Clare Mary E. Bossom (born 1993, née Hunter), wife of Caspar Luke Sebastian Bossom (born 1991), scion of the Bossom baronets, gave birth to a son, Alfred Alexander Eric, 18 February, 2026.
Clare is a daughter of Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter, OBE (born 1962), and his wife the former Dorothy Crookenden (born 1960).
Caspar is a son of Doric Alfred Howard Bossom (born 27 February, 1960), and his wife the former Sara Jocelyn Vaughan (born 1958).
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Laura Worsley (née Taylor), wife of Nicholas Arthington Pitfield Worsley [born 29 July, 1988], scion of the Worsley baronets, of Hovingham Hall, gave birth to a daughter, Clio Zuleika Rose, 4 February, 2026, a sister for Lachlan Alexander Arthington, who was born 7 October, 2023.
Laura is the only daughter of Mr & Mrs Ian Taylor, of Assington, Suffolk, and Nicholas is the eldest son of Jonathan Hugh Worsley [born 3 Oct, 1960], of Hillington, Norfolk, by his wife the former Laura Pitfield.
The infant is a great-great niece of the late HRH The Duchess of Kent, GCVO.
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Lucie Quicke [née Shuttlewood, born 1986], wife of Thomas William Quicke [born 1987], descended from the Dewey baronets, gave birth to a third daughter, Ophelia Clementine Clara, 14 February, 2026, a sister for Araminta Florence Cressida, who was born in 2019, and for Florence Isabella Ophelia, born 26 May, 2021.
Thomas Quicke is a son of Colonel Richard Neville Brayley Quicke [born 1951[, and is wife the former Amanda Julia Dewey [born 1957].
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The engagement was announced 28 February, 2026, between Dominic Hew Williams Barrington (born 1994), scion of the Barrington baronets, eldest son of Rupert Hew Williams Barrington (born 5 January, 1963), of Miserden, Gloucester, and Mrs (Ann) Olivia Barrington (nee Nutting, born 20 Aug, 1963, scion of the Nutting baronets), of St Just in Roseland, Cornwall, & Augusta Kate Redding (born c 1996), daughter of Jon Stewart Redding (born 1952), of Wandsworth, London, and his wife the former Joanna Charlotte Stephenson (born 1960).
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The engagement was announced 28 February, 2026, between William (Billy) Falcon (born 1994), son of Andrew Falcon (born 1958), of Reymerston, Norfolk, and his wife the former Victoria de Bunsen (born 16 July, 1968), scion of that landed gentry family, & Brooke Elizabeth Hollingbery (born 1995), daughter of Sir George Michael Edward Hollingbery, KCMG (born 12 Oct, 1963), of Alresford, Hampshire, sometime British Ambassador to Cuba, by his wife the former Janette Marie White.
Billy Falcon is of Wellesley descent, descended from the 1st Earl of Mornington. His mother, Victoria, is a granddaughter of the 6th Baron Carrington, KG, GCMG, CH, MC, PC (1919-2018).
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Jenna Kate Hobhouse (née Ralfe, born 1984), wife of Hugh James Hobhouse (born 1984), scion of the baronets of that name, gave birth to a daughter, Nina Romy Ida, 18 February, 2026, a sister for Martha Grace (born 27 Apr, 2019), and for Thea Susan Julia (born 7 Oct, 2020).
Hugh is the eldest son of Martin Hugh John Hobhouse (1955-2024), and his wife the former Julia Isobel Craib, and a great-grandson of Sir Reginald Hobhouse, 5th Baronet (1878-1947).
Jenna is a daughter of Christopher Ralfe (born 1951), and his wife the former Gwendoline Shaw.
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Richard Mervyn Wingfield, who died 26 January, 2026, aged 83, was a scion of the Viscounts Powerscourt.
He was born 30 December, 1942, elder son of Capt Mervyn Robert George Wingfield, DSO, DSC, RN (1911-2005), and his wife the former Sheila Mary Pigé Leschallas (1909-2006); and married 26 July, 1969, Diana Longhurst (born 5 May, 1948), daughter of Peter Michael Longhurst (1918-1990), of Haslemere, Surrey, and his wife the former Barbara Watson (1918-2008), by whom he had one son, James (born 24 Oct, 1973), and a daughter, Caroline (born 9 Aug, 1976).
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Douglas Michael Free died in Pau, France, 18 February, 2026, aged 76.
He was a son of Thomas Victor Free (1897-1949), and his wife the former Mary Louise Waddoups (1897-1958); and married in 1987, the Hon Harriet Susan Anne Neill (born 1962), daughter of the life peer the Baron Neill of Bladen (1926-2016), and his wife the former Caroline Susan Debenham (1930-2010), daughter of Sir Piers Debenham, 2nd Baronet (1904-1964), by whom he had issue, a son, Alexander (born c. Jan 1992), and two daughters, Philomena (born 1989), and Isabella (born 1996).
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Sacha Grimston (nee Tasker), wife of Edward Charles Lucklyn Grimston [born 1985], scion of the Barons Grimston of Westbury, gave birth to a daughter, Georgiana Rose Tasker Grimston, 4 November, 2025, a sister for Antigone Rosslyn Katherine, who was born 23 July, 2023.
Sacha Grimston (née Miss A.S.R. Tasker), is the youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs Alan Tasker, of Lower Failand, North Somerset.
Edward Grimston is the son of Major the Hon [Gerald] Charles Walter [Charley] Grimston [born 4 September, 1953], of Finmere, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Katherine Evelyn Kettle.
The Hon Charley Grimston is the younger brother and heir presumptive of the 3rd Baron Grimston of Westbury.
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Diana Mary Pigott (born 1992, nee Stewart-Brown), wife of Matthew Thomas Michael Pigott [born 1992], gave birth to a daughter, Sophia Rose, 13 February, 2026, a sister for George Henry Anthony, who was born 12 May, 2023.
