Bridget Mary Foot (née Malcolm) 1935-2026

 Bridget Mary Foot (née Malcolm), who died in France, 17 May, 2026, aged 90, was a scion of the landed gentry family of Malcolm of Poltalloch.

She was born 12 June, 1935, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel George Ian Malcolm, 18th of Poltalloch (1903-1976), and his first wife the former Enid Sybil Gaskell (1907-2006); and married 26 September, 1956, Dennis Frederick Foot, son of Frederick Foot, by whom she had issue, two sons, Nicholas Rupert Ian (1958-2017), and Mark Jonathan Malcolm (born 25 Apr, 1960).

Bridget is alleged to be descended from Prince Louis of Battenberg and Lillie Langtry:-

Louis Battenberg, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven = Lillie Langtry > Jeanne Marie Langtry = Sir Ian Malcolm > Lt-Col George Ian Malcolm  = Enid Gaskell > Bridget Mary Malcolm (d 2026)

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Thomson/Bradstock engagement

The engagement was announced 23 May, 2026, between Daniel J.S. Thomson, son of Sir Adam McClure Thomson, KCMG (born 1 July, 1955), of Chiswick, London, who served as Permanent Representative to NATO, 2014-2016, by his Iranian-born wife, Fariba Shirazi, and Camilla Rose Bradstock (born 29 June, 1996), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Rupert John Bradstock (born 8 October, 1958), of Trinity, Jersey, and his wife the former Anna Louise Riley (born 18 October, 1962), descended from the Viscounts Molesworth.

Daniel Thomson comes from a line of distinguished knights:

Sir Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940), physicist > Sir George Paget Thomson (1892-1975), Nobel Prize winning physicist > Sir John Adam Thomson, GCMG (1927-2018), diplomat >Sir Adam McClure Thomson (b 1955)

Cara Alexandra Hue Drury (born 2026)

 Jacqueline Florence Drury [née Clifton-Brown, born 1983], wife of Jonathan Hugh Drury [born 1982], gave birth to a second daughter, Cara Alexandra Hue, 11 March, 2026, a sister for Elizabeth Catherine Rose, who was born 31 December, 2017, and for Alice Florence Yolande, born 31 December, 2020.

Jonathan Drury is a son of Reginald Hugh Drury [1939-2015], of Farley Hill, Berkshire, and his wife the former Sarah E. Rowe. Jonathan married in 2015, Jacqueline Clifton-Brown, scion of the Brown baronets [cr 1863], daughter of Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown, MP [born 23 March, 1953], Conservative MP for the Cotswolds, and his former wife Alexandra Mary Peto-Shepherd.

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Orlando Arthur James O'Conor (born 2026)

 Lucinda Sophie Rose O'Conor (née James, born 1989), wife of Matthew David O'Conor (born 1989), gave birth to a son, Orlando Arthur James, 5 May, 2026.

Lucinda is a daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Cullen Daron James, and his wife the former Fiona Martha Alison Rhys (born 28 June, 1962), scion of the Barons Dynevor.

Matthew David O'Conor is a twin son of Richard Shawn O'Conor (born 30 September, 1951), and his wife the former Julia Mary Myfanwy Williams (born 13 April, 1952), scion of the Williams baronets, daughter of Sir (Michael) Osmond Williams, 2nd and last Baronet (1914-2012).

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Flora Isabella Jean Clifton-Brown (born 2026)

  Georgiana Isabella Clifton-Brown [née Heneage, born 1988], wife of Edward Robert Clifton-Brown [born 1985], scion of the Brown baronets, gave birth to a daughter, Flora Isabella Jean, 1 May, 2026, a sister for Arthur Robert, who was born 15 June, 2020, and for Rory Benedict, born 10 April, 2022. 

Edward Clifton-Brown is a son of Sir Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown, MP, FRICS [born 23 March, 1953], Conservative MP for The Cotswolds, of Daglingworth, Gloucestershire, by his former wife wife the former Alexandra Mary Peto-Shepherd [born 1955], of Lechlade, Gloucestershire.

Georgiana is a daughter of Robert John Heneage [born 1956], of North Carlton, Lincolnshire, by his wife the former Mayann Louise Milne. The Heneages descend from the Earls of Morton.

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Morgan/Brudenell engagement

Jordan Brudenell.

The engagement has been announced between Arik Surakriengsak (Ricky) Morgan (born 1996), son of John David Morgan, and his wife the former Nipa Surakriengsak, and Jordan Anne Brudenell (born 1 July, 1995), second daughter of Jeremy Alexander Rothwell Brudenell (born 2 April, 1960), and his wife Edwina Victoria Louise Hicks (born 24 December, 1961), elder daughter of David Nightingale Hicks (1929-1998), and his wife Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Mountbatten (born 19 April, 1929), younger daughter of Admiral of the Fleet The 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, KStJ, DSO, ADC, PC, FRS (1900-1979).

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Viscount Corry engaged to Amelia Duncan

 The engagement was announced 22 May, 2026, between John Armar Galbraith Lowry-Corry, styled Viscount Corry (born 2 November, 1985), son and heir of the 8th Earl of Belmore (born 4 September, 1951), of Castle Coole, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, by his wife the Lady Mary Jane Meade (born 12 July, 1952), and Amelia Eleanor Grace Duncan (born 1992), elder daughter of Stephen Leslie Duncan, of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and Mrs Victoria M.R. Duncan (nee Saunders, born 1958), of Oxford.

Viscount Corry is a maternal grandson of the 6th Earl of Clanwilliam (1914-1989).

It will be Viscount Corry's second marriage. He married firstly, 30 July, 2016, Francesca Vasapolli, daughter of Guido Vasapolli, of Turin.

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Rafferty John Lavallin Puxley (born 2026)

 Clare Louise Puxley (née Allan, born 1991), wife of John Edward Lavallin (Johnnie) Puxley (born 6 February, 1990), scion of that landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, Rafferty John Lavallin, 7 May, 2026.

Clare is a daughter of Anthony R. Allan (born 1958), of Wandsworth, London, and his wife the former Gillian Patricia Anne Newman (born 1960).

Johnnie Puxley  is a son of Charles John Lavallin Puxley, of Easton, Berkshire, by his wife the former Sarah Elizabeth Gamon.

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Olive Isabel Hogg (born 2026)

 Alice Elizabeth Hogg (née Ponsonby, born 1988), scion of the Ponsonby baronets, and wife of Andrew A.J. Hogg, gave birth to a daughter, Olive Isabel, 9 April, 2026.

Alice is the only daughter of Sir Charles Ashley Ponsonby, 3rd Baronet [born 10 June, 1951], of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Mary Priscilla Bromley-Davenport [born 13 September, 1951], scion of that landed gentry family.

Andrew Hogg is the younger son of the late [Adam] Ronald Hogg, CBE [1951-2019], and Mrs Jane Hogg, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

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Marjorie Ruth Yelverton (née Hall) (died 2026)

Marjorie Ruth Yelverton (née Hall), died 12 March, 2026, aged 97.

Marjorie Yelverton.

She was a daughter of Arthur William Hall, of Gisborne, New Zealand, and married in 1949, Michael Curran Yelverton (1928-2001), a scion of the Viscounts Avonmore, a peerage dormant since 1910.

Her husband was a son of Barry Augustus Yelverton (1895-1960), and his wife Margaret Ethel Green (who died 1970), daughter of John Thomas Green, of Christchurch, New Zealand.

She leaves two sons, Kevin Barry Yelverton (born 1949), and Mark Amour Yelverton (born 1961), and was predeceased by daughter, Sharon Anne, in 2023.

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Veronica Henderson (nee Pain) (died 2026)

 Veronica Henderson (nee Pain), died 15 May, 2026, aged 85.

She was the daughter of Ralph Pain, and married 28 June, 1961, Ian Brodie Henderson (born 25 October, 1930), son of Neil Brodie Henderson (1904-1982), and his wife the former Conn Madden (1908-1979), daughter of Admiral Sir Charles Edward Madden, 1st Baronet, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG (1862-1935), who served as the First Sea Lord in the 1920s.

She leaves issue, two sons, Nicholas (born 3 May, 1963), and James (born 30 Dec, 1964), and a daughter, Lavinia (born 9 May, 1962), wife of James Newman Gilbey (born 4 October, 1956), scion of the Gilbey baronets.

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Leigh/Peat engagement

 The engagement was announced 20 May, 2026, between the Hon Rupert Dudley Leigh (born 21 February, 1994), son and heir of the 6th Baron Leigh (born 20 October, 1960), of Gloucestershire, and Sophy, Baroness Leigh (nee Sophy-Ann Burrows, born 1963), of Wiltshire, & Freya Ann Katharine Peat (born 1998), daughter of Simon Karl Peat (born 1968), of Derbyshire, and Mrs Lara Peat-Dixon (nee Countess Lara Pavlovna Ignatieff, born 1967), of North Yorkshire, daughter of Count Paul Vladimirov Ignatieff (1936-2024).

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Earl Spencer marries Catrine Jarman

 The marriage took place Friday 15 May, 2026, in Arizona, United States, between Charles Edward Maurice [Spencer], 9th Earl Spencer (b 20 May 1964), only surviving son of the late 8th Earl Spencer, MVO (1924-1992), by his 1st wife, the Hon Frances Ruth Burke Roche (1936-2004), scion of the Barons Fermoy, & Mrs Catrine Lie Jarman (born in Norway, 1982), an archaeologist.

