and former wife of baronet Sir Rupert Mackeson.

She was born Camilla Margaret Keith, 7 March, 1947, twin with her brother Alastair, daughter of merchant banker Kenneth Keith, later a life peer as Baron Keith of Castleacre (1916-2004), and his wife the former Lady Ariel Olivia Winifred Baird (1916-2003), daughter of the 1st Viscount Stonehaven (1874-1941), and his wife the Countess of Kintore (1874-1974), a peeress in her own right.

She married 1stly, 22 July, 1968, Sir Rupert Henry Mackeson, 2nd Baronet (born 16 Nov, 1941), son of Brig Sir Harry Mackeson, 1st Baronet (1905-1964), and his wife the former Alethea Cecil Chetwynd-Talbot (1913-79), scion of the Earls of Shrewsbury.

Her marriage to Sir Rupert, old-Harrovian, Guards Officer and Steeplechase rider, ended in a much publicised and acrimonious divorce in 1972. In court in January 1972 the baronet promised a High Court Judge that he would not molest his estranged wife, Lady Mackeson, 24, daughter of merchant banker, Sir Kenneth Keith. The judge also ordered that Lady Mackeson's divorce petition should be brought forward by two months and heard that day.

She later married Roberto Villambrosa but retained her style as the former wife of a baronet.

Lady Mackeson was childless, but leaves step-children Guadalupe and Macarena.

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Dawnay/Sullivan engagement

 The engagement was announced 9 July, 2025, between Oliver Payan Dawnay (born 28 September, 1996), scion of the Viscounts Downe, younger son of Ivo Nicholas Payan Dawnay (born 9 December, 1952), and Ms Rachel Johnson (born 1965), of Notting Hill, London, descended from the Royal House of Hanover, & Lily A. Sullivan daughter of the late Mr Richard Sullivan and Mrs Christine Sullivan of Esher, Surrey.

Oliver Dawnay, descended from the 7th Viscount Downe, is a nephew of the Rt Hon Boris Johnson, PC, Prime Minister & First Lord of the Treasury 2019-2022, &c.

Oliver is a direct descendant of the House of Hanover:-

George II, King of Gt Britain & Ireland > Frederick, Prince of Wales > Princess Augusta of Gt Britain & Ireland > Princess Auguste Caroline Friederike Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel > Prince Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August of Württemberg > Karolina von Rottenburg > Hubert Freiherr von Pfeffel > Marie Luise Freiin von Pfeffel > Irene Williams > Stanley Johnson  > Rachel Johnson > Oliver Dawnay

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Cook/Bevan engagement

 The engagement was announced  9 July, 2025, between Milo Captain Cook (born 23 Aug, 1997), second son of Nicholas John Mervyn Cook (born 20 March, 1964), descended from the Hoare landed gentry family, of Shepherd's Bush, London, & his wife the former Fiona Venables (born 1963), and Georgina Daisy Bevan (born 18 May, 1997), daughter of Christopher George Bevan (born 1967), of Haughley, Suffolk, and his late wife the former Charlotte Jane Wills (1966-2014). 

Charlotte Wills married 1stly, 1987 (div), Ewan D. Wauchope, a descendant of the Boothby baronets, son of George Duncan Wauchope (1924-2001), and his wife the former Margaret Naomi Latimer Willson (1925-2020). Charlotte married 2ndly, 1994, Christopher George Bevan (above).

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Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Harman (died 2025)

 Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Harman, late the 14th/20th King's Hussars, died 30 June, 2025, aged 86.

He was a son of C. Lancelot Harman, of Evenley, Brackley, Northamptonshire, and married 25 January, 1964, Mary Elizabeth Hotham (born 1 April, 1940), scion of the Barons Hotham, second daughter of Maj the Hon Peter Hotham (1904-1991), and his wife the former Margaret Williams-Wynn (1911-2003), scion of the Williams-Wynn baronets. His wife is a niece of the 7th Baron Hotham (1899-1967).

He leaves issue, a son, Andrew, and a daughter, Nicola.

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Corinna, Baroness Hamilton of Dalzell (died 2025)

 (Ann Anastasia) Corinna Helena, Baroness Hamilton of Dalzell, widow of the 4th Baron, died 7 July, 2025.

