Thomas Richard Chadbon 1946-2026

 Thomas Richard Chadbon, the actor, died 18 July, 2026. He was 80.

Chadbon was a versatile character actor with a strong, resonant voice, familiar to viewers in dozens of classic television shows, including The Bill, Holby City, Taggart, Softly, Softly, Silent Witness, Father Brown, Heartbeat, Foyle’s War, and Midsomer Murders, &c.

He was born 27 February, 1946, the son of Thomas William Chadbon and his wife the former Josie Cook.

He married in 1966 (div 1970), as her first husband, the Hon Deborah Elspeth Leathers (born 23 Oct, 1947), the second daughter of the 2nd Viscount Leathers (1908-1996), and his wife the former Elspeth Graeme Stewart (who died in 1985), by whom he had issue, two sons, Dominic (born 8 Dec, 1966), and Nicholas (born 30 Sept, 1968).

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Sir William Otho Jaffray, 5th Baronet 1951-2026

Sir William Otho Jaffray, 5th Baronet, died 11 August, 2026. He was 74.

He was born 1 November, 1951, son of Colonel Sir William Jaffray, 4th Baronet (1895-1953), and his second wife the former Anne Paget (1919-2021), scion of that landed gentry family, and succeeded to the baronetcy [UK, 1892], on his father's death, 24 October, 1953.

The Jaffrays were originally from Stirling, Scotland. John Jaffray moved to Birmingham and was involved in almost every aspect of Birmingham life – the Liberal party, hospitals, institutes, libraries, the Birmingham Joint Stock Bank and the founding of the Birmingham Daily Post and the Birmingham Daily Mail. He was created a Baronet in 1892. Sir William’s father, Sir John’s grandson, had been an outstanding sportsman and a keen rider to hounds in North Warwickshire, despite having lost an arm in the First World War. He died in 1953, so William Jaffray succeeded shortly before his second birthday.

He was married three times: 1stly, 9 May, 1981 (div 1997), Cynthia Ross Corrington, daughter of John Corrington III, of Montreal; 2ndly, 2009 (div. 2018), Constance Haynes daughter of John Latshaw,  & Mrs Barbara Schreck; and thirdly, 20 May, 2026, at Chelsea Westminster Hospital, to Miss Gowri Siva.

Sir William has issue from his first marriage, three sons, Nicholas (born 18 October, 1982), who now succeeds as 6th baronet, Jack (born 3 Aug, 1987), and William (born 5 May, 1990), and a daughter, Alexandra (born 18 May, 1984).

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Sarah Louise Bradford Robinson ((née Myles) 1950-2026

Sarah Louise Bradford Robinson, who died 14 August, 2026, aged 76, was descended from the McClintock baronets.

She was born 11 June, 1950, daughter of Major Robert Bradford Myles (1916-1981), and his wife the former Mary Lyons McClintock (1912-2001), scion of the McClintock baronets; and married 1982, Michael James Corbett Robinson (born 1950), by whom she had issue, a son, Jonathon Myles (1986-2009), and a daughter, Cara (born 1984).

Her only son died in an accident at a Swiss ski resort in 2009.

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Peter Allfrey 1932-2026

 Peter Allfrey, who died 13 August, 2026, aged 93, was a scion of that landed gentry family of Wokefield Park.

He was born 24 September, 1932, the second son of Capt Basil Holmsdale Allfrey (1898-1981), and his 1st wife the former Adeline Elizabeth Daphne Fox (1906-2005), daughter of Sir Gilbert Wheaton Fox, 1st Baronet (1863-1925); and married 27 April 1962, Susannah Gabrielle Ormerod (born 16 November, 1942), daughter of Capt George Wareing Drewry Ormerod, RA (1910-1944), scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Madeleine Gabriele de Pury (who married 2ndly, 17 Aug, 1946, as his 2nd wife, the 19th Earl of Caithness (1906-1965).

Peter Allfrey leaves issue, two sons, Richard (born 1963), and Alexander (born 1965), and a daughter, Candida (born 1970).

His widow is a half-sister of the 20th Earl of Caithness, PC.

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Treadwell/Wilson engagement

 The engagement was announced 18 August, 2026, between Edward James Christopher Treadwell )born 1 July, 1991), son of John Treadwell, of Putney, London, and his wife the former Anne Margaret Simonds (born 18 February, 1958), & Annie Florence Wilson (born 1995), daughter of Patrick Antony Joseph (Paddy) Wilson (born 1960), of Norwich, Norfolk, and his wife the former Sally Joanne Butt (born 1961).

Edward Treadwell is descended from the Mann baronets:-

Sir Edward Mann, 1st Baronet > Francis Thomas Mann > Margaret Enid Mann > Anne Margaret Simonds > Edward Treadwell

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Richard Gervase Falkiner 1936-2026

 Richard Gervase Falkiner, who died 21 July, 2026, aged 90, was a scion of the Falkiner baronets.