Diana is a daughter of the late Ronald Reay Stewart-Brown (1948-2015), of Charlbury, Oxfordshire, scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Juliet Rosamund Birch Reynardson (born 1952), scion of that landed gentry family.
Matthew Pigott is the younger son of Lt-Gen Sir Anthony David Pigott, KCB, CBE (1944-2020) and and his wife the former Felicity Ann Astley-Cooper (b 1954), a scion of the Cooper baronets [UK, cr 1821].
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Drusilla Norman Shulman (née Beyfus), who died 26 February, 2026, aged 98, was a journalist and etiquette writer who was best known for her books on modern modes and manners.
She was born in London, 1 March, 1927, a daughter of Norman Beyfus (1891-1975), and his wife the former Florence Noel Rhys Barker (1895-1974). After leaving finishing school, Beyfus began her writing career writing women's columns at the Reading Mercury and the Berkshire Chronicle. As a young journalist, 19 year old Beyfus was sent to Berlin in 1948 by the Daily Express to cover the Berlin blockade. In the 1960s, she contributed a chapter to Len Deighton's London Dossier, a guide book to 'modern' London. She was later a features editor at Vogue. As an etiquette writer, Beyfus contributed to over 60 different magazines and published books on the topics of modes and manners.
On 6 June, 1956, she married the Canadian-born journalist, war historian and theatre critic Milton Shulman (1913-2004), by whom she had three children, Alexandra Shulman, CBE (born 13 November, 1957), a journalist and the editor of British Vogue; Nicola Shulman (born 1960), a model, biographer, the Marchioness of Normanby, wife of Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby; & Jason Shulman (born 1963), a photographer, sculptor and magazine art director.
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Anthony Frederick de Salis died in Tasmania, 13 February 2026. He was 91.
He was born 5 December, 1934, the elder son of Rudolph Ulrico de Salis (1904-1996), and his wife the former Ellen Louise Simpson (died 1957); and married 3 April, 1961, Marie Dawn Hamilton (born 21August, 1942), by whom he had issue, three sons, Stephen, Robert and Paul, and a daughter, Linda.
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Nigel Edward Goodeve-Docker died 15 February, 2026, aged 81.
He was born in 1944, son of Arthur Guy Goodeve-Docker (1904-1969), of The Firs, Hermitage, Newbury, Berkshire, and his wife the former Mary Watts (1912-1985), and he married in 1973, Aurelia Jean Pirie-Gordon (born 18 March, 1950), scion of that landed gentry family, of Buthlaw, second daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel George Patrick Pirie-Gordon (1918-2011), and his wife the former Catherine Grace Taylor (who died 2004), by whom he had two sons, Mark Patrick Goodeve-Docker (born 1979), and Phillip George Goodeve-Docker (born 1982, who died tragically, 28 April, 2013, on the icecap of Greenland during an expedition), and a daughter, Mary Kate Goodeve-Docker (born 1977).
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Caroline Louisa Feilding Charles-Jones (née Harwich) died 13 February, 2026.
She was born in 1948, daughter of Christopher Alfred E. Harwich (1909-1972), by his wife the former Daphne Margaret Feilding Davidson (1911-1949), and married as his second wife, in 1982, Hugh Francis Charles-Jones (born 1932) (son of Maj Francis Jones, CVO, TD (1908-1993), sometime Wales Herald Extraordinary, by whom she had a daughter, Lilery Caroline D.E. Charles-Jones (born January, 1986).
She was a granddaughter of Sir Walter Edward Davidson, KCMG (1859-1923), the colonial administrator and diplomat, who served periods as Governor of the Seychelles, Governor of Newfoundland and as Governor of New South Wales, where he died in office, by his wife the former Margaret Agnes Feilding (1871-1964), daughter of Gen the Hon Sir Percy Robert Basil Feilding, KCB (1827-1904), scion of the Earls of Denbigh, by his wife the former Lady Louisa Isabella Harriet Thynne (died 1919), daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Bath (1797-1837).
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(Ernest) Michael Le Quesne Herbert, who died 22 February, 2026, aged 89, was father of the life peer the Baron Herbert of South Downs, CBE, PC.
He was born in Oct 1936, and married in 1961, Judy Hutchinson, by whom he had issue, an only son, Nicholas Le Quesne Herbert (born 7 Apr, 1963), sometime Conservative MP for Arundel and the South Downs, created a life peer in 2020, and two daughters, Claire and Sara.
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The engagement was announced 25 February, 2025, between Benjamin Christopher Hamilton Cook (born 1983), younger son of the late Christopher William Batstone Cook (1951-2021), of Devon, by his wife the former Margaret Anne Blackett-Ord (born 2 March, 1950), scion of that landed gentry family of Whitfield Hall, Northumberland & Alexandra Hero C. Melhuish (born 1987), younger daughter of the late Jeremy P. Melhuish (born 1948), and his wife the former Caroline J. Charlton.
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Sir Robin Phillips, 3rd and last Baronet, died 10 February, 2026, aged 85.
Robin Francis Phillips was owner and principal of the Ravenscroft Theatre School, Hammersmith, and previous Chief Air Traffic Controller at Biggin Hill, 1970-78; with Hazel Malone Management 1978-81, Devonair Radio 1981-83, &c.
Robin Francis Phillips was born 29 July, 1940, son of Sir Lionel Francis Phillips, 2nd Baronet (1914-1944), and his wife the former Camilla Mary Parker (1916-2006), scion of the Earls of Macclesfield. He succeeded to the baronetcy 81 years ago, 6 July, 1944, when his father was killed in action in Italy.
Sir Robin was unmarried, and the baronetcy created in 1912 now becomes extinct.
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Annette Josephine Perry (née Anderson), died 28 January, 2026.