Known as 'Coucou', she was a daughter of Sir Pierson Dixon, GCMG, CB (1904-1965), the diplomat and writer, by his wife the former Alexandra Ismene Atchley (1896-1987); and married 29 March, 1967, the then Hon James Leslie Hamilton (born 11 February, 1938), son and heir of the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, GCVO, MC (1911-90), by his wife, the former Rosemary Olive Coke (d. 8 Oct, 1993), scion of the Earls of Leicester.

Her husband, who succeeded his father as 4th Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, 31 June, 1990, was a member of the Stock Exchange, 1967-80; Director, Rowton Hotels, plc 1978-84; Chairman, Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for the Disabled, from 1989; Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Surrey from 1993, &c. He died 28 September, 2006.

 Lady Hamilton of Dalzell leaves issue, four sons (including twins). Her eldest son, Gavin, is the 5th Baron (born 8 Oct, 1968),

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The Baron Tebbit, CH, PC 1931-2025

The Baron Tebbit, CH, PC,  who died 7 July, 2025, aged 94, served as a cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher's government throughout the 1980s. He worked as the chairman of the Conservative Party and led departments including trade and industry and employment.

Norman Beresford Tebbit was born 29 March, 1931, the second son of Leonard Albert Tebbit (1894-1977), of Enfield, and his wife, the former Edith Stagg (1901-1984).

He was educated at Edmonton County Grammar School and embarked on a career in journalism, 1947; served in the RAF, was commissioned and served as a pilot, 1949-51; Reserve service Royal Auxiliary Air Force, No. 604 City of Middlesex Squadron 1952-55; entered and left publishing and advertising, 1951-53; Civil Airline Pilot 1953-70; a member of the Conservative party from 1946. Conservative MP for Epping, 1970-74, Conservative MP for Chingford 1974-1992, PPS to the Secretary of State, Dept of Employment, 1972-73; Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Dept of Trade 1979-1981; Minister of State Dept of Industry 1981; Secretary of State for Employment 1981-83; Secretary of State for Trade & Industry 1983-85; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1985-87; Chairman of the Conservative Party 1985-87; was Chairman of the Conservative MPs Aviation Committee. 

In retirement he was a director of Sears Holdings PLC 1987-99, Director, British Telecommunications plc 1987-96, Director of BET 1987-96; and director of the Spectator (1828) Ltd from 1989; a Director of J.C. Bamford Excavations 1987-91; Co-presenter, Target, Sky TV 1989-1998; he wrote a column in The Sun newspaper, 1995-97; The Mail on Sunday 1997-2001, &c.

Norman Tebbit married in 1956, Margaret Elizabeth Daines, daughter of Stanley Daines, of Chatteris, Isle of Ely, by whom he had two sons, the Hon John Beresford Tebbit (born 1958), and the Hon William Mark Tebbit (born 1965), and one daughter, the Hon Alison Mary (born 1960). 

The Tebbits were both seriously injured in the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel, Brighton, 12 Oct, 1984. Margaret Tebbit was in a wheel chair for the rest of her life. Lady Tebbit died 19 December, 2020, aged 84.

Tebbit was sworn of the Privy Council in 1981, and appointed a Companion of Honour in 1987. In 1992 after leaving the Commons he was raised to the peerage for life as Baron Tebbit, of Chingford in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

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Mary Violet Sweet (née Trotman-Dickenson) 1928-2025

Mary Violet Sweet, who died 1 July, 2025, aged 97, was a scion of the Trotman-Dickenson landed gentry family.

She was born in 1928 a daughter of Capt Edward Newton Trotman-Dickenson, MC (1895-1977), head of that landed family, by his wife the former Violet Murray Nicoll (1897-1989); and married 1961, Canon John Philip McMurdo Sweet (1927-2009), by whom she had issue, one son, Richard John McMurdo Sweet, and two daughters, Alison and Rosemary.

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Jennifer Barbara Thornton (née Stephenson) 1931-2025

 Jennifer Barbara Thornton (née Stephenson), died 4 July, 2025, aged 93. She was a scion of the Stephenson baronets.

She was born 8 November, 1931, daughter of Percival John Parker Stephenson (1900-1973), and his wife the former Pamela Benton Jones (1908-1997), daughter of Sir Walter Benton Jones, 2nd Baronet (1880-1967); and was a granddaughter paternally of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Kenyon Stephenson, 1st Baronet (1865-1947); and married 25 October, 1958, John Henry Thornton (born 1927), son of the Rev John Gordon Thornton (1884-1969), and his wife the former Judith Birkbeck (1887-1960), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom she had issue, two sons, Edward (born 25 May, 1963), and Robert (born 18 March, 1968), and a daughter, Katherine (born 27 April, 1961).