He was born 10 March, 1936, son of Major Gervase Leslie Falkiner (1909-1988), and his wife the former Rosemary Florence Emily Smith (1908-1990); and married  15 May, 1959, Gabrielle Mary Woodgate (born 1938), daughter of Frank Edward Woodgate (1906-1979), and his wife Eileen Mary Chapman (1910-1992), by whom he had issue, a son, Sebastian (born 3 Dec, 1963), and a daughter, Sophia (born 27 January, 1962).

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Barbara Winifred Gosling (nee Montgomerie) 1933-2026

Barbara Winifred Gosling, who died in April 2026, was a scion of the Earls of Eglinton & Winton.

She was born in 1933, the fourth daughter of John Eglinton Montgomerie (1899-1971), and his wife the former Irene Agnes Cameron (who. died 1959). 

She married 1954 (div. 1978), David Walter Gosling, by whom she had issue, two sons and a daughter.

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Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank name their daughter Adelaide

  Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, and her husband Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank, have named their infant daughter, Adelaide Elizabeth Annina, who was born in Lisbon, Portugal, 3 August, 2026. 

Adelaide is the third child for the princess, 36, and husband Jack Brooksbank, 40, and a fifth grandchild for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.

The infant is fifteenth in line of succession to the throne, and the first member of the royal family to have been born in Portugal.

Adelaide is an ancestral niece of King William IV’s Queen Consort - Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, who was born August 13, 1792.

Adelaide was a middle name of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Victoria the Princess Royal, and the infant is a direct descendant of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (1833-97), who was the mother of Queen Mary (1867-1953), and grandmother of King George VI (1895-1952).

The infant’s middle name Elizabeth is in honour of Princess Eugenie’s beloved grandmother, the late Queen.

Annina is a feminine name of Italian origin. An adorable version of Anna, it comes from the Hebrew names Ann and Hannah, translating to “He (God) has favored me,” as well as “grace” or “gracious.” This can be a great choice to help you share your faith with your little one. If you’ve got a love for music, you can also find Annina as a character in the opera La traviata. Whether baby prefers to enjoy the show or be the one on stage, the name Annina is a choice that can sing volumes for them.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank married at St George's Chapel, Windsor, 12 October, 2018. 

The infant's father, Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank (born 3 May, 1986), is a scion of the Brooksbank baronets of Healaugh, Tadcaster, the elder son of the late Mr George Edward Hugh Brooksbank (1949-2021), by his wife the former Nicola J Newton (b 1953).

HRH Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York (b 23 March, 1990), is the younger daughter of  Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (born 19 February, 1960), by his former wife Sarah Margaret Ferguson [born 15 Oct, 1959], scion of the Ferguson landed gentry family, of Dummer, Hampshire.

Order of Succession to the Throne:

1.HRH The Prince of Wales

2. HRH Prince George of Wales

3. HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales

4. HRH Prince Louis of Wales

5. HRH The Duke of Sussex

6. Prince Archie of Sussex

7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex

8. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

9. HRH Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

10. Sienna Mapelli Mozzi

11. Athena Mapelli Mozzi

12.. HRH Princess Eugenie Mrs Jack Brooksbank

13. August Brooksbank

14, Ernest Brooksbank

15. Adelaide Brooksbank

16. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

17. James, Earl of Wessex

18. Lady Louise Windsor

19. HRH The Princess Royal

20. Peter Phillips

Lady Celeste Primrose engaged to Capt David Samuel G. Stevens

 The engagement has been announced between Capt (David) Samuel G. Stevens and the Lady Celeste Primrose. 

Sam Kwame and Lady Celeste.

Lady Celeste Margaret Louise Primrose (born 13 October, 2003), is a triplet daughter of the 8th Earl of Rosebery (born 20 November, 1967), of Dalmeny House, South Queensferry, by his former wife Caroline Daglish (now Caroline, Lady Dalmeny).

Lady Celeste is fourth of Lord Rosebery's five children, and a triplet with her sisters Lady Delphi Primrose and Lady Lavinia Primrose. She has an older sister, Lady Marina, and a younger brother, Albert, styled Lord Dalmeny, heir to the Rosebery peerages.

At thepeerage.com one of the triplets, Lavinia, is now shown as the Hon Ptolmey Fydor Rex (Tolly) Primrose, a male.

Sam Stevens (born 1997) is a son of the late Mr David G. Stevens and Mrs Zazi B. Stevens (nee Aikins, born London, 1961), of Chorleywood Hertfordshire.

Sam's parents married in Westminster in August, 1986. 

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Arto Piers Wyndham Egerton-Warburton (born 2026)

Philippa Egerton-Warburton (née Wyndham Jones), wife of Piers Egerton-Warburton (born 1992), scion of that landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, Arto Piers Wyndham, 3 August, 2026.