She was born in 1934, a daughter of Alan Bruce Anderson (1902-1985), and his wife the former Margaret Dampier (1900-1997), daughter of Sir William Dampier (nee Whetham) (1867-1952), of that landed gentry family; and married 1958, Cecil William Perry (born 1931), son of Edward William Perry, CSI, CIE (1891-1971), and his wife the former Mary Thrift Reavell (1906-1995), by whom she had a son and two daughters
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Grace Cristabel Alice Fernandez-Armesto [born 1987, nee Pilkington], wife of Frederico Fernández-Armesto, gave birth to a daughter, Milagros Annie Rose (known as Mila), 16 February, 2026, a sister for Alfredo, who was born 5 July, 2019, and for Esmeralda Serena Juliet, who was born 31 December, 2021.
Fred is the son of Prof Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. Grace is a daughter of Michael Charles David Pilkington [born 1948] by his wife the former Clarissa Mary Baring [born 22 September, 1955], scion of the Earls of Cromer.
1st Earl of Cromer > Hon Windham Baring > Robin Windham Baring > Clarissa Baring > Grace Pilkington > Mila Fernández-Armesto [b 2026]
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Lady Vernon, who died 22 January, 2026, aged 85, was the widow of Sir (William) Michael Vernon, Kt (1926-2014), the businessman and company director.
Sie Michael, scion of the Vernon baronets, joined Spillers (millers and animal food manufacturers) as trainee 1948, Director 1960-1980, Joint Manager Director 1962-1967, Deputy Chairman 1967-1968, Chairman 1968-1980. Chairman Famous Names Limited. 1981-1985, Granville Meat Company Limited. from 1981.
She was the former Penelope Alexandra Skelton, born in 1940, daughter of Air Commodore George Felix Allin Skelton (1909-1985), and his wife the former Karin Rosenius (1906-1994); and married 1stly, 1963, Norman A. Cuddeford; and married 2ndly, 15 March, 2001, Sir (William) Michael Vernon (born 17 Apr, 1926), second son of Sir Wilfred Douglas Vernon (1897-1973), and his wife the former Nancy Elizabeth Jackson (1899-1999). Sir Michael died 24 January, 2014.
Lady Vernon leaves a son from her first marriage, Alastair R.A. Cuddeford (born 1964).
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The Lady Iona Margaret Sophia Spink (née Murray, born 13 March, 1992), wife of Capt Barnaby Frederick J Spink (born 1992), gave birth to a daughter, Frederica Maria Kathryn, 24 January, 2026, a sister for Beatrice Veronica Sophia, who was born 31 May, 2024.
Capt Spink is a son of [Andrew David] Jonathan Spink [born Oct 1960], of Kimbolton, and his wife the former Kathryn Anne Armstrong [born 1963].
Lady Iona is a daughter of the 8th (and ninth) Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield (born 17 October, 1956) of Scone Palace, Perthshire, and the Countess of Mansfield (nee Sophia Mary Veronica Ashbrooke (born 22 January, 1959).
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Morag MacDougall, chief of a Highland clan who protected the family’s heritage. died 22 January, 2026, aged 86.
Madam MacDougall of MacDougall was the 31st Chief of the Name and Arms of MacDougall, was born Morag Hadfield, 21 November, 1939, daughter of Stephen John Hadfield and his wife Jean Louisa Morag MacDougall (who died 1 January, 1999, aged 88), and niece of Coline Helen Elizabeth MacDougall of Macdougall (1904-1990) recognised as 30th Chief of the Name and Arms of MacDougall in 1953.
As a speech therapist she worked with children and stroke patients, and she was much in demand to play the organ in Herefordshire churches. To her neighbours in Shobdon, Herefordshire, she was the unassuming Mrs Morag Morley, housewife, speech therapist and church organist. But on her regular visits to Scotland, and eventually in retirement there, she inhabited an entirely different persona, that of hereditary chief of one of the leading Highland clans.
Her chiefly line is long and illustrious. The eponymous Dougal, who flourished in the early 13th century, was the eldest son of Somerled, a sea-borne adventurer of mixed Gaelic and Norse heritage, who had carved out a kingdom for himself in the west. Somerled’s realm extended from the northern Hebrides to the mainland, including both Argyll and Kintyre.
Dougal, meaning “dark stranger”, was a euphemism for Viking. By means of their fleet of galleys, the MacDougalls wielded immense power and were poised at one time to add the Isle of Man to their kingdom. However, their mainland possessions were richer and less troublesome. Basing themselves in Lorn (northern Argyll) and eventually coming to terms with the King of Scots, they dropped their royal title and were soon fully assimilated into the Scottish aristocracy.
An alliance with the mighty Comyn family proved fateful for the MacDougalls and has affected their fortunes ever since. In 1306, Robert the Bruce murdered John “the Red Comyn”, who opposed his claim to the throne, making John’s uncle, Alasdair Mòr MacDougall of Argyll, his “capitale ennymy”.
Soon afterwards, Alasdair Mòr defeated his bedraggled army at Dalrigh. As the Bruce fled the field, a MacDougall clansman is said to have gripped his plaid and pulled it from his shoulders. The plaid and its clasp, consisting of a quartz charmstone set in a brooch, were presented to the victorious chief.
Now in a studded silver setting of later date, the “Brooch of Lorn” remains the proud possession of the family, and, until the 19th century, was regularly worn. Madam Morag, who kept it safely in the bank at Oban, eventually presented it, on indefinite loan, to the National Museum of Scotland, where it is displayed with other Brucian memorabilia.
Morag succeeded to the chiefship in 1990, and with pride in her family “in her bones and soul”, Madam Morag made it her mission to preserve her inheritance, much diminished by the Bruce’s ultimate victory in 1308.
The MacDougall lands had been forfeited and redistributed among assorted Campbells, Stewarts and MacDonalds; but in 1452, thanks to the generosity of his maternal uncle, the then chief had recovered a small but significant part of their former estate. It included the castle of Dunollie (founded by the original Dougal in the early 1200s) and the Isle of Kerrera, which it overlooks across the Firth of Lorn.