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Mary Eveleen, Lady Angus Montagu 1937-2025

 Mary Eveleen, Lady Angus Montagu, who died in Australia, 1 July, 2025, was the first of the four wives of the late 12th Duke of Manchester, and mother of the current Duke.

She was born Mary Eveleen McClure, 10 December, 1937, daughter of Walter Gillespie McClure (1902-1969), of Geelong, Australia, and his wife the former Beatrix Eveleen Stinton (1911-1981); and married 22 Nov, 1961 (div. 1970), the then Lord Angus Charles Drogo Montagu (born 9 October, 1938), second son of the 10th Duke of Manchester, OBE (1902-1977), and his first wife the former Nell Vere Stead (who died 2 Sept, 1966).

Her former husband, Lord Angus Montagu, succeeded his elder brother, 3 June, 1985, as 12th Duke of Manchester (Great Britain, let. pat. 28 Apr 1719); Earl of Manchester (England, let. pat. 5 Feb 1626); Viscount Mandeville (England, let. pat. 19 Dec 1620); Baron Montagu of Kimbolton, of Kimbolton in the County of Huntingdon (England, let. pat. 19 Dec 1620). He died 25 July, 2002.

Lady Angus Montagu leaves issue, Alexander, 13th Duke of Manchester (born 11 Dec, 1962), Lord Kimble Montagu (born 1964), and was predeceased by a daughter, Lady Emma Montagu (1965-2014).

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Ethel Mary Eyre (nee Drage) 1931-2025

Ethel Mary Eyre, died 25 June, 2025, aged 93.

She was a former senior soloist ballet dancer with the Royal Ballet who was romantically linked in the 1950s with the the then Lord Carnegie (later 3rd Duke of Fife), a cousin Queen Elizabeth II.

It was rumoured, but never confirmed, that Queen Elizabeth refused to consent to the betrothal of her cousin to the ballerina on the grounds that Mary was a Roman Catholic. Lord Carnegie would have lost his position, albeit a distant one, in the order of succession to the throne.

She was born Ethel Mary Drage in 1931, a daughter of Commander Charles Hardinge Drage, RN (1897-1983), and his wife the former Enid Margaret Lomer (1902-2004).

She married 1stly, 8 April, 1958, Roderick Andrew Joseph Fraser (1927-1964), scion of the Lords Lovat, son of Major the Hon Alastair Thomas Joseph Fraser (1877-1949), and his wife the former Lady Sibyl Grimston (1887-1968), scion of the Earls of Verulam.

Her first husband died 3 Aug, 1964, aged 37. She married 2ndly, 7 July, 1969, Edward Eyre (born 30 June, 1929), son of Edward Joseph Eyre (who died in 1962), and his wife the Hon Dorothy Elizabeth Anne Pelline Lyon Dalberg-Acton (1906-1998), daughter of the 2nd Baron Acton (1870-1924).

Mary Eyre is survived by her second husband and by three sons and a daughter from her first marriage, and by a son and three daughters from her second marriage.

The funeral is to take place in the Wardour Chapel, at Tisbury, Wiltshire, 8 August, 2025.

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Clementine Betty Owen (born 2025)

 Fleur Lucy Owen (born 1989, nee Cazalet), wife of John W. Owen, gave birth to a daughter, Clementine Betty, 30 June, 2025, a sister for William John (Billy), who was born 17 July, 2023.

John Owen is the youngest son of Mr & Mrs John Owen, of Acton Pigott, Shropshire.

Fleur Owen is a daughter of Mr & Mrs Julian Cazalet, of Holland Park, London.

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Kaia Moon Keswick (born 2025)

 Poppy Delevingne, the socialite and fashion model, partner of Jardine Matheson heir Archie Keswick, gave birth to a daughter, Kaia Moon, on 20 May, 2025.

Archibald David Keswick (born 1980), scion of that landed gentry family, is the second son of Simon Lindley Keswick, FRSA (born 20 May, 1942), and his wife the former Emma Bridget Chetwode (born 17 Oct, 1950), scion of the Barons Chetwode.