Piers is a son of Charles Piers Egerton-Warburton (born 9 Nov, 1961), and his first wife the former Fiona Clare Bonham Carter (born 1957), scion of that landed family.

Philippa Egerton-Warburton is a daughter of Mr and Mrs David Wyndham Jones.

Arto's descends from the Barons Dormer:-

14th Baron Dormer (1864-1922) > Hon Georgiana Dormer (1906-1955) > Maj Peter Egerton-Warburton (b 1933) > Charles Egerton-Warburton (b 1961) > Piers Egerton-Warburton (b 1992) > Arto Egerton-Warburton

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Capt Freddie Coreth has married Francesca Fitzherbert

 The marriage took place 15 August, 2026, 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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Sir John Robert Chartres Seale, 6th Baronet 1954-2026

 Sir John Robert Chartres Seale, 6th Baronet, died 29 July, 2026. He was 71.

He was born 17 August, 1954, son of Sir John Henry Seale, 5th Baronet (1921-2017), and his wife the former Ray Josephine Chartres (1925-2009); and succeeded to the baronetcy (cr UK, 1838), on his father's death, 26 January, 2017.

He married 8 September, 1996, Michelle Taylor, daughter of Kevan Taylor, of Mattishall, Norfolk, by whom he had issue, twin sons, Christopher and Joshua. The elder son, Christopher Charles Seale (born 16 March, 2002), succeeds as 7th baronet.

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Sir Alexander McGrigor, Bt, engaged to Laura Godfrey-Faussett

Laura Godfrey-Faussett.

  The engagement was announced 15 August, 2026, between Sir Alexander James Edward Lyon McGrigor, 7th Baronet (born 5 August, 1998), son of the late Sir James Angus Rhoderick Neil McGrigor, 6th Baronet (1949-2025), and Lady McGrigor, of Dalmally, Argyll,  (nee Emma Mary Louise Fellowes, scion of that landed gentry family), & Laura Christian Elizabeth Godfrey-Faussett (born 3 January, 1997), elder daughter of Christopher Bryan Godfrey-Faussett (born 26 August, 1963), of Midlem, Selkirkshire, and his wife the Lady Diana Evelyn Bowes Lyon (born 29 December, 1966).

Laura Godfrey-Faussett is a granddaughter of the late 17th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne (1928-1987), and a second cousin once removed of His Majesty King Charles III.

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The Countess of Northesk 1942-2026

Jill Gomez.

The Countess of Northesk, wife of the 15th Earl, died 11 August, 2026. She was 83.

She was Jill Gomez, the opera singer, a soprano who went 'topless for Tippett' and played the scandalous Duchess of Argyll. 

She was thought to be the first opera star to go topless on the stage of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, or at least the first to do so in front of a paying audience. 

Jill Gomez was born in New Amsterdam, British Guiana, 21 September, 1942. She was the elder of two daughters of Albert Gomez, a sugar technologist and “Spanish version of Clark Gable”, and his wife Denise, née Denham (born 1917), a gifted actress and musician who had left her native Cheshire during the Second World War to join the imperial censorship operation, checking mail from troops stationed in the Caribbean.

Jill Gomez married in 2010, her long-time partner Patrick Carnegy, the 15th Earl of Northesk (born 23 September, 1940), a music and theatre critic and the author of Wagner and the Art of Theatre (2006).

 Lord Northesk, who succeeded to the peerage, 28 March, 2010, is the son of the Rev. Canon Patrick Charles Alexander Carnegy (1893-1969), and his wife the former Joyce Eleanor Townsley (who died 1995).

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Eyston/Jack engagement

 The engagement was announced 15 August, 2026, between Thomas More Eyston (born 5 September, 1999), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Edward Thomas Ivor Eyston (born 1 April, 1969), of East Hendred, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Alexandra Louise Grounds, & Tandia L. Jack, eldest daughter of Guy Jack (born 1967), of Nairobi, and Mrs Jack.

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Matilda Skye Elizabeth Greenly (born 2026)

  Sarah Elizabeth Greenly [née Hatchard, born 1988], wife of Sam James Howorth Greenly [born 1988], scion of that landed gentry family, gave birth to a daughter, Matilda Skye Elizabeth, 16 April, 2026, a sister for Rafe Merlin Howorth, born 22 March, 2021, and for Max Otis Howorth, born 10 October, 2022. 

Sam Greenly is a son of Richard Anthony Howorth Greenly [born 1948], by his wife the former Belinda Audrey Lockett.

Sarah Greenly is a daughter of John Rayner Hatchard [born 1953] and his wife the former Diana McGill [born 1954].

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John Flinders Highley 1948-2026

 John Flinders Highley died 4 August, 2026.