With a view to protecting this heritage and making it more accessible – both to the local community and to the wider clan – Madam Morag established the MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust in 1996, which manages the ruined castle and grounds as a visitor attraction.
Morag Hadfield was born at Beer, Devonshire, on November 21 1939, to Dr Stephen Hadfield, the local GP, and his wife Jean, one of the three daughters of Alexander James MacDougall of MacDougall, an army surgeon. Jean’s elder sister, Coline, was to succeed him as Chief in 1953.
She married 30 July, 1966, Richard Morley, a chartered engineer, son of Dr John Edwin Morley, of Yeovil, Somerset
Madam Morag was buried among generations of MacDougall chiefs in Kilbride Cemetery. She is survived by her son, Robin MacDougall of MacDougall, and her daughter Fiona.
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The engagement was announced 21 February, 2026, between Oscar John Lewisohn (born 27 March, 1999), son of Mark Henry Lewisohn (born Sept, 1963), of Holland Park, London, and his wife the former Sophia Anne Collins (born January, 1965), & Charlotte Eily Scott (born 5 May, 2000), scion of the Earls of Eldon, daughter of Alexander John Stuart Scott (born 12 March, 1968), of Cold Aston, Cheltenham, and his wife the former Jillian Foster (born Sept, 1968).
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From the London Gazette 20 Feb 2026:
CROWN OFFICE - THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 18 February 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon Dominic Bryce Baron Addington, by the name, style and title of BARON HUBBARD, of Lambourne in the Royal County of Berkshire.
Baron Hubbard is the 6th Baron Addngton (born 24 August, 1963), who succeeded to his hereditary peerage, 26 June, 1982.
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Mary Patricia Butterfield, who died 5 February, 2026, aged 94, was a scion of the Paget Earls of Uxbridge (later Marquesses of Anglesey).
She was born Mary Patricia Paget, 17 March, 1931, the elder daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Nevil Paget (1891-1980), descended from the 1st Earl of Uxbridge, and his wife the former Eveleen Mary Lanktree (1898-1983); & married 20 September, 1969 (div. 2008), as his second wife, Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence Albert Butterfied, TD (1916-2011), son of Albert William Thomas Butterfield (1889-1926), and his wife the former Winifred Ellis Johnson (1892-1981). No issue.
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Dorothea Margaret Stogdon (née Haviland), died 13 February, 2026, aged 99.
She was born 4 August, 1926, daughter of Major Leonard Proby Haviland (1884-1971), and his wife the former Helen Dorothea Fergusson (1902-1972), daughter of General Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet (1865-1951). She married 1 May, 1948, Edgar David Stogdon (1919-2008), son of the Rev Edgar Stogdon (1870-1951), and his wife the former Louisa Dalrymple Dundas (1881-1940), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom she had issue, three sons, Henry, Matthew and Oliver, and two daughters, Sarah and Lucy.
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The engagement was announced 19 February, 2026, between William George Butroid Walker (born 1996), younger son of Andrew Jonathan Walker (born 1962), of Putney, London, and his wife the former Christine Joanna Butroid (born 14 June, 1961), & Tabitha M. Syrett, daughter of Mr and Mrs Nicholas Syrett, of Christon Bank, Zimbabwe.
William Walker is descended from the Ramsden baronets:-
Robert Charles Plumptre Ramsden (1874-1964) > Mary Ramsden (1938-2011) > Christine Butroid (b 1961) > William Walker (b 1996)
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Norman Murray Yarrow, who died 6 February, 2026, aged 66, was a scion of the Yarrow baronets.
He was born 5 February, 1966, a son of Sir Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet (1920-2018), and his second wife the former Annette Elizabeth Françoise Steven.
He married in 1988, Carol Jane Hawkins (born 1961), daughter of Nicholas J. Hawkins (born 1936), and his wife the former Diana St B. Golledge (born 1937), by whom he had a son, Richard Eric (born 1994), and two daughters, Katie Diana (born 1990), and Lucy Carol (born 1992).
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The engagement was announced 19 February, 2026, between Oliver John Dominic Mann (born 7 September, 1997), son of James B. Mann and his wife the former Sophie Jane Pattman, & Isabella Alice Grace Zen Hoblyn (born 1997), scion of that Irish family, daughter of Charles Justin Hoblyn (born 1959), and his wife the former Cressida Johanna Burnet (born 1965).
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Susanna Elizabeth Chancellor, who died 8 February, 2026, aged 82, was a scion of the Debenham baronets.
She was born 20 September, 1943, daughter of Martin Ridley Debenham (1909-1977), and his wife the former Beatrice Sydney Radcliffe (1914-2010), and was a granddaughter of Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham, 1st Baronet (1865-1952).
She married 2 June, 1964, Alexander Surtees Chancellor, CBE (1940-2017), the journalist and newspaper editor, scion of that landed gentry family, second son of Sir Christopher Chancellor, CMG (1904-1989), the journalist and administrator, by his wife the former Sylvia Mary Paget (1901-1996), scion of the Paget baronets, by whom she had two daughters, Elizabeth (born 1964), and Cecilia (born 1966).
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Emma K. Packer (nee Thede), wife of the Hon Samuel Inigo Packer [born 1994], gave birth to a daughter, Iris Magdalen, 2 October, 2025.
The Hon Samuel Packer is a son of Sir Richard John Packer, KCB [born 18 August, 1944], of London, and Chilmark, Wiltshire, and his wife the life peer the Baroness Neville-Rolfe, DBE, CMG [born 2 January, 1953].
Emma Packer is a daughter of Mr & Mrs Michael Thede, of St Charles, Missouri, United States.
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From the COURT CIRCULAR
17 February 2026
Buckingham Palace
The King held an Investiture at Windsor Castle this morning.
Field Marshal the Lord Richards of Herstmonceux was received by The King at Windsor Castle when His Majesty handed him his Field Marshal's Baton.