Archie was previously married to Alice Rugge-Price (born 22 May, 1985), scion of the Rugge-Price baronets, by whom he has two daughters, Coco and Grace.

Poppy Angela Delevingne (born 1986), is the second daughter of Charles Hamar Delevingne (born 25 June, 1949), descended from the Viscounts Greenwood, and his wife the former Pandora Anne Stevens (born 28 June, 1959), descended from the Sheffield baronets.

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Sir (James) Andrew Watson, 5th Baronet 1937-2025

Sir (James) Andrew Watson, 5th Baronet, died 21 June, 2025, aged 87. 

Sir Andrew held the distinction of being the longest serving Baronet at the time of his death, having succeeded to the baronetcy on 10 Jan 1941, and held the title for 84 years and 162 days.  

He was born 30 December, 1937, son of Sir Aubrey Thomas Watson, 4th Baronet (1911-1941), who was killed in action, 10 Jan, 1941, and his wife the former Ella Marguerite Farrar (1911-1996), daughter of Sir George Herbert Farrar, DSO, 1st and last Baronet (1859-1915).

Andrew Watson, educated at Eton; and served as a Lieutenant in the Life Guards; and was Called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1966. He was appointed a Recorder in 1989.

His home was at Talton House, Newbold-on-Stour, Warwickshire. He married 12 January, 1965, Christabel Mary Carlisle (born 1 March, 1939), scion of that landed gentry family, the elder daughter of Major Kenneth Ralph Malcolm Peter Carlisle (1908-1983), head of that family, by his wife the Hon Elizabeth Mary McLaren (1911-1991), daughter of the 2nd Baron Aberconway (1879-1953).

Sir Andrew is survived by Lady Watson and had issue, two sons, Roland and Alexander, and a daughter, Olivia.

The baronetcy, created in 1866,  now passes to the elder son, Roland Victor Watson (born 4 March, 1966).

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Digby Huw Richmond Jenkins (born 2025)

Harriett E. Jenkins (nee Baker Baker), wife of Edward J.R. Jenkins, gave birth to a son, Digby Huw Richmond, 15 May, 2025, a brother for Ozzie.

Edward Jenkins is the son of Lt-Col Nicholas Jenkins, of Shrewsbury, and Mrs Beatrice Jenkins, of Nanyuki, Kenya.

Harriett Jenkins, is a scion of that landed family, of Sedbury Hall, North Yorkshire, only daughter of William George Baker Baker (b 5 Jan, 1955), of Richmond, North Yorkshire, and Mrs Sarah Baker Baker, of Ramsbury, Wiltshire.

The infant is descended from Sir George Baker, Recorder of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, one of the loyal defenders of that town for King Charles I in the English Civil War.

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Lord Elcho to marry Georgina Thomas

The engagement was announced 5 July, 2025, between Francis Richard Charteris, styled Lord Elcho (born 15 September, 1984), son and heir of the 13th Earl of Wemyss & (9th Earl of ) March (born 22 June, 1948), of Stanway, Gloucestershire, by his first wife the former Hon Catherine Ingrid Guinness (born 1 June, 1952 - now the Hon Mrs Hesketh, of Bayswater, London), scion of the Barons Moyne, & Georgina Charlotte E. Thomas (born 1992), younger daughter of Nigel M. Thomas, of Bromham, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Louisa V. Swithinbank (born 1961).

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Mount/Younger marriage

The marriage took place 14 June, 2025, at Santa Maria, Mallorca, between Benjamin John David Mount (born 1977), son of Jonathan S.D. Mount (born 1949), of Folkestone, Kent, and his former wife Mrs Jacqueline S.J. McLean (nee Jamieson, born 1951), of La Rochelle, France, & Arabella Emily Younger (born 1987), scion of the Viscounts Younger of Leckie, eldest daughter of the Hon Charles Gerald Alexander Younger (born 4 October, 1959), of Gifford, East Lothian, and his wife the former Sally Elizabeth Fergusson.

Arabella is a granddaughter of the late 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, KCVO, PC (1931-2003).

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Diana Mary Orr Ewing (née Waters) (died 2025)

Diana Mary Orr Ewing, died 23 June, 2025.