He was born in 1948, son of Samuel Miller Highley (1906-1981), and his wife the former Dora Sophia Beatrice Flinders (1913-1981), and married 17 September, 1977, Harriet Louisa Aykroyd (born 15 October, 1951), scion of the Aykroyd baronets, daughter of Colonel Harold Hammond Aykroyd, OBE, MC, TD (1896-1974), and his second wife the former Kathleen Ellen Tyrrell-Gray (1914-2005), by whom he had two sons, Samuel (born 1981), and Henry (born 1985).

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Mark Norman Kemp-Gee 1945-2026

 Mark Norman Kemp-Gee, died 9 August, 2026. He was 80.

He was born in 1945, son of Bernard Maurice Kemp-Gee (1912-1993), and his wife the former Ann Mackilligin; and married 26 July, 1980, the Hon Lucy Lyttelton (born 10 June, 1954), third daughter of the 10th Viscount Cobham, KG GCMG GCVO TD PC (1909-1977), and his wife the former Elizabeth Alison Makeig-Jones (1915-1986), by whom he had three sons, Henry, Robert and John.

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Gervase Michael Buxton 1939-2026

Gervase Michael Buxton, who died 10 August, 2026, aged 87, was a scion of the Buxton baronets.

He was born 2 January, 1939, the eldest son of Michael Auriol Buxton (1914-1990), and his wife Elizabeth Edith Millicent Elwes (1916-2003), scion of that landed gentry family; & married 2 March, 1965, Susan Margaret McKenzie, daughter of (Kenneth) Malcolm McKenzie, of Hans Place, London,  by whom he had two sons, Matthew (born 28 Sept, 1967), and Jocelyn (born 1972), and two daughters, Lucy (born 23 Aug, 1966), and Caragh (born 1969).

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The Baron Snape 1942-2026

 The Baron Snape, a Labour life peer, died 12 August, 2026. He was 84.

Peter Charles Snape was born 12 February, 1942. He served as Labour MP for West Bromwich East Feb 1974-2001

Snape was the chairman of his hometown football club, Stockport County, as well as being a major shareholder in the club at the time of his chairmanship. He became vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Speedway Racing in July 2015.

In 2004 he was raised to the peerage for life as Baron Snape, of Wednesbury in the County of West Midlands on 9 June 2004.

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Faber/Ramirez engagement

 The engagement was announced 14 August, 2026, between Henry Mark Tufnell Faber (born 20 March, 1992), son of David James Christian Faber (born 7 July, 1961), and his first wife the former Sally Elizabeth Gilbert (born 1963), & Carolina R. Ramirez, daughter of Mr & Mrs Samuel Ramirez, of Sutton Place, New York, United States.

Henry Faber is a grandson of Julian Tufnell Faber (1917-2002), and his wife the Lady Anne Caroline Macmillan (1923-2016), daughter of (Maurice) Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC, FRS (1894-1986), Prime Minister 1957-63, & his wife the Lady Dorothy Evelyn Cavendish, GBE (1900-1966), daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC, JP, FRS (1868-1938).

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Carole Jennifer Andrée Forbes 1948-2026

 Carole Jennifer Andrée Forbes died 5 August 2026. She was the first wife of the 23rd Lord Forbes.

She born in 1948, and was a daughter of Norman Stanley Whitehead, of Aberdeen. She married firstly, 30 January, 1969 (div. 1982), the then Hon Malcolm Neil Forbes, Master of Forbes (born 6 May, 1946), son and heir of the 22nd Lord Forbes (1918-2013), and his wife the Hon Rosemary Katherine Hamilton-Russell (1921-2019), daughter of the 9th Viscount Boyne (1864-1942). Her first husband succeeded his father, 5 March, 2013, as 23rd Lord Forbes.

She married 2ndly, 2006, Dennis William Harding. She leaves issue, a daughter the Hon Joanna Carole Forbes (born 23 April, 1972), and was predeceased by her only son, the Hon Neil Malcolm Ross Forbes, Master of Forbes (born 10 March, 1970, died 2017).

Her grandson, Geordie Andrew Malcolm Forbes, Master of Forbes (born 28 November, 2010), is heir to his grandfather.

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Harry Arthur Cecil Russell 1931-2026

 Harry Arthur Cecil Russell, who died at Camberwell, Victoria, Australia, 7 August, 2026, aged 94, was a scion of the Russell baronets [cr 1812].

He was born 31 August, 1931, the younger son of Evelyn Aylmer Cecil Russell (1891-1963), and his 2nd wife the former Irene Brodrick.

He married in 1959, Marjorie Ailsa Sutton [1929-2015], daughter of Arthur Sutton, of Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, by whom he had issue, a son Ewen (born 1967), and two daughters, Sarah (born 1962), Virginia Kate Cecil (born 1961).