Field Marshal the Lord Houghton of Richmond was received by The King at Windsor Castle when His Majesty handed him his Field Marshal's Baton.
Victoria Bray (nee Seely), who died 11 February, 2026, aged 92, was a scion of the Seely baronets.
She was born 6 September, 1933, daughter of Sir Victor Basil John Seely, 4th Baronet (1900-1980), and his second wife the Hon Patience Kemp (1898-1935), daughter of the 1st Baron Rochdale (1866-1945), and his wife Lady Beatrice Egerton (1871-1966), daughter of the 3rd Earl of Ellesmere (1847-1914).
She married 23 July, 1954 (div. 1975), (Francis Arthur) Michael Bray, DSC (1921-2004), son of Francis Evelyn Bray (1880-1973), by his wife the former Magdalen Girardot (1885-1955), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom she had a son, Charles Michael Francis Bray (born 11 Nov, 1957), and two daughters, Mariana Victoria Magdalen (born 26 Jan, 1956), and Amelia Mary (born 1 Aug, 1962).
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Maj. Charles Spottiswoode, who died 6 February, 2026, aged 93, was a scion of that landed gentry family.
He was born in 1932, youngest son of Brigadier John Spottiswoode, MC (1896-1978), and his wife Gertrude Joan Grylls (1902-1983); and he married 1956, Roma Kathleen Berlyn (1931-2106), by whom he had a daughter, Barbara.
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Michelle Benvie Leslie, wife of (David) Henry Liddell-Grainger (born 31 January, 1983), scion of that landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, Frederick James, 6 February, 2026.
Henry Liddell-Grainger is a son of the late David Ian Liddell-Grainger of Ayton (1930-2007), of Ayton Castle, Berwickshire, and his second wife the former Christine Schellin.
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Dr Kate Mallory Orf, wife since 2017, of the Hon James Victor [Jamie] Waldegrave [born 1984], scion of the Earls Waldegrave, gave birth to a daughter, Emily Martha, 6 February, 2026, a sister for William, who was born 27 May, 2021, and for Alexander Orf, born 15 March, 2023.
The Hon Jamie Waldegrave is a son of the Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, PC {life peer}, and the Baroness Waldegrave of North Hill, of Chewton Mendip, Somerset.
Dr Kate Orf is a daughter of Mr Roger G. Orf, of London, by his wife the former Lisa T. Heffernan.
Jamie Waldegrave, descended from King James II, is a nephew of the 13th Earl Waldegrave.
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The 5th Earl of Dudley, who died in Spain, 7 February, 2026, aged 78, was a socialite, man about town, who made gossip column fodder in the 1970s.
William Humble David Jeremy Ward was born 27 March, 1947, the first-born son of the 4th Earl of Dudley (1920-2013), godson of the Duke of Windsor, and his first wife Stella Carcano y Morra, daughter of Dr Miguel Angel Carcano, KBE [Hon], sometime Argentine Ambassador to the Court of St James.
He was styled Viscount Ednam from 1969 to 2013, and succeeded his father, 16 November, 2013, as Viscount Ednam [UK, 1860], Earl of Dudley [UK, 1860], & Baron Ward [England, cr 1644].
He married 1stly, 3 July, 1972 [div 1976], Sarah Mary Coates [born 18 Aug, 1948], daughter of Sir Alastair Coates, 4th Baronet [1921-2015], and his wife the former Lukyn Gordon [died 19 Oct, 2006]; married 2ndly, 1976 [div 1980] Debra Louise Pinney, daughter of George Robert Pinney, by whom he had a daughter, Lady Bethany Louise Ward [born 1977],
Lord Dudley is succeeded by his half-brother, the Hon Leander Grenville Dudley Ward (born 30 October, 1971]- The 6th Earl is a son of the 4th Earl and the actress Maureen Swanson [1932-2011]. He wed Laura Sevier, and is the father of three daughters.
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The marriage has taken place at St Mary & St Nicholas Church, Wilton, Wiltshire, between William Whitaker Maitland (born 1996), scion of that landed gentry family, elder son of John Whitaker (Johnny) Maitland (born 1961), of Somersby, Lincolnshire, and his wife the former Moira Jane Bracher (born 1963), & the Hon Nancy Lorna Morrison (born 22 January, 1995), daughter of the 3rd Baron Margadale (born 4 Apr, 1958), of Fonthill, and his 1st wife the former Lady Sophia Louise Sydney Cavendish (now Topley, of Chirton, Wiltshire) (born 18 May, 1957), daughter of the 11th Duke of Devonshire, KG (1920-2004), and the Hon Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford, DCVO (1920-2014).
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The engagement was announced 14 February, 2026, between Jacopo Anthony Colarossi, only son of Mr & Mrs Anthony Colarossi, of Rome, Italy, & the Lady Isabella Mary Alexandra Murray (born 19 June, 1987), the eldest daughter of the 8th/9th Earl of Mansfield & Mansfield (born 17 Oct, 1956), of Scone Palace, by his wife the former Sophia Mary Veronica Ashbrooke (born 22 January, 1959), descended from the Barons Stourton.
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Richard Raymond Gambrill died 3 February, 2026, aged 77.
He was born in 1948, son of Raymond George Gambrill (1918-1975), and his wife the former Gladys Mary Selby-Lowndes (1914-1967), scion of that landed gentry family; and married in 1986, Catriona Jennet Edington Woollcombe (born 1954), daughter of James Humphrey George Woollcombe (1925-2007), head of that landed gentry family, by his wife the former Felice George Ingle Finch (1929-1981), by whom he had two daughters, Mary Victoria Woollcombe Gambrill (b 30 March, 1987), and Charis Elizabeth Gambrill (born 18 July, 1990).
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Roseanne Madeline Foster died 7 February, 2026. She was 78.