It is Earl Spencer's fourth matrimonial adventure. He married firstly, 16 September, 1989 (div.1997), Catherine Victoria Lockwood; married 2ndly, 15 December, 2001 (div. 2007), Caroline Victoria Hutton; and married 3rdly, 18 June, 2011 (div.), Karen Villeneuve.

Earl Spencer has a son and three daughters with his first wife, a son and a daughter with his second wife, and a daughter with his third wife.

The new countess studied archaeology at the University of Bristol where she received her doctorate degree in 2017, per her bio on her literary agency’s website. Her research focused on the late 9th century Viking Great Army in Derbyshire, England, which she learned about through studying a mass Viking grave site of over 300 people. Her findings later informed the 2019 documentary Britain’s Viking Graveyard and PBS’ The Lost Viking Army. Countess Spencer is an honorary senior research associate at the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the school and the director of the archaeological research unit.

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Lakin/Mactaggart marriage

 The marriage has taken place between Henry Lyon Lakin (born 1991), scion of the Lakin baronets, younger son of Mark Philip Lakin (1941-2025), of Over Worton, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Christina Lisa Josephine Dolan (born 1950); and Kinvara Mary Mactaggart (born 1992), daughter of Sir John Auld Mactaggart, 4th Baronet (born 1951), of Ardmore, Islay, and his second wife the former Caroline Emma Williams (born 1963).

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Hepburn/Merriam engagement

The engagement was announced 19 May, 2026, between Patrick Frankland Hepburn (born 1989), eldest son of Stuart Frankland Hepburn (born 1954), of Great Canfield, Essex, and his wife the former Alison Bayne, & Georgina Clare Merriam (born 4 February, 1990), daughter of Richard Henry Faber Merriam (born 1957), of Faygate, West Sussex, and his wife the former Penelope J. Gidley-Kitchin (born 1958).

Georgina Merriam is descended from the Marquesses of Ailsa:-

3rd Marquess of Ailsa (1847-1938) > Lady Marjory Kennedy (1898-1988) > Peter Merriam (1922-2004) > Richard Merriam (b 1957) > Georgina Merriam (b 1990)

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Christopher George Peake 1951-2026

 Christopher George Peake died 2 April, 2026, aged 74, scion of the Peake family (later Viscounts Ingleby).

He was born 20 May, 1951, third son of Edward Charles Peake (1911-1999), and his wife the former Baroness Maria Santina Franziska Gabriella von Henikstein (1911-1999); and married 1993, Ann Marie O'Rourke, by whom he had a son, Matthew (born 25 September, 2002), and a daughter, Rebecca (born 8 June, 2000).

Christopher Peake descends from the 1st Earl of Zetland:-

1st Earl of Zetland (1766-1839) > Hon John Charles Dundas (1808-66) > John Charles Dundas (1845-92) > Evelyn Mary Dundas (1873-1945) > Edward Peake (1911-99) (brother of the 1st Viscount Ingleby) > Christopher Peake (1951-2026)

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Assheton/Frusher engagement

The engagement was announced 19 May, 2026, between James Charles Assheton (born 19 March, 1999), scion of the Barons Clitheroe, second son of the Hon John Hotham Assheton (born 12 July, 1964), of Milton, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Amanda Ellen Freeman (born 1965), & Héloïse Sarah H. Frusher (born 1999), the only daughter of David Michael Frusher (born 1959), of Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, and his wife the former Julia Mary Russell Allen (born 1961).

James Assheton is a grandson of the 2nd Baron Clitheroe (1929-2026).

Héloïse Frusher is descended from the Lords Borthwick:-

19th Lord Borthwick (1813-85) > Hon Mary Frances Harriet Borthwick (1876-1939) > James Borthwick Dowdall (1910-1962) > Anne Pauline Borthwick Dowdall (1933-2024) > Julia Mary Russell Allen (b 1961) > Héloïse Frusher (b 1999)

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Siegfried Phoenix Hector Salt-Strickland (born 2026)

Freya Salt, wife (or partner?) of Francis Richard Hornyold-Strickland (born 18 September, 1986), barrister, scion of that landed gentry family, of Sizergh Castle, gave birth to a son, Siegfried Phoenix Hector, at home in Athens, 2 May, 2026, a brother for Cosima and Isolde.

Francis is the son of Robert Francis Michael Hornyold-Strickland (born 31 October, 1954), and his first wife Teresa Mary Fawcett, and a grandson of Thomas Henry Hornyold-Strickland, 7th Count della Catena, DSC (1921-1983).

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Robert Gwynn Cottam 1934-2026

 Robert Gwynne Cottam died 11 May, 2026. 

He was born in 1934, son of Major-General Algernon Edward Cottam, CB, CBE, MC (1894-1964), of Bodiam, Sussex, and his wife the former Margaret Eileen Haselden (1901-1990); and married 7 October, 1967, Morella Cumberland Walker (born 13 April, 1942), scion of the Walker baronets of Sand Hutton, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Gerald Bartholomew Walker (1912-1999), and his wife the former Margaret Cumberland Templeton (1913-1987), by whom he had issue, two sons, Charles (born 1 June, 1969), and Henry (born 4 Oct, 1973), and a daughter, Rosemary (born 22 July, 1971).

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Baroness Lamont of Lerwick 1946-2026

Baroness Lamont of Kerwick, who died 6 May, 2026, aged 79, was the former wife of the Baron Lamont of Lerwick, who as Norman Lamont, MP, PC, was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the administration of John Major.

She was Alice Rosemary White, born in 1946, a daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Conrad White (1915-1993), of Hall Farm House, Thorp Arch, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, by his wife the former Marion Winter; and married 1971 (div. 1999), Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont (born 8 May, 1942), son of Daniel Lamont, OBE, of Lerwick, and his wife Helen Irene, by whom she had issue, a son, Hilaire James Lamont (born 1974), and a daughter, Sophie Caroline (born 1978).

Her former husband was Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames 1972 to 1997, served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy 1979-81, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, 1981-1985, Minister of State for Defence Procurement 1985-1986, Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1986-1989, Chief Secretary to the Treasury 1989-90, and Chancellor of the Exchequer 1990-1993, and was raised to the peerage for life in 1998, as Baron Lamont of Lerwick, of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.

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Major Peter Keith-Murray 1935-2026

Major Peter Keith-Murray, who died 12 April, 2026, aged 90, was a scion of the Murray baronets of Ochtertyre, and heir presumptive to that baronetcy, held by his kinsman, Sir Patrick Murray, 12th Baronet.

He was born 12 July, 1935, son of David Keith-Murray (1900-1968), and his wife the former Nancy May Gautschi (1908-2008); & married in 1960, Judith Anne Tinsley (1935-2018), daughter of Wiliam Andrew Tinsley, of Sarnia, Ontatio, Canada, by whom he had issue, a son, David Andrew Keith-Murray (born 7 December, 1965), and a daughter, Leslie Anne (born in 1961).

He served in the Canadian military for 36 years in the RCAF as a Fighter Cop (Scope dope)and then as an Air Weapons Controller which took him and his family all over Canada, USA and while serving with NATO in Germany. He was an avid golfer, who won Super Senior club champion on multiple occasions at Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club and had two holes in one, his first was in Mexico and his last one being just a week before his 90th birthday at Ardmore Golf Course. He volunteered for decades with the Victoria Information Centre and British Columbia Aviation Museum (BCAM) in Sidney. He was a long time member of Probus and the Army, Navy, Air Force Unit 302 in Sidney.

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Timothy Rupert De Zoete 1942-2026

Timothy Rupert De Zoete died 27 April, 2026, aged 83.

He was born 8 May, 1942, son of Rupert Edward De Zoete (1913-1998), descended from Courage LG, and his wife the former Anna Patricia Gibbs (1915-2004), scion of the Barons Aldenham; & married 2 July, 1969, Moyra Jane Dawnay (born 8 April, 1946), scion of the Viscounts Downe, daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Dawnay, KCVO, CB, DSC, OStJ (1904-1989), and his wife Lady Angela Christine Rose Montagu Douglas Scott (1906-2000), 5th daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry (1864-1935).

He leaves a daughter, Alexandra Margot (born 18 April, 1973).

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Martin Hugh Pym, MBE 1927-2026

Martin Hugh Pym, MBE, who died 16 May, 2026, aged 99, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 28 February, 1927, the third son of Major Alexander Ruthven Pym (1891-1971), and his wife the former Violet Helen Marie Warrender (1896-1983), daughter of Sir George Warrender, 7th Baronet (1869-1917); and married 3 December, 1960, Phillada Hilary Nunneley (1939-2025), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Robin Michael Charles Nunneley (1911-2005), and his wife the former Patricia May Roylance (1911-1999), by whom he had issue, a son, William (born 17 April, 1968), and three daughters, Lucy (born 24 Sept, 1961), wife of Maj-Gen Sir William Cubitt; Emma (born 25 June, 1963), an Serena (born 26 Feb, 1965), wife of James Jamieson, nephew of the 17th Duke of Norfolk.

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Richard Henry Persse 1937-2026

 Richard Henry Persse, who died 12 May, 2026, aged 88, was a scion of that Irish landed gentry family.

He was born 22 October, 1937, son of Brigadier (Reginald Barry) Lovaine Persse (1896-1985), and his wife the former Sheelah Patricia Batterby (1897-1979); and married 3 May, 1969, Susan Royle Kennett (born 10 March, 1942), daughter of Commander Anthony Kennett, RN (1909-1994), of Tanners, Wrington, Somerset, & his wife the former Patience Vera Plowden (1915-1998), scion of that landed gentry family, and had issue, two sons, Edward Henry Michael (born 19 March, 1971), and James Alexander Jocelyn (born 1972).