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Diane Maxwell (died 2026)

Diane Maxwell died 29 July, 2026, aged 89.

She was born 28 August 1936, daughter of William Lister Hartley (1904-1969), and his wife the former Lucila Ethel D'Alkaine (1903-1976), and married 1stly, 4 April, 1956, (John Michael) Anthony Hanbury-Williams (1933-1997), head of that landed gentry family, son of Sir John Hanbury-Williams, Kt, CVO (1892-1965), and his wife Princess Zenaida Cantacuzene (1908-1980), and married 2ndly, Timothy Maxwell.

She had children from her first marriage, three sons, Nicholas (born 1 Jan, 1957), Charles (born 18 Nov, 1958) and Michael (born 28 June, 1961, died 8 May, 2026), and a daughter, Victoria (born 27 Oct, 1967).

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Lodwick/Riddell engagement

 The engagement was announced 11 August, 2026, between George Rupert Maguire Lodwick (born 1994), son of Jeremy Goulding Lodwick (born 1961), of Ashley Manor, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former ____Weerner, and Henrietta Mary Riddell (born 1994), scion of that landed gentry family of Felton and Swinburne, daughter of Simon Francis Riddell (born 1961), of Cheeseburn Grange, Northumberland, and his wife the former Joanna Lucy Horlock (born 1962).

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Margaret Joan Vereker 1929-2026

 Margaret Joan Vereker, who died 23 July, 2026, aged 96, was a scion of the Viscounts Gort.

She was born 9 December, 1929, the elder daughter of Maurice Charles Prendergast Vereker (1884-1963), and his wife the former Winifred Joan Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (1897-1982), scion of the Barons Saye & Sele. She was Unmarried.

She was a great-granddaughter of the 4th Viscount Gort (1819-1900), and a great-great-granddaughter of the 10th Baron Saye & Sele (1799-1887).

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Murton/Browne engagement

The engagement was announced 10 August, 2026, between Joshua Edward Murton (born September, 1995), the only son of Francis Gerald Murton (born Dec, 1966), of St Helier, Jersey, and his wife the former Shân L. Rees (born circa 1963), and Ophelia Alexandra Browne (born 17 May, 1994), scion of the Barons Oranmore & Browne, elder daughter of Shaun Dominick Browne (born 22 January, 1964), of Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire,  heir presumptive to the Oranmore peerage, and his wife the former Elizabeth Jane Bird (born 1972).

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Sir Basil Henry David Montgomery, 9th Baronet CVO 1931-2026

 Sir Basil Henry David Montgomery, 9th Baronet, CVO, died at Kinross, 3 August, 2026. He was 95.

Known as Sir David Montgomery, he served as Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross from 1995 having been Vice Lord Lieutenant 1966-74. He was Chairman of the Forestry Commission 1979-89.

 He was born 20 March, 1931, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Keith Purvis-Russell-Montgomery, OBE (1896-1954), and his wife the former Cynthia Louisa Maconochie-Welwood (1900-1996(), descended from the Viscounts Strathallan.

He succeeded to the baronetcy, 28 January, 1964, on the death of his uncle, Sir Basil Montgomery, 8th Baronet.

He married 5 April, 1956, Delia Reid (1935-2019), daughter of Admiral Sir John Peter Lorne Reid, GCB, CVO (1903-1973), by his wife the former Jean Dundas (1909-1971), scion of the Dundas baronets, by whom he had issue, two sons, James and Andrew, and four daughters, Caroline, Davina, Iona and Laura.

His elder son, James David Keith Montgomery (born 13 June, 1957), succeeds as 10th baronet.

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Baroness Duncan-Sandys 1929-2026

 Baroness Duncan-Sandys, who died 31 July, 2026, was the second wife and widow of the life peer, the Baron Duncan-Sandys, CH (1908-1997).

She was Marie-Claire Schmitt, daughter of Adrien Schmitt, of Paris, France, and married 1stly, 14 October, 1948 (div 1961), the 2nd Viscount Hudson (1924-1963), son of the 1st Viscount Hudson (1886-1957), and his wife the former Hannah Randolph (who died 24 April, 1969); and married 2ndly, in 1962, as his second wife, Edwin Duncan Sandys, CH, PC (born 24 January, 1908, died 26 November, 1987), raised to the peerage for life in 1974 as Baron Duncan-Sandys, former husband of Churchill's daughter Diana Spencer-Churchill (1909-1963), and son of Capt George John Sandys.

From her first marriage she leaves a daughter, Annabel (born 1952).

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Nicola Mary Brown (née Minoprio) 1947-2026

Nicola Mary Brown, who died 29 July, 2026, aged 79, was a scion of the Minoprio landed gentry family.