She was born 16 September, 1947, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Phipps Foster, DL (1912-1993), and his wife the former Rosemary Lucia Drummond (1919-1988), scion of the Viscounts Strathallan (later Earls of Perth). She was unmarried.
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The engagement was announced 16 February, 2026, between Thomas Henry de Montarville Hardinge, 8th Viscount Hardinge (born 19 June, 1993), son of the late 7th Viscount Hardinge (1960-2014), and Sophia Viscountess Hardinge (born 1963, nee Bagnell), & Louisa Ann Crowder (born 30 May, 1996), daughter of Richard John Crowder (born 28 March, 1950), of Guernsey, and his former wife Ms Lucy Crowder (born 1959, nee Charlesworth) of London.
Louisa Crowder is descended from the Lords Mowbray, Segrave & Stourton.
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Sir Thomas Lucas, 5th Baronet, died 13 January, 2026. He was 95.
Sir Thomas, an engineer, scientist, author and lecturer, was the holder of a baronetcy created in 1887.
He was born 16 September, 1930, son of Ralph John Scott Lucas (1904-1941), and his wife the former Dorothy Timson (1899-1985), a descendant of the Barons Wolverton; and succeeded to the baronetcy, 2 May, 1980, on the death of his cousin Sir Jocelyn Lucas, 4th Baronet.
He was educated at Wellington College, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was a consultant to the European Commission DG XIII, The Hale Clinic, and to other organisations; was a director, SGF Properties plc, Columbia Industrial Group, Vacuum Metallizing Processes Inc, Olafield Technologies plc, &. He was Senior Trustee Inlight Trust; Truemark Trust. Member of the Scientific and Medical Network. His home was at Shermans Hall, Dedham, Colchester, Essex.
He married firstly, in 1958, Charmian Margaret Powell (1934-1970), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Crauford Powell (1908-1971), by his wife the former Charmian Stanley Beith (1901-1977); and married secondly, 1980, Ann Graham Moore.
He leaves a son, Stephen Ralph James Lucas (born 11 December, 1963), who now succeeds to the baronetcy.
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I am escaping from the UK for a week, and my reports might be lacking, or sporadic in the coming days.
THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 6 February 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon Charles William Harley Hay, 16th Earl of Kinnoull, by the name, style and title of BARON KINNOULL OF THE OCHILS, of Abernyte in the County of Perthshire.
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The marriage took place 17 January, 2026, at St Philip's Church, London W8, between Alexander Henry Scrymgeour of Dundee, the 12th Earl of Dundee (born 5 June, 1949), a widower, son of the late 11th Earl of Dundee (1902-1983), and his wife the former Pamela Katherine Montagu Douglas Scott (1910-2012), scion of the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry, and Mrs Julia Henrietta Trotter (nee Greenwell) [born 2 February, 1946], widow of Major Alexander Richard Trotter, 14th of Mortonhall and 5th of Charterhall, CVO, who died 3 August, 2022, and daughter of Sir Peter McClintock Greenwell, 3rd Baronet [1914-78], and his wife the former Jean Henrietta Rose Haig-Thomas [1920-2010].
The Earl of Dundee married 1stly, 19 July, 1979, Siobhan Mary Llewellyn, who died 11 March, 2019, by whom he has a son and three daughters.
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The engagement was announced 7 February, 2026, between Oliver Charles Cotton (born 20 February, 1987), son of Richard Robert Cotton (born 10 January, 1956), scion of the Cotton baronets, now Viscounts Combermere, of Bramdean, Hampshire, and his wife the former Corin Wevers, & Mia Bridget Hadrill (born 1990), daughter of David J. Hadrill, of Brighton, East Sussex, and his wife Christine M. Gent.
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Stephanie Cazalet (née Hollingworth), wife of George Oscar L. Cazalet (born Apr, 1989), gave birth to a daughter, Henrietta Isabelle Lyon, 29 January, 2026, a sister for Florence Amelia R (who was born 2023).
George is a son of Peter Charles Grenville Cazalet (born 1959), scion of that landed gentry family, of Fairlawne, by his wife the former Victoria Jane Perry (born 1960).
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Michael Davidson-Houston, died 1 February, 2026, aged 88. He was a scion of that landed gentry family.
He was born in 1937, son of Brigadier James Vivian Davidson-Houston, MBE, OStJ (1901-1965), and his wife the former Cecily Alice Ayscough Stockdale (1903-1993). He married 28 February, 1969, Jane P. Coghlan (born 1944), daughter of Humphrey St John Coghlan (1915-1988), of Holly Bank, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Marie Lilian Lacoste (1914-1998), by whom he had two sons, Mark (born 1969), and James (born 1971).
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David Hugh Kynaston Mainwaring, who died 16 January, 2026, aged 85, was a scion of that landed gentry family.
Born in Montgomeryshire in 1940, he is a son pf Brigadier Hugh Salusbury Kynaston Mainwaring, CB, CBE, DSO, TD (1906-1976), and his wife Diana Dugdale (1913-1967), scion of that family of Wroxall; and married in July, 1971, at Okehampton, Elizabeth C. Orr, daughter of Major James Orr, of Spreyton, Devon, by his wife the former Olga Burton, and had issue, two sons, Hugh Alexander Kynaston (born Jan 1973), and Henry Lloyd Kynaston (born March, 1975).
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The engagement was announced 7 February, 2026, between Jeremy Peter Saunders (born 14 December, 1996), elder son of Michael Potter Saunders (born August, 1963), of Cheney Longville, Shropshire, by his wife the former Katherine L. Peyton Jones (born 1964), scion of that landed gentry family, and Flora Clementine Slater (born 17 November, 1996), elder daughter of Simon Hugh Slater (born 1949), of Chelsea, London, and his wife the former Katherine Patricia Menzies (born 1960).
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Sir Richard Thomas Williams-Bulkeley, 14th Baronet, died 29 January, 2026. He was 86.