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Comtesse Richard de Pelet (nee Cazenove) 1942-2026

 Comtesse Richard de Pelet, who died 9 May, 2026, aged 84, was a scion of the Cazenove landed gentry family of Cottesbrooke.

Isabel de Lérisson Cazenove was born in 1942, daughter of Brigadier Arnold de Lérisson Cazenove, CBE, MVO, DSO, DL, ADC (1898-1969), and his wife the former Elizabeth Laura Gurney (1914-1994), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 1966, Comte Richard de Pelet, son of Comte and Comtesse Guy de Pelet, by whom she had issue, a son, Charles (born 1970), and a daughter, Sophie (born 1973).

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White/Trower engagement

 The engagement was announced 16 May, 2026, between Henry Richard White (born 1998), eldest son of Myles Bernard White (born 1963), of Wadhurst, East Sussex, and his wife the former Jo-Anne Day (born 1967), and Zara Rose Catherine Trower (born 27 April, 1998), second daughter of Christopher James Walter Trower (born 1965), of Elmdon, Essex, and his wife the former Charlotte Lavinia Frances Salt (born 13 January, 1967), fourth daughter of Sir Anthony Houlton Salt, 6th Baronet (1931-1991).

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Lewis/Whittaker engagement

The engagement was announced 16 May, 2026, between Tobias Robin C. Lewis (born 1993), a son of Beryn Charles Martin Lewis [born 1958], of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, by his wife the former Tamzin Marjorie Soames [born 1958], scion of that landed gentry family, &  Claudia Anne Whittaker (born 1999), daughter of Mr Neil Whittaker, of Holt, North Wales, and Miss Caroline Platt, of Rossett, North Wales.

Tobias Lewis is descended from the Cayley baronets, and the Marquesses of Conyngham, &c.

3rd Marquess Conyngham > Lady Constance Conyngham > Marjorie Combe > Robert Soames > Tamzin Soames > Tobias Lewis

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Blue Orlando Benjamin Dodd-Noble (born 2026)

  Emily Kate L. Dodd-Noble [nee Rowlinson, born 1984], wife of Harry Thomas B. Dodd-Noble [born 1985], gave birth to a son, Blue Orlando Benjamin, 22 April, 2026, a brother for Bertie-Fox Burlington Leo, born 14 August, 2021, and for Cosmo Balthazar Patrick, born 6 April, 2023.

Harry Dodd-Noble, a descendant of the Merrie Monarch Charles II, is a son of (Simon) Thomas Antony (Tom) Dodd-Noble (b 17 Feb, 1955), of Oxfordshire,  by his former wife the former Carolyn A. Botting (now Mrs Carrie Stewart, of London), and is a grandson of Adrian Dodd-Noble (1922-2013) (a grandson maternally of the Baron Kirkley). by his 1st wife the former Lady Elizabeth Theresa Boyle (1920-81), sister of the 13th & 14th Earls of Cork & Orrery.

Emily Dodd-Noble is a daughter of Mr Stephen R. Rowlinson, of East Sussex, by his wife the former Kathleen A. McGowan.

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Harry Basil Broadway Hudson (born 2026)

 Rosanna Sophie Hudson [nee Littleton, born 1989], wife of Toby V. Hudson, gave birth to a second son, Harry Basil Broadway, 25 April, 2026, a brother for Benjamin Westby Vavasour, who was born 8 October, 2022.

Toby is a son of Mr Andrew Hudson, of Bedale, Yorkshire, by his former wife the former Georgina Ticey [now Lady Horlick, of Newbury, Berkshire, wife of Sir James Horlick, 6th Baronet].

Rosanna is a daughter of Antony Robin Welhouse Westby Littleton [previously Percevall descended from the Barons Hatherton], of Hannington, Hampshire, by his wife the former Hon Aileen Mary Fitzherbert [born 29 March, 1953], daughter of the 14th Baron Stafford [1926-1986].

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Michael Richard Sefi, LVO 1943-2026

 Michael Richard Sefi, LVO, who died 9 May, 2026, aged 82, was a philatelist, Keeper of the Royal Stamp Collection to HM Queen Elizabeth II, from 2003 until his retirement in 2018.

He was born 11 December, 1943, son of Antony Sefi and his wife the former Judith Hull; and married 29 June, 1968, Harriet Mary Davidson (born 28 November, 1942), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Keppel Davidson, CIE, OBE (1895-1943), and his wife Lady Mary Rachel Fitzalan Howard (1905-1992), daughter of the 15th Duke of Norfolk, KG, GCVO (1847-1917).

Sefi was appointed LVO in 2013.

He is survived by his wife and son, Charles (born 23 Aug, 1974), and two daughters, Clare (born 9 Feb, 1970), and Laura (born 31 Mar, 1972)

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Dr Peter Cannon-Brookes 1938-2026

Dr Peter Cannon-Brookes, who died 3 May, 2026, aged 87, was a Fellow, Royal Society of Arts, & co-authored the book Baroque Churches, with his wife Caroline. 

He was born in 1938, son of Victor Montgomery Cannon-Brookes (1911-2004), and his wife the former Nancy Margaret Markham Carter (1913-1994); and married 13 April, 1966, Caroline Aylmer Christie-Miller (born 4 February, 1942), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel John Aylmer Christie-Miller, CBE, TD (1911-2007), and his wife the former Bridget Wilbraham Dixon (1918-1992), scion of the Dixon baronets, by whom he had a son, Stephen (born 12 Aug, 1966), and a daughter, Emma (born 16 February, 1968).

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Michael Anthony Hanbury-Williams 1961-2026

 Michael Anthony Hanbury-Williams, who died 8 May, 2026, aged 64. He was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 28 June, 1961, the third son of John Michael Anthony Hanbury-Williams (born 7 July, 1933), and his wife the former Diane Hartley (born 28 August, 1936); and married September, 1987, Alexandra Marjorie Ringrose-Voase (born 13 August, 1962), scion of that landed gentry family, second daughter of Lt-Cdr Christopher John Ringrose-Voase, RN (1929-1990), and his his wife the former Patricia Anne Bushe (who died 2025), by whom he had issue, a son, Christopher John (born May, 1991), and a daughter, Katya Alexandra (born 5 January, 1994).

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Cooke/Wald engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 May, 2026, between Hugo Gervaise Cameron Cooke (born February, 1987), scion of that Irish landed gentry family, son of Cdr Jonathan Gervaise Fitzpatrick Cooke, RN (born 26 March, 1943), and his wife the former Henrietta Loraine Deschamps Chamier (born circa 1949), and Rebecca Wald, daughter of Dr Christian Wald and Dr Astrid Wichmann-Hesse of Munich, Bavaria.

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Eric de Bellaigue (died 2026)

 Eric de Bellaigue, died 6 May, 2026. He was 95.

He was a son of Pierre de Bellaigue, of New York, United States, and married 1stly, 5 May, 1962, the Hon Sylvia Corisande Rodney (1930- d Feb1985), second daughter of the 8th Baron Rodney (1891-1973), and his wife Lady Marjorie Lowther (1895-1968), second daughter of the 6th Earl of Lonsdale (1867-1953). He married 2nd;y, in June, 1985, Nike Kent Taylor.

From his first marriage he leaves 2 sons, Nicholas (born 15 January, 1966), and the author and journalist Christopher de Bellaigue (born 23 September, 1971).

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Gibson/Wills engagement

The engagement was announced 11 May, 2026, between Marcus Seymour Gibson (born 1989), son of Mr Martin C Gibson, of Manaton, Devon, and Mrs Joanna L Gibson (nee Boswell), of Great Swinburn, Northumberland, and Laura Felicity Hamilton Wills (born 1996), scion of the Barons Dulverton, daughter of Christopher Aubrey Hamilton Wills (born 21 February, 1953), of Litchfield Down, Hampshire, and his wife the former Lady Katharine Anne Meade (born 10 Aug, 1959), fifth daughter of the 6th Earl of Clanwilliam (1914-1989).

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Derek Edward Glenister 1939-2026

Derek Edward Glenister died 3 May, 2026, aged 87.

He was born in 1939, son of Sydney William Glenister (1912-1989) and his wife Ada Florence Benge (1911-1994); and married 31 August, 1964, Clothilde Muriel Frances (Chloe) Nightingale (born 7 September, 1939), second daughter of Sir Charles Athelstan Nightingale, 16th Baronet (1902-1977),  and his wife the former Evelyn Nadine Frances Diggens (1908-1995), by whom he had issue, two daughters, Frances (born 23 May, 1966), and Clare (born 4 March, 1968)

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Martin Wreford Woodnutt 1946-2026

 Martin Wreford Woodnutt, died 26 April, 2026, aged 79.

He was born in 1946, son of Harold Frederick Martin (Mark) Woodnutt, MP (1918-1974), Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, and his wife Gwynneth Alice Lovely (1925-1986); and married in 1975, Susannah Harrison (1946-2019), daughter of William Herbert Harrison (1909-1975), and his wife Elcha Cecilia Hore-Ruthven (1912-1996), scion of the Lords Ruthven of Freeland (Peerage of Scotland, cr 1651), by whom he had issue, a son, Piers (born 1977), in remainder to the Lordship of Freeland, and a daughter, Emily (born 1979), also in remainder to the Scottish peerage.