She was the former Diana Mary Waters, born circa 1943, daughter of Capt William Smith Waters, OBE (1903-1995), of Raughton Head, Cumbria, and married in 1981, as his second wife, Major Edward Stuart Orr Ewing, CVO (born 28 September, 1931), scion of the Orr Ewing baronets, sometime Lord Lieutenant of Wigtownshire, son of Capt David Orr Ewing, DSO, RN (1900-1964), and his wife the former Helen Mary Stuart Noaks (1904-1994). No issue of the marriage.

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Christopher Hugh Standing 1965-2025

Christopher Hugh Standing died 30 June, 2025, aged 60. He was a descendant of the Harrison baronets.

He was born 4 February, 1965, the only son of Paul Standing (who died in 2024), and his wife the former Judith Mary Harrison (born 7 Aug, 1935), daughter of Sir John Fowler Harrison, 2nd Baronet (1899-1947), and his wife the former Kathleen Livingston (1904-1993). He was unmarried.

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Marina Isabelle Phoebe Roxanne de Stacpoole 1980-2025

 Marina Isabelle Phoebe Roxanne de Stacpoole died 23 June, 2025, aged 45. She was a scion of that Irish landed gentry family, and was born in 1980, the third daughter of Robert George Francis de Stacpoole (1924-2016), and his wife the former Susan Mary Angela Trouncer (1938-2023), and was unmarried.

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The Baron Lipsey 1948-2025

 Labour peer the Baron Lipsey has died while swimming in a river, police have confirmed.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it received a report concerning the safety of a man who was last seen swimming in the River Wye in Glasbury, Powys, on Monday.

After a multi-agency search on 1 July, 2025, officers confirmed the body of Lord Lipsey, 77, was recovered.

Police said his next of kin have been informed and have asked for their privacy to be respected.

Lord Lipsey, originally from Dorset, lived in Powys and was a patron of the Glasbury Arts Festival.

In the 1970s, Lord Lipsey served as a special adviser to Labour minister and diarist Anthony Crosland and on the staff at 10 Downing Street under Prime Minister Jim Callaghan, later Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, KG.

Lord Lipsey had previously worked as a journalist for The Sunday Times, New Society and The Economist and co-founded the short-lived Sunday Correspondent in 1988.

He was awarded a life peerage by former PM Tony Blair in 1999, and is credited with coining the phrases "New Labour" and "winter of discontent".

The latter refers to the bitter and intense industrial disputes of the autumn and winter of 1978/9, which saw a wave of crippling strikes across the country - and led to the election of Margaret Thatcher.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer led tributes from the Labour Party, saying the peer "worked tirelessly for what he believed in" and will be "sorely missed" by all who knew him.

Sir Keir said: "David was loved and respected by so many. Whether it was his early years as a researcher and adviser, or his quarter of a century in the House of Lords, he worked tirelessly for what he believed in.

"He will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate to know him, in Parliament and beyond.

"My thoughts are with his wife, Margaret, and their family and friends."

Lord Lipsey was also a fan of greyhound racing, chairing the British Greyhound Racing Board (now called the Greyhound Board of Great Britain) between 2004 and 2009, and worked to get dogs rehomed at the end of their careers.

Lord Speaker John McFall said the upper chamber extended its "condolences to the noble Lord's family and friends".

Lady Floyd 1936-2025

Lady Floyd, who died 30 June, 2025, aged 88, was the wife of Sir Giles Floyd, 7th Baronet.

She was born Judy Sophia Tregoning, 11 July, 1936, scion of that landed gentry family of Landue, the elder daughter of William Leonard Tregoning, CBE (1902-1991), headof that family, of Landue, near Launceston, Cornwall, by his 2nd wife the former Doris Mary Elwes Josselyn (1907-1985), scion of that landed gentry family. and married 1stly, 14 February, 1958, Thomas Lane, of Tickencote Hall, Stamford, Lincolnshire, son of Eric Angell Lane, of Serpentine House, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, by whom she had three daughters, Miranda, Charlotte and Suzy; and married 2ndly, in 1985, as his second wife, Sir Giles Henry Charles Floyd, 7th Baronet (born 27 February, 1932), son of Sir John Duckett Floyd, 6th Baronet (1903-1975), and his wife the former Jocelin Evadne Wyldbore-Smith (who died 17 Jan, 1976).