He was born 25 May, 1939, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Richard Harry David Williams-Bulkeley, 13th Baronet (1911-1992), and his wife the former Renée Arundell Neave (1913-1994), scion of the Neave baronets; and succeeded to the baronetcy (cr E, 1661), upon his father's death, 3 February, 1992.
He married 14 May, 1964, Sarah Susan Phillimore (born 1 May, 1940), daughter of His Honour Sir Henry Phillimore, OBE, PC (1910-1974), a Lord Justice of Appeal, by his wife the former Katharine Mary Maude Roxby (1912-1984), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom he had issue, two sons, Richard & Harry and a daughter, Victoria.
The elder son, Maj Richard Hugh Williams-Bulkeley (born 8 July, 1968), succeeds as the 15th baronet.
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Emily Ann Huntley (née Gladstone), wife of George Malcolm Huntley (born 1992), and scion of the Gladstones of Capenoch, gave birth to a son, George Archibald, 28 December, 2025.
George Huntley is a scion of that landed gentry family, son of Andrew Richmond Huntley (born 30 November, 1953), and his wife the former Rachel J.K. Waldron (born 1958).
Emily Huntley (born 28 November, 1994), is a daughter of Andrew Malcolm Gladstone (born 4 Oct, 1958) and his wife the former Mary Sweet-Escott (born 1961), scion of that landed gentry family.
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The engagement was announced 7 February, 2026, between the Hon George Edward Rudd Drayson (born 1999), second son of the life peer the Baron Drayson (born 5 March, 1960), of Kensington, and his wife the former Elpseth Jane Bellhouse (born 1960), & Emily Vivienne Sophia Duchenne (born 1999), daughter of Charles Pierre Michel Duchenne (born May, 1949), of Biddenham, Bedfordshire, and his wife the former Josephine May Mazzawi (born May, 1962).
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Ella Muir (nee Hadsley-Chaplin), wife of Tom Muir, gave birth to a daughter Hero Rose Hamilton, 21 January, 2026, a sister for Max.
Ella is a daughter of Mark R. Hadsley-Chaplin (born 1961), of Mersea Island, Essex, and his wife the former Lavinia Brodie Henderson (born 9 May, 1962, now Mrs James Gilbey, of London, wife of James Newman Gilbey, born 1956, scion of the Gilbey baronets).
The infant is descended from a brother of the 1st Baron Faringdon:-
George Henderson (1819-89) father of the 1st Baron Faringdon and Katrina's ancestor, Brig Gen Sir Brodie Haldane Henderson, KCMG (1869-1936) > Neil Brodie Henderson (1904-82) > Ian Brodie Henderson (b 1930) > Lavinia Brodie Henderson (b 1962) > Ella Hadsley-Chaplin > Hero Muir (b 2026).
Tom Muir is a son of Dr and Mrs Julian Muir.
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Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the Aga Khan V, has dined with the King at Windsor Castle and has been awarded the title 'His Highness', a honour traditionally given by the British monarch to the hereditary Iman of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
The Aga Khan is the fiftieth hereditary Iman of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He succeeded his father, Prince Karim, in February, 2025.
In 1957 when his father succeeded as the 49th Iman, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II bestowed upon him the title of His Highness.
The Aga Khan married in 2013 (div) Kendra Spears, who was thereafter styled Princess Salwa Aga Khan, and they have two sons, Irfan and Sinan.
The Aga Khan, has numerous descents and connections to the British peerage and landed gentry.
He was born 12 October, 1971, the first son of the late Aga Khan IV (1936-2025), and his first wife the former Sarah Frances Croker-Poole (born 28 January, 1940), whose first husband, Lord James Crichton-Stuart (1935-82), was a younger son of the 5th Marquess of Bute (1907-56).
The late Aga Khan's mother was the former Hon Joan Barbara Yarde-Buller (1908-1997), eldest daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston, OBE, MVO (1873-1930), of Laleham House, Middlesex, by his wife the actress Jessie Smither (who took to the stage as Denise Orme) (1884-1960).
The Aga Khan V is a great-nephew of Denise Yarde-Buller (1916-2005), Baroness Ebury, wife of the 5th Baron, and of Lydia Yarde-Buller (1917-2006), Duchess of Bedford, wife of the late 13th Duke of Bedford (1917-2002). Another great-aunt was Primrose Yarde-Buller (1918-1970), Countess Cadogan, wife of the 7th Earl Cadogan (1914-1997), owner of the vast Cadogan estates in Central London.
The Aga Khan is also a descendant of King Edward III.
Edward III > John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster > Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland > Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury > Katherine Neville > Cecily Bonville > Elizabeth Fitzgerald > Elizabeth Grey > Edward Fitzgerald > Thomas Fitzgerald > George, 16th Earl of Kildare > Robert Fitzgerald > Robert, 19th Earl of Kildare > James, 1st Duke of Leinster > William, 2nd Duke of Leinster > Lady Emily Fitzgerald > Admiral Sir Hastings Yelverton > Barbara Yelverton > John, 3rd Baron Churston > Joan Yarde-Buller > HH The Aga Khan IV > The Aga Khan V
The Aga Khan is a ninth cousin of King Charles III. Both descend from Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland.
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The life peerage recently awarded to Dame Ann Geraldine Limb, DBE, has been gazetted in the name, style and title of Baroness Limb, of Moss Side in the City of Manchester.
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The 14 year marriage of the Earl and Countess Spencer has been dissolved after lengthy court proceedings.
Lord Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, married at Althorp, Northamptonshire, 18 June, 2011, as his third wife, Mrs Karen Anne Gordon (born 30 November, 1972), former wife of film producer Mark Richard Gordon (born 10 Oct, 1956), and daughter of __________Villeneuve.
Earl Spencer, is Charles Edward Maurice [Spencer], 9th Earl Spencer (b 20 May 1964), only surviving son of the late 8th Earl Spencer, MVO (1924-92), by his 1st wife, the Hon Frances Ruth Burke Roche (1936-2004), scion of the Barons Fermoy.