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Pugh/Fairbairn engagement

 The engagement was announced 9 May, 2026, between Matthew George Pugh (born 1996), son of the late Charles A. Pugh, of Taplow, Buckinghamshire, and his wife the former Allison J. Francombe (born 1965), and Madeleine Louise Fairbairn (born 24 January, 1998), scion of the Fairbairn baronets, eldest daughter of the late James Andrew Fairbairn (1967-2020), of Lurgashall, West Sussex, and his wife the former Samantha Jane Hardwicke.

Madeleine Fairbairn is a great-granddaughter of Sir William Fairbairn, 5th Baronet (1902-1972).

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Armstrong-Wilson/Vestey engagement

 The engagement was announced 9 May, 2026, between Thomas William Armstrong-Wilson (born July, 1987), son of Robert Paul Fitzroy Armstrong-Wilson (born Aug, 1959), of Langholm, Dumfriesshire, and his wife the former Shona Gillian Gray (born 1963), & Rose Elizabeth Jean Vestey (born 5 February, 1996), second daughter of Robin John Henry Vestey (born 14 April, 1968), of Little Thurlow, Suffolk, scion of the Vestey baronets, and Mrs Victoria Eileen Herbert Vestey (nee Waddell), of Newmarket, Suffolk.

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Clementine Alice Grietje Baroness Sweerts De Landas Wyborgh (born 2026)

Baroness Emily Anne Sweerts De Landas Wyborgh (born 1989, nee Jack), wife of Baron Arthur Sweerts De Landas Wyborgh, gave birth to a second daughter, Baroness Clementine Alice Grietje, 5 May, 2026, a sister for Tiggy, who was born in 2025.

Emily is the Hon Emily Jack, daughter of the life peer the Baron Jack of Courance, KBE, DL (born 7 July, 1963), who as Alister Jack, MP, served as Secretary of State for Scotland 2019-2024, and of Baroness Jack of Courance (nee Ann Hodgson).

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Patrick Gault De Courcy-Ireland, CVO 1933-2026

Patrick Gault De Courcy-Ireland, CVO, who died 2 May, 2026, aged 92, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was late of HM Diplomatic Service (retired), sometime director of marketing and consultant to the Rezayat Group (formerly the Alireza Group of Companies).

He was born 19 August, 1933, son of Lawrence Kilmain De Courcy-Ireland (1897-1968), and his wife Elizabeth Pentland Gault (1901-1977); and married 1stly, 1957, Margaret Gallop; & married 2ndly, 2018, Marie-Antoinette Engelhard, and leaves issue from his first marriage, a son, Jonathan, and three daughters, Kiki, Joanna and Gail.

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Teague/Hulton-Harrop engagement

The engagement was announced 8 May, 2026, between Alexander George Teague (born 1999), only son of Richard John Teague (born June, 1966), of Haywards Heath, Sussex, and his wife Natalie Helen Sutton (born November, 1966), & Sophie Louise Hulton-Harrop (born 1999), the only daughter of David Michael de Lacy Hulton-Harrop (born 24 March, 1962), of Battlefield, Shropshire, head of that landed gentry family, and his wife Julia M. Warren.

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Wills/Roberts engagement

 The engagement was announced 8 May, 2026, between Edward Henry Arnold Wills (born 15 June, 1994), scion of the Wills baronets, son of Richard Arnold Wills (born 5 March, 1962), of Middleton, Hampshire, and his wife the former Netta Morris, & Avril Helen S. Roberts (born 1997), daughter of Charles Roberts, of Stretham, Cambridge, and Mrs Roberts (nee McBryde).

Edward Wills is a cousin of the King via his Bowes Lyon ancestry:-

The 14th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne

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Lady Mary Bowes Lyon

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Hon Jean Constance Elphinstone

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Andrew Wills

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Richard Wills

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Edward Wills

Count Richard Beaumont Melchior Gurowski 1939-2026

 Count Richard Beaumont Melchior Gurowski died 1 May, 2026, aged 86.

He was born in Salisbury in 1939, a son of Capt Count Richard Dudley Melchior Gurowski (1910-1940), and his wife Angela Mary Haig-Thomas, a granddaughter of the 4th Earl of Normanton; and he married 2 September, 1964, Rosanna FitzGerald (1945-2021), daughter of Maj Sir George Peter Maurice FitzGerald, 5th Baronet (1917-2001), and his wife Angela Dora Mitchell (1917-2009), by whom he had issue, two daughters, Iona (born 22 July, 1967), and Anya (born 9 July, 1970).

Richard Gurowski was a descendant of the Merrie Monarch, King Charles II.

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Stanley/Jooris engagement

The engagement was announced 7 May, 2026, between Edward John Robin Stanley, styled Lord Stanley (born 21 April, 1998), elder son and heir of the 19th Earl of Derby, DL (born 10 Oct, 1962), of Knowsley Hall, Prescot, Merseyside, and the Countess of Derby (nee the Hon Caroline Neville, born 28 Dec, 1963, scion of the Barons Braybrooke), and Jonkvrouw Victoria Jooris (born 1999), only daughter of Dominique, Baron Jooris (born 1969), of Brussels, Belgium, and Mrs Sophie Tornel (born 1972), of Brussels, Belgium.

Lord Stanley was a Page of Honour to HM Queen Elizabeth II.

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Cozens/Molson engagement

The engagement was announced 7 May, 2026, between George Euan D. Cozens (born February 1999), son of Charles Edmund Gillery Cozens (born March, 1960), of Horley Manor, Banbury, Oxfordshire, and his former wife Mrs Emma Jane D. Cozens (nee Smith) of Honington, Warwickshire, and Louisa R. Molson (born 1996), daughter of Robert Ian Molson, of Kingham, Oxfordshire, and Mrs Verena Molson (nee Cayzer, born 8 February, 1961), of Chelsea, London, scion of the Barons Rotherwick.

Louisa Molson is a great-granddaughter of the 1st Baron Rotherwick.

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Cazalet/Hanes engagement

 The engagement was announce 6 May, 2026, between Charles Nelson (Charlie) Cazalet (born 1987), son of (Charles) Julian Cazalet (born November, 1947), of Holland Park, London, and his wife the former Jennifer C (Jenny) Little, &  Marie Hanes, daughter of Mr and Mrs Patrick Hanes, of Timisoara, Romania.

The Cazalet family were Huguenots who originated from Sumène in the Cevennes region of southern France. Charlie is a descendant of Estienne Cazalet (1659-1721) who migrated to settle among the Huguenot community of Spitalfields in London; a distant cousin also descended from Estienne was Peter Cazalet, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s racehorse trainer and P G Wodehouse’s son-in-law.

William Cazalet 1749-95 

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Peter Reade Cazalet 1781-1839

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Peter Grenville Cazalet 1813-1862

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Grenville William Cazalet 1860-1947

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Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Grenville Lyon Cazalet KBE CB DSO DSC 1899-1982 = Beatrice Elise Winterbotham 1908-1997

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Charles Julian Cazalet 1947- 

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Charlie Cazalet 1987-

Isabel Margaret Bickmore (nee Fitzalan Howard) 1951-2026

 Isabel Margaret Bickmore, who died 26 April, 2026, aged 75, was a scion of the Dukes of Norfolk.

She was born Isabel Margaret Fitzalan Howard, 30 January, 1951, daughter of Major-General Lord Michael Fitzalan Howard, GCVO, CB, CBE, MC (1916-2007), and his second wife Jane Margaret Newman (who died 25 December, 1995).     She married in 1975, Peter Christopher Bickmore (born 1943), son of Lt-Col Lawrence Bickmore, OBE, and his wife Anne Drummond (1911-1985), scion of the Viscounts Strathallan, and a granddaughter maternally of the 4th Marquess of Ormonde.

She was a niece of the late 17th Duke of Norfolk, KG, GCVO, CB, MC (1915-2002), and a first cousin of the 18th Duke of Norfolk, GCVO (born 1956).

She leaves two sons, Andrew and Rupert, and a daughter Fiona.

Nicholas Timothy Houssemayne Du Boulay 1948-2026

Nicholas Timothy Houssemayne du Boulay, who died 23 Apri, 2026, aged 77, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 12 July, 1948, fourth son of Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Hardinge Houssemayne du Boulay, MC (1912-1984), of The Gordon Highlanders, and his wife the former Eleanor Jean Drysdale Henderson (who died 29 December, 2005).

He was educated at Harrow and was a teacher, a Housemaster at Strathallan School, Perthshire.

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Jemima Khan to marry Cameron O'Reilly

 The Daily Mail reports that Jemima Khan (nee Goldsmith) is to marry Cameron O'Reilly, a multi-millionaire Irish-Australian financier.

Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith was born 30 January, 1974, daughter of the late Sir James Goldsmith (1933-1997), and his wife Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1934-2025), daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902-1955.

Jemima married firstly, in London, 20 June, 1995 (following a ceremony in Paris, 16 May), Imran Khan (born 25 November, 1952), a Pakistani former cricketer, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022, by whom she has two sons, Sulaiman (born 17 Nov, 1996), and Kasim (born 10 April, 1999). 

The Khans were divorced in 2004.

(Anthony) Cameron O'Reilly (born 28 April, 1964), is a Dublin-born businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the son of an Irish father, media magnate Tony O'Reilly and an Australian mother, Susan Cameron. Having managed one of Australia's largest press groups, he is currently managing director of Landis+Gyr, formerly the Bayard Group, which includes the world's largest electricity metering supplier, and has revenues of over US$1.2 billion.