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Trower/Wallersteiner engagement

The engagement was announced 3 July, 2025, between Thomas Richard George Trower (born 6 October, 1994), scion of that landed gentry family, fourth son of Jonathan Charles Gosselin Trower (born 1958), of Stanstead Bury, Hertfordshire, and his wife the former Virginia Louise Hartt Langman (born 1960), & Imogen Helena Wallersteiner (born 1996), younger daughter of Dr Anthony Kurt Wallersteiner (born 1963), of Stowe, Buckinghamshire, and his wife the former Valerie Anne MacDougall-Jones.

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Diana, Lady Dryden 1944-2025

Diana, Lady Dryden, who died in New Zealand, 2 July, 2025, was the widow of Sir John Dryden, Bt.

She was born in 1944, as Diana Constance Tomlinson, daughter of Cyril Tomlinson, of Highland Park, Wellington, New Zealand, and married 10 April, 1970, John Stephen Gyles Dryden (was born 26 September, 1943), son of Sir Noel Percy Hugh Dryden, 7th and 10th Baronet [1910-70], and his wife the former Rosamund Mary Scrope [1915-94], scion of that landed dynasty. Her husband to two baronetcies on the death of his father, 23 March, 1970. Her husband died 29 June, 2022.

She leaves a son, Sir (John) Frederick Simon Dryden, 9th/12th Baronet (born 26 May, 1976), and by a daughter, Caroline (born 1980).

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William Burnfield (born 2025)

  Cecilia Laura Katherine Burnfield (nee Barclay, born 12 Aug, 1991), wife of Giles Alexander D. Burnfield [born 1986], gave birth to a son, William, 23 June, 2025, a brother for Frederick, who was born 10 March, 2023.

Cecilia is a scion of the Barclay landed family of Higham, the elder daughter of Major [Thomas Patrick] Edward Barclay [born 1951], of Brent Pelham, Hertfordshire, and his wife the former Elizabeth A. Whitehead [born 1952].

Giles is the only son of David N.M. Burnfield, of Longstock, Hampshire, and the former Josephine Balmer [now Mrs Josephine Burnfield, of Chilbolton, Hants].

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Antony Sebastian Roger de Winton Winlaw 1938-2025

Antony Sebastian Roger de Winton Winlaw died 21 June, 2025. He was 87.

He was born in 1938, a son of Squadron Leader Roger de Winton Kelsall Winlaw (1912-1942), by his wife the former Marsali Mary Seymour-Seal (1912-2004). (Marsali Winlaw, widowed, married secondly, in 1946, John Michael Montgomery-Massingberd (died 30 Dec, 2004), scion of that landed gentry family, and had further issue including a a son, Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd (who died 25 Dec, 2007), the writer, and obituarist.

He married 1stly, 1963 (div), Carole Patricia Hinmers (1942-2004), daughter of Thomas Leslie Hinmers (1905-1962), and his wife the former Mavis Leila Brown (1914-1996), by whom he had four daughters, Victoria, Gabriel, Grania and Alice; and married 2ndly, in 1972, Ann Marshall.

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Rosalind Ann Hinton (née Elliott) 1930-2025

Rosalind Ann Hinton (nee Elliott), died 24 June, 2025, aged 94.

She was born 30 October, 1930, a daughter of Charles Edward Murray Elliott (1901-1987), and his wife the former Lucy Eleanor Arthur (1904-1982), scion of the Arthur baronets; she married 15 July, 1956, Lieutenant-Commander the Rev John Dorsett Owen Hinton (1921-2002), son of Capt John Charles Dorsett Hinton (1876-1947), by his wife the former Marie Violet Dove (1889-1965), by whom she had issue, two sons, Jeremy and John, and a daughter, Sarah.

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William Berry of Tayfield, DL 1939-2025

William Berry of Tayfield, DL, eho died 25 June, 2025, aged 85, was head of that Scottish landed family of Tayfield.

He was born 26 September, 1939, son of Dr John Berry of Tayfield (1908-2002), and his wife the Hon Bride Faith Louisa Fremantle (1910-2003), daughter of the 3rd Baron Cottesloe (1862-1956); and married 15 December, 1973, Elizabeth Warner (born 1947), daughter of Sir Edward Warner, KCMG, OBE (1911-2002), and his wife the former Grizel Margaret Burn-Clerk-Rattray (1913-2003), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom he had issue, two sons, John and Robert. The elder son, born 22 Feb, 1976, succeeds as head of the family.

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