She was born 9 January, 1947, a daughter of Frank Hilary Minoprio (1913-1980), and his wife Mary Wiloughby Renison (1914-1993); and married in 1967, Ca[t Michael Charles Brow (1945-2019), son of Horace Charles Brown (1906-1983), of Pymoor, Ely, Cambridgeshire, and his wife Florence Hard (1906-1980), by whom she had two sons, Guy and Christopher, and a daughter, Georgina.

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Jean Margaret Shaughnessy 1927-2026

 Jean Margaret Shaughnessy, who died 5 August, 2026, the day after her 99th birthday. She was an actress.

Jean Shaughnessy

She was born Jean Margaret Lodge, 4 August, 1927, daughter of George Lodge, of Kirkella, Yorkshire, and married 18 September, 1948, Capt Alfred James Shaughnessy, Grenadier Guards (1916-2005), playwright, scion of the Barons Shaughnessy, second son of the Hon Alfred Thomas Shaughnessy (1887-19176), and his wife Sarah Polk Bradford (1891-1955), later wife of the Hon Sir Piers Legh, GCVO (1890-1955).

She leaves two sons, Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy (born 9 Feb, 1955), actor, who succeeded his second cousin in 2007, as the 5th Baron Shaughnessy, and David James Bradford Shaughnessy (born 3 March, 1957).

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Bannister/Whitson engagement

The engagement was announced 8 August, 2026, between Austin Z. Bannister, son of Mr Garth Bannister, of Brisbane, Australia, and Ms Catherine Dupré, of Biggar, Scotland, and India Hebe Vanda Whitson (born 2004), younger daughter of James Alexander Whitson (1973-2024), descended from the Wrixon-Becher baronets, and his wife Ms Tamara Whitson (nee O'Connor), of Berwick St Leonard, Wiltshire.

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Legard/Walker marriage

The marriage took place 1st August, 2026, at the Garrison Church of St George, Bulford, between Alexander Thomas Legard (born 25 January, 1999), scion of the Legard baronets, second son of Edward Thomas Legard (born 9 November, 1966), of Charlcot, near Masham, North Yorkshire, by his wife the former Lucy Frances Kirkpatrick (born 30 January, 1967), & Sophie Juanita D. Walker (born 14 May, 1999), daughter of General Sir (Charles) Roland Vincent (Roly) Walker, KCB, DSO (born 14 May, 1970), Chief of the General Staff and ADC to HM The King, of Castle Frome, Herefordshire, and his wife the former Kate Leonore White-Thomson (born 1970), scion of that landed gentry family, and descended from the Barons Clinton.

Alexander Legard is a grandson of Sir Charles Legard, 15th Baronet (1938-2025).

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Rafe William Simon Winston Morant (born 2026)

 Lady Antonia Mary Catherine Morant (nee Peel, born 14 December, 1991), wife of Hubert George H.J. Morant (born 26 April, 1993), gave birth to a son, Rafe William Simon Winston, 1st August, 2026, a brother for Martha Charlotte Marigold, who was born 22 February, 2024.

Hubert, scion of the Morant landed gentry family, is a son of Simon Nicholas Gale Morant (born 19 June, 1943), of Buckland Marsh, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Jacqueline Susan Rich. 

Lady Antonia is a daughter of the 3rd Earl Peel, GCVO, PC, DL [born 3 Oct, 1947], former Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II, whose home is at Gunnerside, Swaledale, North Yorkshire, by his second wife the former Hon Charlotte Clementine Soames [born 17 July, 1954], scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of the life peer, the late Baron Soames, GCMG, GCVO, CH, CBE, PC (1920-87), and a granddaughter maternally of the Rt Hon Sir Winston Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA [1874-1965].

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Lady Lucy Pelham (nee Egerton) 1937-2026

 The Lady Lucy Helen Pelham, who died 1st August, 2026, aged 88, was a scion of the Dukes of Sutherland, sister of the 7th Duke.

She was born Lucy Helen Egerton, 5th December, 1937, the eldest child of Cyril Reginald Egerton (1905-1992), and his wife the former Mary Campbell (who died 23 Sept, 1949).

Her father was a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Ellesmere (1847-1914). The 1st Earl of Ellesmere was a younger son of the 1st Duke of Sutherland, and Lucy's only brother, Francis Ronald Egerton (born 18 February 1940) succeeded to the Sutherland dukedom, on the death of his cousin, the 6th Duke, 21 September, 2000.

Lucy was raised to the rank of a duke's daughter, becoming Lady Lucy, in 2002.

She married 25 October, 1958, Michael Alan Pelham, JP (1926-2022), scion of the Earls of Yarborough, but not in remainder to the title, son of Harry Alan Pelham (1891-1971), y his wife the former Doris Millicent Taunton (1895-1985), by whom she had issue, a son Charles Peregrine Pelham (born 27 July, 1959), and a daughter, Laura Mary Pelham (born 15 May, 1962).