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Third baby for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank

HRH Princess Eugenie is pregnant with her third child. The Princess and her husband Jack Brooksbank are “very pleased” to be expecting a baby due this summer, Buckingham Palace said. The couple already have two sons, August, five, and Ernest, two. The baby will be the third child for the princess, 36, and husband Jack Brooksbank, 40, and a fifth grandchild for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson. 

The baby will be fifteenth in line of succession to the throne, pushing Eugenie's uncle the Duke of Edinburgh into sixteenth place.

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

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 the former Prince Andrew (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. Mr 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. The Brooksbank Baby

16. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

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Dorothy Sarah Cooper (nee Delmar-Morgan) 1956-2026

Dorothy Sarah Cooper, who died 4 April, 2026, aged 69, was a scion of the Delmar-Morgan landed gentry family.

She was born 14 May, 1956, daughter of Curtis Delmar-Morgan (1908-1987), and his wife Susan Henrietta Hargreaves Brown (1914-2007), scion of the Brown, later Pigott-Brown baronets; and married in 1979, Peter S. Cooper, by whom she had issue, a son, Robert (born 1989), and a daughter, Elizabeth (born 1987).

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Annette Rosemary Macarthur-Onslow 1933-2026

Annette Rosemary Macarthur-Onslow, who died at Camden, Sydney, New South Wales, 25 April, 2026, aged 93, was a scion of the Earls of Onslow.

She was born 21 March, 1933, the eldest daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Macarthur-Onslow, DSO (1909-1980), and his wife Winifred Hall Owen (who died in 1987).

She became a recognised writer, illustrator and artist who was best known for the story of Uhu - a small tawny owl - for which she was awarded the 1970 Childrens Book of the Year Award.

She was unmarried.

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Harrington/Pearson engagement

The engagement was announced 2 May, 2026, between Nicholas Richard John Harrington (born 1997), daughter of David William Ronald Harrington (born 1960), if Weeley, Essex, and his wife Isabella Anne Palmer (born 27 August, 1962), scion of the Palmer baronets, & Dulcie Rose Pearson (born 1996), daughter of John M. Pearson, of Tunbridge Wells, and his former wife Janet Sylvia Davey (born 1955, now Mrs David Austin, of St Just-in-Roseland, Cornwall).

Nicholas Harrington is a grandson of Sir Geoffrey Christopher John Palmer, 12th Baronet (born 30 June, 1936).

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John Malcolm Agnew Wallace 1928-2026

 John Malcolm Agnew Wallace, of Lochryan House, Stranraer, died 26 April, 2926. He was 98.

He was born in 1928, son of Major John Alexander Agnew Wallace, MC, of Lochryan House, and married 26 February, 1955, Louise Arden Haworth-Booth (1933-2021), scion of that landed gentry family, a daughter (twin) of Michael Haworth-Booth (1896-1986), head of that landed family, and his wife the former Mabel Arden Bagot (1896-1965), scion of the Barons Bagot, by whom he had issue, a son, John Benjamin Agnew Wallace (born 24 May, 1958), and two daughters, Nicola (b 22 July, 1956), and Jonica (b 10 June, 1963).

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(Sara) Norina Marie Bowlby (nee Stewart Clark) 1932-2026

 (Sara) Norina Marie Bowlby (nee Stewart Clark) who died 29 April, 2026, aged 94, was a scion of the Stewart Clark baronets.

She was born 25 April, 1932, daughter of Sir Stewart Stewart-Clark, 2nd Baronet (1904-1971), and his wife Jane Pamela Clarke (died 1993): and married 23 September, 1961, Colonel Thomas Patrick Salvin Bowlby (1931-2020), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Edward Salvin Bowlby, MC (1904-1983), and his wife Joan Catherine Trotter (1903-1958), scion of the Trotters of Mortonhall, and a granddaughter of the 15th Earl of Eglinton (1848-1919),  by whom she had issue, two sons, Anthony and Michael, and a daughter, Karina-Jane.

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Lane Fox/St John engagement

 The engagement was announced 2 May, 2026, between Lt Harry Patrick Lane Fox (born 1998),  scion of that landed gentry family, of Bramham Park, fourth son of Capt (George Charles) Nicholas Lane Fox (born 25 December, 1963), of Bramham Park, Wetherby, and his wife the Hon Rachel  Monica Baring (born 29 June, 1967), eldest daughter of the 2nd Baron Howick of Glendale (born 30 Dec, 1937), &  Dr Lily Joy E. St. John (born 1998), daughter of John St. John, of Hildenborough, Kent, and his wife the former Melanie Mary Ramsay, daughter of Major Neil Ramsay, of St Anns, Alyth, Perthshire.

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Hugh Robert Myddelton 1938-2026

 Hugh Robert Myddelton, who died 13 April, 2026, aged 87, was a scion of that landed gentry family, of Chirk Castle.

He was born 17 October, 1938, the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Ririd Myddelton, LVO, DL (1902-1988), of Chirk Castle, Denbighshire, and his wife the Lady Mary Margaret Elizabeth Petty-Fitzmaurice (1910-2003), sister of the 8th Marquess of Lansdowne (1912-1999).

He was twice married, firstly, 27 July, 1967 (div), the Hon Sarah Cecily Allsopp (1944-2009), daughter of the 5th Baron Hindlip (1912-1993), and his wife Cecily Valentine Jane Borwick (1910-2000), and married 2ndly, in 1994, Mrs Gaia Servadio Mostyn-Owen, former wife of William Mostyn-Owen (1929-2011), and daughter of Luxardo Servadio (1938-2021), and his wife Bianca Prinzi.

In 2001 he is reported to have assmed the surname of Myddelton Biddulph in lieu of his patronymic.

Gaia Myddelton, a writer, was sometime mother-in-law of the Rt Hon Boris Johnson, PC, Prime Minister, 2019-2022, who married her daughter Allegra Mostyn-Owen.

Hugh Myddelton leaves issue from his first marriage,  a son, Alexander (born 7 March, 1969), and a daughter, Claerwen (born 1972).

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Paul Everard Justus Focke, KC 1937-2026

His Honour Judge Paul Everard Justus Focke, KC, died 22 April, 2026, aged 88.

He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn , 1964 (Bencher 1992); appointed QC (1982), and was a Circuit Judge from 1997. Also Called to the Bar, NSW and to the New Zealand, 1982; QC, NSW, 1984, &c.

He was born 14 May, 1937, son of Frederick Justus Focke (1898-1959), and his wife Muriel Fisher (1904-1995); and married in 1973, the Lady Tana Marie Alexander (born 2 May, 1945), daughter of the late 6th Earl of Caledon (1920-1980), and his first wife Ghislaine Dresselhuys (1922-2000), by whom he had two daughters, Diana (born 1974), and Victoria (born 1976).

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The 14th Duke of St Albans 1939-2026

 The 14th Duke of St Albans died in London, 22 April, 2026. He was 87.

Murray de Vere Beauclerk, a direct descendant of King Charles II and Nell Gwynn, was the 14th Duke of St Albans (Peerage of England, 1684), 14th Earl of Burford (Peerage of England, 1676), and the 11th Baron Vere of Hanworth (Peerage of GB, cr 1750), and Baron Heddington.

He was the hereditary Grand Falconer of England. His predecessors were given the honour of taking a live bird of prey into the Coronation of the Sovereign. The last to do so was the 8th Duke at the Coronation of King George IV in 1821. In 1953, the eccentric 12th Duke asked the Coronation Committee to be granted permission to carry a falcon into Westminster Abbey, and, if not a live specimen, then a stuffed one. He was politely refused.

He was born 9 January, 1939, son of the 13th Duke of St Albans (1915-1988), and his first wife the former Nathalie Chatham Walker, and was styled Earl of Burford from the time of his father's succession to the peerages in 1964, until 8 October, 1988, when he succeeded as 14th Duke.

He married three times, firstly, 31 January, 1963 (1974), Rosemary Frances Scoones (born 1941), who afterwards married the 10th Viscount Exmouth; married 2ndly, 29 Aug, 1974, Cynthia Theresa Mary, Lady Hooper (died 12 May, 2002), former wife of Sir Anthony Robin Maurice Hooper, 2nd Bt (1918-1987), and daughter of Lt-Col William James Holdsworth Howard, DSO, and married 3rdly, 14 December, 2002, Gillian Anita Northam, daughter of Lt-Col Cyril George Reginald Northam.

The Duke of St Albans leaves two children from his first marriage, Charles Francis Tophan de Vere Beauclerk, styled Earl of Burford (born 22 February, 1965), who now succeeds as 15th Duke, and a daughter, Lady Emma Caroline de Vere Beauclerk (born 22 July, 1963).

A Memorial Service takes place at St Luke's Church, Chelsea, 25 June, 2026.

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Katharine Diana Hendriks (née Douglas) 1942-2026

Katharine Diana Hendriks (née Douglas), who died 23 April, 2026, aged 83, was a scion of the Douglas Earls of Morton.

She was born in 1942, daughter of Brigadier Patrick Sholto Douglas, MC (1917-1977), a grandson of the 19th Earl of Morton (1844-1935); and married in 1969, Peter Robin Campbell Hendriks (who died in 1997), son of Brigadier Nigel Campbell Hendriks (1902-1982), and his wife Hermione Leslie Case (1913-2011), by whom she had issue, a son Timothy and a daughter, Alice.