The Spencers have one daughter, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer (born 30 July, 2012).
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The disgraced peer has now left the Labour Party after the latest Epstein Files showed that he used his position in the Cabinet to share insight with the sex offender financier, who died by suicide in 2019.
On 13 October 2008 Mandelson was created Baron Mandelson, of Foy in the County of Herefordshire and of Hartlepool in the County of Durham.
Having already removed him from his role as ambassador to the US after previous links to Epstein emerged, Starmer is now being called on to remove Mandelson's life peerage.
It is over 100 years since a Bill of such a nature has been introduced. The Titles Deprivations Act of 1917 named specific peers who had sided with the enemy in World War 1. A Bill now naming only Mandelson would be an error, in my view.
A more sensible move would be to give His Majesty the right to remove ANY peerage from any disgraced peer, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's hereditary dukedom, earldom and barony.
The King, 'fount of all honour' - is empowered to elevate any of his subjects to the peerage but cannot thereafter take such peerages away. He can strip knighthoods, and orders of chivalry, and so surely the removal of peerages should be added to that list?
Such an act would enable the monarch to strip titles from peers found guilty of serious crimes as in the case of Lord Ahmed, a life peer, jailed for serious sex offences.
Some organs of the Press are under the false impression that all of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s peerages were removed by the King in October last year. Not so. Andrew was dropped from the Roll of Peers in the House of Lords, but his peerages remain extant.
In my opinion, the instances where a hereditary peer is stripped of his title - the succession those titles should not be affected, and on the death of the erring peer his successor would inherit, as in the cases where the heir to disclaimed peerage succeed.
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Anne, Baroness Monteagle of Brandon (née Brownlow), who died 30 January, 2026, aged 97, was the widow of the 6th Baron Monteagle of Brandon.
She was born 21 December, 1928, scion of an Irish landed gentry family, daughter of Colonel Guy James Brownlow (1883-1960), and his wife the former Elinor Hope Georgina Scott, and was descended from the Earls of Meath and the Earls (later Dukes) of Abercorn.
She married 28 May, 1949, Capt Gerald Spring Rice, the 6th Baron Monteagle of Brandon (born 5 July, 1926), of the Irish Guards, son of the 5th Baron Monteagle of Brandon (1887-1946), and his wife the former Emilie Frances de Kosenko (who died in 1981); by whom she had issue, a son, Charles (born 24 Feb, 1953), and three daughters, Elinor (born 23 Apr, 1950), Angela (twin with Angela, who died 11 Dec, 2015), and Fiona (born 10 Apr, 1957).
Her husband, who was part of the guard of honour at the Coronation, 1953, and who took 45 years to make is maiden speech in the House of Lords, died 17 November, 2013, aged 87, and was succeeded by his son in the peerage (cr UK, 1839).
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Robert Vere Spencer Bernard, who died 6 January, 2026, aged 81, was a scion of the Dukes of Marlborough.
He was born 1 December, 1944, the second son of Dr John Gray Churchill Spencer (1907-1977), and his wife the former Elsie Phyllis Corley (1911-2001). He married 1stly, 1975 (div. 2003), Katherine Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott (1946-2008), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Claud Everard Walter Montagu Douglas Scott (1915-1994), and his wife the former Margaret Frances Phillips (1917-2000); and married 2ndly, 1 May, 2003, as her second husband, Mrs Georgianna Sarah Preston (nee Tomkins, born 1955), by whom he had a son, Edmund Robert Spencer Bernard (born 25 Sept, 2001).
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Erica Mackay Fielding (née Geddes), who died 23 January, 2026, aged 78, was descended from the father of the 1st Baron Geddes, and was a kinswoman of Margaret Campbell Geddes, who married Prince Ludwig of Hesse & the Rhine.
She was born 2 May, 1947, daughter of Acland Mackay Geddes (1907-1974), and his wife the former Barbara Sanford, and was a granddaughter of Sir Eric Campbell Geddes, GCB, GBE, MP, PC (1875-1937). She was a cousin (once removed) of Margaret Geddes (1913-97), known as "Peg" Hesse, who was a success in the difficult role of a non- royal foreign bride in an ancient German dynasty, despite her lack of children and the outbreak of the Second World War. Her cheerfulness, efficiency and sense of fun helped. Her house at Wolfsgarten, a Hesse "hunting lodge" the size of a small Oxford college, became an oasis of calm in the turmoil of the war and the Allied occupation.
Erica Geddes married firstly in 1972, Simon Peter Agace (born 1942); and married 2ndly, in 1992 (div 2007), Capt Martin George Rudolf Fielding (born 2 May, 1945), of Middleton Tyas, North Yorkshire, son of Maj George Rudolf Hanbury Fielding, DSO (1915-2005), and his wife the former Beatrice Georgina Pope (who died 15 March, 1995). Her husband was a direct descendent of the great writer Henry Fielding, and a scion of the Earls of Denbigh & Desmond.
She leaves issue from her first marriage, Caroline Mackay Agace (born 1973), Piers Edward M Agace (born 1975), and Dominic Charles M Agace (born 1979).
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Labour’s leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Smith, led tributes to her former colleague, whom she described as “respected and loved by his colleagues for his courtesy, kindness, wisdom, loyalty and generosity of spirit”. The former prime minister Sir Tony Blair meanwhile said the peer was a “vital part of the New Labour movement”.
David Maxim Triesman, Baron Triesman (born 30 October 1943) was a politician, merchant banker and trade union leader. Triesman was a Labour member of the House of Lords. He previously sat as a Labour peer until resigning the whip in July 2019, then having previously been a minister in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He sat non-affiliated in the House of Lords until 2020 when he rejoined Labour. Triesman was chairman of the Football Association from 2008 to 2010.
He was raised to the peerage for life on 9 January 2004, and his title was gazetted in the name, style and title of Baron Triesman, of Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey.
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