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FitzRoy/Kelly engagement

 The engagement was announced 6 August, 2026, between the Hon Humphrey John FitzRoy Newdegate (born 23 November, 1995), son and heir of the 4th Viscount Daventry (born 27 July, 1960), of Arbury, Warwickshire, and Viscountess Daventry (nee Georgia Lodge, born 1964), & Arabella Elizabeth A. Kelly (born 1996), daughter of Christopher B. Kelly, of Henley Oxfordshire, and Mrs Melanie C.A. Hampton (born 1959, nee Miller), of Hungerford, Berkshire.

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Elmhirst/van der Gaag engagement

The engagement was announced 5 August, 2026, between Capt Christopher Rupert David Elmhirst, Grenadier Guards (born 1998), scion of that landed gentry family, second son of Lieutenant-Colonel (Charles) Marcus Ross Elmhirst (born 1972), of Betws Ifan, Ceredigion, and his wife the Hon Jessamy Jane Lewis (born 1972), & Jemima Margaret van der Gaag (born 1997), daughter of Mark Christan Gerth (Marcus) van der Gaag (born Aug, 1968), of Hawkesbury, Kent, and his wife the former Susannah Brown.

Capt Elmhirst is a grandson maternally of the Hon Trevor Oswin Lewis, CBE (1935-2015), who succeeded as 4th Baron Merthyr, 5 April, 1977, and disclaimed the peerage for life, 26 April, 1977.

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Jeremy Mark Littleton Harris 1930-2026

Jeremy Harris, who died 27 July, 2026, aged 96, was a maternal grandson of the 4th Baron Hatherton.

Jeremy Mark Littleton Harris, was born in 1930, a son of John Elvine Harris, of that landed gentry family, by his wife the Hon Youla Edithe Littleton (1904-1992), daughter of the 4th Baron Hatherton (1868-1944).

He was a grandson of John Waugh Harris, of Stone, Staffordshire.

He married in 1956, Pauline Howson, daughter of Colonel Gilbert Howson, OBE, TD (1900-1969), of Nether Stanlow, Longsdon, Stoke-on-Trent, and his wife the former Daphne Shorter (1902-1976), by whom he had three sons,  Charles, Paul, and Benjamin.

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Daughter for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank

 Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, wife of Mr Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank, gave birth to a daughter in Lisbon, Portugal, 3 August, 2026. 

The baby is the third child for the princess, 36, and husband Jack Brooksbank, 40, and a fifth grandchild for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.

The infant is fifteenth in line of succession to the throne, and the first member of the royal family to have been born in Portugal. 

Catherine of Braganza, Queen Consort of King Charles II was born in Portugal, 25 November, 1638.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank married at St George's Chapel, Windsor, 12 October, 2018. 

The infant's father, Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank (born 3 May, 1986), is a scion of the Brooksbank baronets of Healaugh, Tadcaster, the elder son of the late Mr George Edward Hugh Brooksbank (1949-2021), by his wife the former Nicola J Newton (b 1953).

HRH Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena of York (b 23 March, 1990), is the younger daughter of  Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (born 19 February, 1960), by his former wife Sarah Margaret Ferguson [born 15 Oct, 1959], scion of the Ferguson landed gentry family, of Dummer, Hampshire.

Order of Succession to the Throne:

1.HRH The Prince of Wales

2. HRH Prince George of Wales

3. HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales

4. HRH Prince Louis of Wales

5. HRH The Duke of Sussex

6. Prince Archie of Sussex

7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex

8. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

9. HRH Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

10. Sienna Mapelli Mozzi

11. Athena Mapelli Mozzi

12.. HRH Princess Eugenie Mrs Jack Brooksbank

13. August Brooksbank

14, Ernest Brooksbank

15. Baby Brooksbank

16. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

17. James, Earl of Wessex

18. Lady Louise Windsor

19. HRH The Princess Royal

20. Peter Phillips

Lionel Hugh Melville, MBE 1942-2026

 Lionel Hugh Melville, MBE, who has died in Papua New Guinea, aged 84, was descended from the Scottish landed family of Spens.

He was born 30 July, 1942, the second son of Maj Edward Kenmure Landale Melville (1912-1991), and his wife the former Pamela Doreen Spens (1920-1998), scion of that landed family.

He was married and leaves issue, one daughter, Fritha Anne Sinclair Melville (born 20 Sept, 1972).

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The 3rd Viscount Stuart of Findhorn

 The 3rd  Viscount Stuart of Findhorn has died at Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada, aged 78.

(James) Dominic Stuart was born 25  March, 1948, the elder son of the 2nd Viscount Stuart of Findhorn (1924-1999), and his wife Grizel Mary Wilfreda Fyfe (who died 24 April, 1948, weeks after the birth of her son), former wife of Michael Gillilan, and daughter of David Theodore Fyfe.