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Rt Rev The Baron Harries of Pentregarth 1936-2026

 Rt Rev The Baron Harries of Pentregarth, who died 29 April, 2026, aged 89, was, as the Rt Rev Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006.

Richard Douglas Harries was born 2 June, 1936, son of Brigadier William Douglas Jameson Harries, CBE (1900-1991), of Saddlers Funtington, Chichester, and his wife the former Greta Miriam Bathurst Brown (1906-1987).

 He was the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006. From 2008 until 2012 he was the Gresham Professor of Divinity.

On his retirement as Bishop of Oxford it was announced that he was to be elevated to the peerage, and in June, 2006, he was gazetted as Baron Harries of Pentregarth, of Ceinewydd in the County of Dyfed. He sat in the House of Lords as a Crossbench peer. In 2006 he was appointed to the Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved for a period of five years.

Bishop Harries married in 1963, Josephine Bottomley, MA, MB, BChir, by whom he had one son and one daughter.

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Hall/Gell engagement

 The engagement was announced 30 April, 2026, between Rupert Dyson Hall (born 1991), descended from the Marquesses of Dufferin & Ava, son of Mr Edward St John Hall (born 10 January, 1960), of London, and his former wife the former Lucinda Katharine Thring (born 1963, scion of that landed gentry family, now Mrs John Ferguson, of Ham, Wiltshire), and Honor Constance Virginia Gell (born 29 October, 1998), daughter of (Philip) Adrian J.H. Gell (born 1960), of All Stretton, Shropshire, by his wife the former Henrietta Jane Rachel Loyd (born 31 January, 1959, now Mrs Henrietta Gell, of Tarrant Gunville, Dorset), scion of the Loyd landed gentry family, daughter of Major Peter Wyndham Loyd (1923-1974), and his wife the former Sally Elizabeth Jane Inglis (1931-2020), descended from the Nairn baronets.

The 3rd Marquess of Dufferin & Ava (1875-1930) > Lady Veronica Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood (1910-1971) > Marie Antoinette Hornby (1932-2020) > Edward St John Hall (b 1960) > Rupert Dyson Hall (b 1991)

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Son for the Earl and Countess of Bective

 Florence Lucy Taylour, styled Countess of Bective (born 1993, nee Greensted), wife of Thomas Rupert Charles Christopher Taylour, styled Earl of Bective (born 18 June, 1989), gave birth to a son and heir, Rafferty (Raffy) Taylour, 22 April, 2026.

The infant will use the courtesy title Baron Kenlis.

Lord Bective is the son and heir of the 7th Marquess of Headfort (born 10 February, 1959), of Oxfordshire, and his late wife the former Susan Jane Vandervell (1960-2008).

Lady Bective is a daughter of Jonathan (Jack) Greensted (born 1963), also of Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Shelley Edgson (born 1960).

The Marquess of Headfort is a peer of the UK as Baron Kenlis. The marquessate was created in 1800 in the Peerage of Ireland.

It was the fourth marquess who famously wed, in 1901, the Irish Gaiety Girl Rosie Boote (1878-1958). The marriage of the peer  with the comely actress caused something of a stir in Edwardian high society.

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Lord Claud Anthony Hamilton 1939-2026

 Lord Claud Anthony Hamilton, who died 27 April, 2026, aged 86, was a scion of the Dukes of Abercorn.

He was born 8 July, 1939, the second son of the 4th Duke of Abercorn (1904-1979), and his wife the Lady Mary Katherine Crichton (1905-1990), Mistress of the Robes to HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and scion of the Earls of Erne, daughter of Henry Viscount Crichton (1872-1914), and his wife Lady Mary Cavendish Grosvenor (1883-1959), daughter of the 1st Duke of Westminster (1825-1899).

Known as Lord Anthony he was a first cousin of John, 8th Earl Spencer (1924-1992), and thus a cousin twice removed of the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex.

Lord Anthony was a former High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, appointed in 1990, and became a JP for the county in 1991. 

The Old Etonian joined the Irish Guards as a Lieutenant in 1957. His home was at Killyreagh House, Enniskillen.

He married 7 April, 1982, Catherine Janet Faulkner, daughter of Sir James Dennis Compton Faulkner, CBE, VRD, DL (1926-2016), and his wife the former Janet Cunningham (who died in 1994), and a niece of the Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, PC (1921-1977), the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, by whom he had issue, a son, Alexander (born 8 June, 1987), and a daughter, Anna (born 23 Aug, 1983).

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Peter Mackelcan Woodroffe 1927-2026

  Peter Mackelcan Woodroffe died 13th April, 2026. He was 98.

He was born in 1927, son of Kenneth Derry Woodroffe (1892-1972), and his wife the former Raby Alfreda Mackelcan Kroenig-Ryan (1902-1991),, and he married in Chelsea, London, in 1973, Amanda Aloysia Nicolette Forbes (born 4 April, 1950), daughter of Henry Forbes (1914-2002), and his wife the former Pamela Aloysia Tate (1923-2021), scion of the Tate baronets, by whom he had issue, two sons, Justin (born 1977), and Clifford (born 1979).

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Hillgarth/de Guzmán engagement

 The engagement was announced 29 April, 2026, between Sebastian Alan Henry Philip Hillgarth (born August, 1985), eldest son of Justin Francis Mariano Sebastian Hillgarth (born Nov, 1947),  and his late wife Nobil Donna Antonella Carlotta Maria Grabau di Livorno e di Volterra (born Dec. 1952), of Geneva, Switzerland, & Inés de Guzmán, eldest daughter of the late Don José Miguel de Guzmán Rendueles and of Doña María Covadonga Gutiérrez Merino, of the Principado de Asturias, Spain.

Sebastian Hillgarth is a grandson of Capt Alan Hugh Hillgarth (1899-1978), and his wife the Hon Mary Sidney Katharine Almina Gardner (1896-1994), daughter of the 1st & last Baron Burghclere (1846-1921), and his wife Lady Winifred Anne Henrietta Christina Herbert (1864-1933), daughter of the 4th Earl of Carnarvon (1831-1890).

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Penelope Mary Albinia Naylor (nee Buxton) 1939-2026

 Penelope Mary Albinia Naylor, who died 2 April, 2026, aged 87, was a scion of the Buxton baronets.

She was born 28 March, 1939, third daughter of Major John Fowell Buxton (1902-1970), and his wife the former Katherine Mary Bacon (1908-2000), daughter of Sir Nicholas Henry Bacon, 12th and 13th Baronet (1857-1947); and married 27 January, 1966, Richard Christopher Naylor (born 1936), son of Thomas Humphrey Naylor (1890-1966), and his wife Dorothy Isabel Holt (1902-1986), daughter of Sir Richard Holt, 1st Baronet, MP (1868-1941); by whom she had issue, a son, Thomas (born 1 March, 1967), and a daughter, Harriet Albina (born 1970).

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Timothy Miles Farmiloe 1935-2026

 Timothy Miles Farmiloe died 22 April, 2026. He was 91.

He was born 22 February, 1935, second son of Miles Bligh Damer Farmiloe (1903-1983), descended from the Barons Congleton, by his wife the former Cynthia Joyce Holt (died 1990).

The 3rd Baron Congleton > Colonel Hon Arthur Parnell > Bertram Damer Parnell > Myles Bligh Damer Parnell, who assumed the surname of Farmiloe in lieu of his patronymic > Timothy Miles Farmiloe

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Mark Gregory Littledale 1976-2026

Mark Gregory Littledale died 14 April, 2026, aged 49.

He was born in 1976, son of Gregory Bruno Littledale (1932-2004), and his second wife the former Naomi Abigail Martin. He was a descendant of the Stapleton family, and descended from the Bertie Earls of Abingdon.

Willoughby Bertie, 3rd Earl of Abingdon > Lady Mary Bertie > Thomas Stapleton > Bryan John Stapleton > Gregory Stapleton > Marie Josephine Stapleton > Gregory Bruno Littledale > Mark Littledale

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David Wynne-Morgan 1931-2026

 David Wynne-Morgan, former Daily Mail journalist, PR executive, has died aged 95.

He was born 22 Feb, 1931, and married at Kensington in April, 1966, as her second husband, Mrs Sandra Clare Douglas-Home (born circa 1940), former wife of Cecil Robin Douglas-Home (1932-1968), scion of the Earls of Home, and daughter of Wing Commander Saville Paul (1909-1964), and his wife the former Rosa Judith Stephens (1911-2001).

Sandra Paul, a mannequin, had married 1stly, 9 July 1959 (div. 1965), the abovementioned (Cecil) Robin Douglas-Home, who had a brief and passionate liaison with the late Princess Margaret. 

After divorcing Wynne-Morgan Sandra Paul married as her 3rd husband, in Oct 1971 (div.) Nigel John Grandfield (1938-1998), and she married 4thly, at Winchester, in July, 1975, Michael Howard, QC (later the Baron Howard of Lympne, PC, QC, sometime leader of the Conservative Party, &c.)

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The Baron Hunt of Chesterton, CB, FRS 1941-2026

The Baron Hunt of Chesterton, CB, FRS, who died 20 April, 2026, aged 84, was a life peer, a meteorologist,  who was the Director General and Chief Executive of the British Meteorological Office from 1992 to 1997. 

Julian Charles Ronald Hunt was born in India, 5 September, 1941, son of a diplomat Roland Hunt and his wife the former Pauline Garnett.

Hunt was raised to the peerage for life in 2000, as Baron Hunt of Chesterton, of Chesterton in the County of Cambridgeshire, and he sat as a Labour peer in the House of Lords until 30 October 2021.

He was the leader on the Labour group of Cambridge City Council in the 1970s, and Professor of Climate modelling in the Department of Space and Climate Physics and Department of Earth Sciences at University College London. In 1989 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was appointed CB in 1998.

He married in 1965, Marylla Shepherd, daughter of Rupert Shepherd, by whom he had three children, a son, Sir Tristram Hunt, a former Labour MP who was knighted earlier this year, and two daughters, Matilda, a doctor, and Jemima, a journalist and novelist.

He was a distant cousin of another life peer, the Baron Hunt of Fawley (1905-1987).

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The 5th Baron Derwent, LVO 1930-2026

The 5th Baron Derwent, LVO, of Hackness Hall, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, died 21 April, 2026. He was 95.

Lord Derwent was educated at Eton and served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps, and as a lieutenant in the Queen Victoria's Rifles (Territorial Army.)

He was 3rd Secretary, in the Diplomatic Service from 1954  to1955. He was awarded the Chevalier, Legion of Honour in 1957, and served as 2nd Secretary, Foreign Office, 1957, and was 1st Secretary, Foreign Office, 1962. Lord Derwent was a director of N.M Rothschild from 1969 to 1985.

Derwent was appointed an Officier de l'Ordre Nationale du Mérite in 1978.1 He was managing director of Hutchison Whampoa (Europe) Ltd, 1985-98. He was appointed LVO, a honour in the personal gift of the sovereign.

Robin Evelyn Leo Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone was born 30 October, 1930, son of the 4th Baron Derwent (1901-1986), CBE, sometime Deputy Speaker, House of Lords, and his wife the former Marie Louise Henriette Picard (who died 3 November, 1985); and he succeeded to the barony (cr Peerage of the UK, 1881), and to the family baronetcy (cr 1795), upon his father's death, 2 January, 1986.

He married 12 January, 1957, Sybille Marie Louise de Simard de Pitray (who died 1 Aug, 2023), daughter of the  Vicomte de Simard de Pitray, and his wife Jeanine Hennessy, by whom he had issue, one son the Hon Francis Patrick Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone (born 23 Sept, 1965), and three daughters, the Hon Emmeline (born 3 Nov, 1958), the Hon Joanna (b 1 March, 1962), and the Hon Isabelle (b 26 Nov, 1968).

His only son now succeeds to the baronetcy and barony.

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Lady Georgina Jocelyn Pelham 1942-2026

 The Lady Georgina Pelham, who died 25 April, 2026, aged 83, was a scion of the Earls of Chichester.

She was born 7 June, 1942, daughter of Capt the 8th Earl of Chichester (1912-1944), of the Scots Guards, who died in an accident on active service, 21 February, 1944, and his wife the former Ursula von Pannwitz (1911-1989, and married in 1974, Helios Alberto Caranci, by whom she had issue, a son, Helios (born 1983), and twom daughters, Cecilia (born 1976), and Ursula (born 1978).

Her mother married 2ndly, 1 8 May, 1957 (div. 1971),  Ralph Gunning Henderson.

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Toogood/Parsons marriage

 The marriage took place, 25 April, 2026, at Holy Trinity Church, Bembridge, Isle of Wight, between William Richard Stanley Toogood (born 1 June, 1996), son of Mark William Toogood (born 1964), of the Isle of Wight, and his wife the former Katharine Margaret Chetwynd (born 24 June, 1965), scion of the Viscounts Chetwynd, and Rebecca Victoria Parsons (born 1994), daughter of Ian Parsons, of Bristol, and his wife the former (Brenda) Alison Pittaway (born 1958).

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Leeming/Shaharuddin engagement

The engagement was announced 25 April, 2026, between Andrew Michael Leeming (born 23 May, 1996), younger son of Antony Richard Leeming (born 22 June, 1950), of Skirsgill Park, Penrith, descended from the Tempest landed gentry family, by his wife the former Lady Elizabeth Mary Cecilia Bowes Lyon, LVO (born 23 December, 1959), scion of the Earls of Strathmore & Kinghorne, & Safura Shaharuddin, younger daughter of Mr Shaharuddin Zainuddin and Mrs Hafsa Hasan of Kuala Lumpur.

Andrew Leeming is a grandson maternally of the late 17th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne (1928-1987), and is a second cousin once removed of HM King Charles III.

Lady Elizabeth Leeming is an Extra Lady-in-Waiting to HRH The Princess Royal.

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Major Toby Clements Gore 1927-2026

 Major Toby Clements Gore, who died 15 April, 2026, aged 98, was a scion of the Gore baronets.

He was born 28 December, 1927, son of Brigadier Adrian Clements Gore, DSO (1900-1990), of Horton Priory, Ashford, Kent, by his wife the former Enid Aimée Cairnes (1902-1997), and married 28 July, 1959, (Isolde) Marian Macintosh (1936-1996), by whom he had issue, four daughters, Fiona (b 1960), Juiet (b 1962), Tessa (1967-1994), and Stephanie (b 1969).

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Vivienne Mary Patricia Cresswell ( née Esmonde) 1945-2026

 Vivienne Mary Patricia Cresswell, who died 19 April, 2026, aged 81, was a scion of the Esmonde baronets, descended from Sir James Esmonde, 7th Baronet.

She was born 22 March, 1945, the third daughter of Owen James Esmonde (1905-1993), and his wife Eira Margaret Antonia Mackenzie (1913- ), scion of the Mackenzie baronets; & married 1970, Charles Timothy Cresswell (born 1941), son of Charles Patrick Skeffington Cresswell (1912-1992), and his wife the former Sidney Nancy Steyning Beard (1911-2007), by whom she had issue, two daughters, Laragh (born 1973), and Dominie (born 1975).

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Henry Vevers Phythian-Adams 1939-2026

 Henry Vevers Phythian-Adams, scion of that landed gentry family, has died aged 87.

He was born 31 March, 1939, the second son of the Rev William John Telia Phythian-Adams, DSO (1888-1967), head of that family, and his wife the former Adela Noel Evelyn Robinson (1901-1983), and was educated at Rossall and Queen's College, Cambridge, and Leicester University. He married in April, 1974, Margaret Mary Ashby (1937-2018), daughter of Lt-Col A.E. Ashby, of Lamonby, Skelton, Cumbria, by whom he had issue, a son, Thomas Ashby B. Phythian-Adams (born 1982), and a daughter, Mary Anne G. Phythian-Adams (born 1977).

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Major Richard Colin Bonham Sampson 1950-2026

Major Richard Colin Bonham Sampson, died 4 April, 2026. He was 76.

He was born 10 February, 1950, son of Major Richard Claude Sampson (1916-2000), and his wife Rosemary Anne Collingridge (1924-2022); and married 26 January, 1985 (div. 2008), Mariana Victoria Magdalen Bray (born 26 January, 1956), daughter of Francis Arthur Michael Bray, DSC (1921-2004), and his wife Victoria Seely (b 1933- died 11 February, 2026), daughter of Sir Victor Basil John Seely, 4th Baronet (1900-1980), by whom he had issue, three sons, George (b 29 Jan, 1986), Charles (b 26 Oct, 1988), and Hugo (b 7 May, 1991).

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Dorothy Frances Fleming 1955-2026

Dorothy Frances Fleming, who died 29 March, 2026, aged 70, was a scion of that landed gentry family of Nettlebed.

She was born 21 June, 1955, the youngest daughter of Major Richard Evelyn Fleming, MC, TD (1910-1977), and his wife the Hon Dorothy Charmian Hermon-Hodge (1913-2001), daughter of the 2nd Baron Wyfold (1880-1942). She was a niece of the 'James Bond' writer Ian Fleming (1908-1964). She was unmarried.

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Andrew Michael Smiley 1952-2026

 Andrew Michael Smiley, who died 17 April, 2026, aged 73, was a scion of the Smiley baronets.

He was born 30 November, 1952, the second son of Major Charles Michael Smiley, CVO (1910-1991), and his wife Lavinia Pearson (1919-1991), scion of the Viscounts Cowdray; and married at Chelsea, in October, 1975, (Sarah) Caroline Coade (born 1956), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Courtenay Coade (1917-1967), and his wife the former Pauline Violet Ramsden (1927-2002), by whom he had two daughters, Charlotte Sarah (born 1983), and Sarah Miranda (born 1986).

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Rev David Burton Evans 1935-2026

The Rev David Burton Evans died 11 April, 2026. He was 91.

Born circa 1935, son of Thomas Evans, of Shrewsbury, he married 27 September, 1975, Charlotte Antonia Caulfeild (born 17 April, 1939), scion of the Viscounts Charlemont, daughter of Wade Toby Caulfeild (1902-1991), and his wife Philippa Mary Brocklebank (1911-1996), scion of that landed gentry family. No issue of the union.

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The King has made three new appointments to the Order of the Garter on St George's Day

 His Majesty the King has marked St George's Day 2026 by appointing three distinguished members of the House of Lords to the ancient and prestigious Order of the Garter.

England's senior order of chivalry has been bestowed upon historian and former journalist the Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield (born 28 March, 1947). Lord Hennessy is a historian and academic specialising in the history of government. Since 1992, he has been Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary University of London.

The accolade has also been awarded to the former cabinet secretary the Baron O'Donnell, GCB (born 1 October, 1952), the former senior civil servant and economist, who between 2005 and 2011 (under three Prime Ministers) served as the Cabinet Secretary, the highest official in the British Civil Service.