Eton educated Dominic Stuart was a grandson of the Hon James Stuart, CH, MVO, PC (1897-1971), a younger son of the 17th Earl of Moray, Equerry to Prince Albert, Duke of York (afterwards King George VI) 1920-21, later a Conservative MP, & Secretary of State for Scotland in the Churchill and Eden administrations. James Stuart was a rival suitor for the hand of Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, who finally accepted Prince Bertie's proposal and married the Duke of York, April 26, 1923. 

Dominic Stuart succeeded his father, 24 October, 1999, as 3rd Viscount Stuart of Findhorn. He married twice, firstly, 18 Aug 1979 (div. 2002) Yvonne Lucienne Després, daughter of Edgar Després; and married 2ndly, Gay ________. He had no issue by either marriage.

He leaves three half-sisters from his father's second marriage, the Hon Chloë Ann-Marie (born 1952), the Hon Rosalie Jane (born 1954)m and the Hon Vanessa Mary (born 1960). It is believed that his only half-brother and heir presumptive, the Hon Andrew Moray Stuart (born 20 Oct, 1957) predeceased him, and if so the viscountcy (created UK, 1959) becomes extinct.

He also leaves a half-sister, Serena Gillilan (born 1938), from his mother's first marriage.

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Elizabeth Alice Wise (nee Abel Smith) 1936-2026

Elizabeth Alice Wise, who died at Northallerton, North Yorkshire, 2 August, 2026, aged 89, was born a scion of the Smith of Wilford House landed gentry family, and was a granddaughter of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.

A third cousin, once removed, of King Charles III, her home was at Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

She was born at Kensington Palace, 5 September, 1936, the younger daughter of Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith, KCMG, KCVO, DSO (1909-1993), and his wife the Lady May Helen Emma Cambridge (1906-1994), and was a granddaughter of the 1st Earl of Athlone KG GCB GCMG GCVO DSO KStJ PC FRS (1874-1957), and his wife HRH Princess Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline of Albany, GBE, GCVO, GCStJ, VA (1883-1981), the only daughter of HRH The Prince Leopold George Duncan Albert, Duke of Albany, KG, KT, GCSI, GCMG, PC (1853-1884), and his wife Princess Helen Frederica Augusta of Waldeck & Pyrmont (1861-1922).

She was a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth) stood sponsor at her christening.

She married at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge,  29 April, 1965 (div 1975), Peter Ronald Wise (1929-2021), son of Capt Anthony Foster Wise (1885-1976), and his wife the former Eva Elizabeth Glentworth Baillie (1904-1976), by whom she had issue, an only child, Emma Charlotte Abel Wise (1973-1974), who died in tragic circumstances.

She is survived by a sister, Anne Liddell-Grainger (born 28 July, 1932).

For a detailed history see this from my old friend Marlene Eilers Koenig:-

Royal Musings: QVD death: Elizabeth Wise (1936-2026)

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Aeneas Hugh Alexander Robertson (born 2026)

   Helen Matilda Wyld (born Dec 1980), wife of Calum G. Robertson (born 2 February, 1990), gave birth to a son, Aeneas Hugh Alexander, in Edinburgh, 17 July, 2026.

Calum Robertson is a son of Gavin and Pauline Robertson, of Fife.

Helen is a daughter of Martin Hugh Wyld, CBE (born 14 September, 1944), and his wife the former Katherine M. Cusack.

Helen Wyld is a granddaughter of John Hugh Gilbert Wyld (1915-1999), and his wife Helen Selina Leslie-Melville (1921-1946), scion of the Earld Leven & Melville.

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Hon Nicholas Valoynes Bermingham Wallop 1946-2026

 The Hon Nicholas Valoynes Bermingham Wallop, who died 27 July, 2026, aged 80, was a scion of the Earls of Portsmouth.

He was born 14 July, 1946, a son of the 9th Earl of Portsmouth (1898-1984), and his second wife the former Bridget Cory Crohan, CStJ (1911-1979), and had sisters Lady Philippa Wallop (1937-1984) , wife of the 8th Earl Cadogan, & Lady Jane Wallop (1939-2021), and an older half-brother, Oliver, styled Viscount Lymington (1923-84), and a half-sister, Lady Camilla (Mickey) Wallop (1925-2023), wife of Lord Rupert Nevill. He was uncle of Quentin, 10th Earl of Portsmouth (born 25 July, 1954).

He married 1 October, 1969, Lavinia N.J. Karmel (born 1948), daughter of David Carmel, CBE, QC, (1907-1982) by his wife the former Barbara Jessie Burton (1910-93), daughter of Sir Montague Maurice Burton (1885-1952), by whom he had issue, a son Harry (born 22 Nov, 1974), and a daughter, Victoria (born 1 Feb, 1972).

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