The third appointment is filled by the former chief justice the Baron Burnett of Maldon, PC (born 28 February, 1958), Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2017 to 2023.

These St George's Day honours bring the number of non royal Knights of the Garter to twenty three. There remains one vacancy in the order of chivalry founded by King Edward III in 1348, reportedly inspired by the tales of King Arthur. The order’s Knights and Lady companions are chosen personally by the sovereign.

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Boyle/Lang engagement

 The engagement was announced 22 April, 2026, between Jocelyn William Rupert Boyle (born 6 April, 1998),  scion of the Earls of Cork & Orrery, third son of Rupert Lancelot Cavemdish Boyle (born 19 September, 1960), of Laxton, Northamptonshire, by his wife the former Sarah Daphne Berry, & Samantha K. Lang, middle daughter of Mr Martin Lang and the late Mrs Alison Lang, of the Cayman Islands.

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Baroness Grainger, DBE

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 20 April 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon Dame Katherine Jane Grainger, D.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARONESS GRAINGER, of Garelochhead in the County of Dunbartonshire.

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Nicoletti/Hill engagement

 The engagement was announced 18 April, 2026, between Carlo Nicoletti, only son of Mr Massimo Nicoletti and Mrs Gisella Franco, of Milan, Italy, and Rosanna Virginia Hill (born 23 November, 1989), scion of that landed gentry family formerly of Hanbury, daughter of Christopher Francis Edward Hill (born 1955), of Holfield Grange, Essex, head of that family, and his wife the former Anna Mary Butcher.

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Burch/Lobanov-Rostovsky engagement

The engagement was announced 18 April, 2026, between Marcus James Burch (born 2 August, 1995), youngest son of Jeremy Ian Burch (born 1962), of Cardiff, Wales, and his wife the former Elisabeth Ann Thomas (born 1965), & Princess Sophia Chariclea Lobanov-Rostovsky (born 10 April, 1996), daughter of Prince Dimitry Lobanov-Rostovsky (born 14 September, 1962), of Wimbledon, London, and his wife the former Jonkvrouw Marina Cecilia Wladimiroff (born 26 April, 1966).

Princess Sophia is descended from the Trench Barons Ashtown.

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Mackenzie/Courage engagement

 The engagement was announced 18 April, 2026, between Alexander Charles Mackenzie (born 10 May, 1995), son of Marcus Charles Mackenzie (born April, 1965), of Putney, London, and his wife the former Joanna Pierce, & Beatrice Millicent Courage (born 14 April, 1995), scion of that landed gentry family, only daughter of Christopher John Courage (born 30 July, 1962), of Weacombe, Somerset, and his wife the former Alexandra Louise Haynes (born 17 March, 1966), a granddaughter maternally of the 10th Baron Vaux of Harrowden (1915-2002).

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Laing/Graham-Campbell marriage

 The marriage took place, 18 April, 2026, at St Mary's Cathedral. Glasgow, between Henry Laing, son of Mr and Mrs Rodney Laing, of Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, and Emily Marguerite Graham-Campbell (born 11 September, 1997), daughter of Robert John Graham-Campbell, 11th of Shirvan (born 14 Aug, 1964), of that Scottish landed gentry family, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, by his wife, the former Henrietta Heneage (born 1965), scion of that landed gentry family.

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Rachel Georgiana Kew (nee Fane de Salis) 1934-2026

Rachel Georgiana Kew, who died 22 March, 2026, aged 91, was a scion of the de Salis family, descended from the Earls of Westmorland.

She was a sister in the community of the Holy Rood, Middlesbrough, then Thirsk, and a partner in Wholeness Through Christ.

She was born 25 November, 1934, as Rachel Georgiana Fane de Salis, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund William Fane de Salis (1894-1980), and his wife the former Katherine (Nancy) Williams (1896-1975), and she married in March, 1999 (div. 2001), Keith Kew (born July, 1962), son of Kenneth Frederick Kew (1926-2002), by his wife the former Elizabeth Coupland.

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Fuller/Tollemache engagement

The engagement was announced 18 April, 2026, between Peter Jack Fuller (born 1997), son of Stephen R. Fuller, of Lewes, East Sussex, and his wife the former Helen M. Gubbin, & Alice Mary Tollemache (born 11 September, 1997), elder daughter of Sir Richard John Tollemache, 8th Baronet (born 4 May, 1966), of Buckminster, Leicestershire, and his wife the former Amanda Louise Phillips (born 1965).

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Bourke-Borrowes/Drysdale engagement

 The engagement was announced 18 April, 2026, between Hubert Alexander Robert Bourke-Borrowes (born 10 June, 1985), son of Kildare Hubert Bourke-Borrowes (born 20 September, 1942), of North Aston, Oxfordshire, and his second wife the former Sarah Louise McCready (born 1952), & Veronica Mary Drysdale (born 12 March 1991), daughter of Robert Drysdale, of Logie, Fife, and his former wife the former Rachel Rosa Smyth-Osbourne (born 31 May, 1961), scion of that landed gentry family (now Mrs Rachel Halvorsen, of Adstone, Northamptonshire).

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Smith/Colliver engagement

 The engagement was announced 18 April, 2026, between George Hector Courtney Smith (born 29 July, 1993), first son of Christopher Hugh Courtney Smith (born 1961), of Thornhill, Stirlingshire, and his wife the former Charlotte Elizabeth Kerr-Smiley (born 17 January, 1963), scion of the Smiley baronets, and Chloe Iona Colliver (born 1993), daughter of the late Neil Anthony Colliver (1960-1995), and Mrs Judith Colliver (nee Smith), of Kew, London.

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The Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, PC 1943-2026

 The Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, PC, who died 16 April, 2026, aged 82, was a lawyer and one of the first 11 Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Justices and was the first High Court judge to be appointed directly to that court when it came into existence on 1 October 2009.

He was appointed to the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong on 11 April 2011 as a non-permanent judge. He was previously Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales. He retired from the Supreme Court in September 2017.

Anthony Peter Clarke was born 13 May, 1943. 

On 15 April 2009, it was announced that he would be created a life peer, & was gazetted on 29 May 2009 with the title of Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, of Stone-cum-Ebony, in the County of Kent, and took his seat as a crossbencher in the House of Lords on 1 June 2009.

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Veryan Williams-Wynn 1943-2026

Veryan Williams-Wynn, who died 8 April, 2026, aged 82, was the former wife of the late Sir David Williams-Wynn, 11th Baronet.

She was born in 1943, as Harriet Veryan Elspeth Tailyour, daughter of General Sir Norman Hastings Tailyour, KCB, DSO (1914-1979), and his wife the former Priscilla June Southby (1916-1971); and married as his 1st wife, 26 October, 1968 (div 1981), David Watkin Williams-Wynn (born 18 February, 1940), son of Sir Owen Watkin Williams-UWynn, 10th Baronet (1904-1988), and his 1st wife the former Margaret Jean Macbean (died 4 Sept, 1961).

Her former husband succeeded his father as the 11th baronet, 13 May, 1988, and died 18 Nov, 2023.

Veryan Williams-Wynn leaves issue, two sons, Sir Charles, the 12th Baronet (born 16 Sept, 1970), and Robert (born 10 Sept, 1977), and twin daughters, Lucinda and Alexandra  (born 18 Dec, 1972)

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The Baron Skidelsky 1939-2026

 The Baron Skidelsky, economic historian, author and crossbench life peer, died 15 April, 2026, aged 86.

Robert Jacob Alexander Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky, was born 25 April, 1939, and was an economic historian, author and crossbench life peer in the House of Lords. He is best known for his award-winning three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes, regarded as the definitive study of the economist's life and work. Educated at Jesus College, Oxford, he held academic posts in history and political economy at several universities and was Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick. Beyond academia, Skidelsky was influential in British public policy debates, serving as the founding chairman of the Social Market Foundation and writing extensively on economics, fiscal policy, and the political implications of technological change.

 On 15 July 1991 he was created a life peer as Baron Skidelsky, of Tilton in the County of East Sussex.

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Cage-White/Wingfield Digby engagement

The engagement was announced 17 April, 2026, between Oliver Timothy Cage-White (born 1996), son of Andrew J. White, of Sandwich, Kent, and his wife the former Sarah E. Cage (born 1964), & Emily Venetia Wingfield Digby (born 1999), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Jack Wingfield Digby (born 1965), of Hazelbury Bryan, Dorset, by his former wife the former Caroline Denise Parish (born 1971) (now Mrs Caroline Parish, of Chagford, Devon).

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Gilliat-Smith/Melville engagement

The engagement was announced 16 April, 2026, between Bertram Jack Gilliat-Smith (born 15 August, 1998), eldest son of Matthew Jolyon Gilliat-Smith (born 1959), of Kempley, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Jennifer Jane Collins (born 1966), & Mary Elizabeth (Molly) Melville (born 11 January, 1997), descended from the Earls of Dundee, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Landale (Jamie) Melville (born 1963), of Great Wishford, Wiltshire, by his wife the former Sophie E. Marsh.

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Hills/Reynolds engagement

 The engagement was announced 16 April, 2026, between Jack Evelyn Baring Hills (born 26 July, 1998), descended from the Earls of Cromer, son of (John) George Baring Hills (born 24 March, 1966), of St Kew, Cornwall, and his wife the former Harriet Peter-Hoblyn (born 1968), & Emily Charlotte Beresford (Milly) Reynolds (born 1997), daughter of Peter John Beresford Reynolds (born 12 January, 1961), of Letcombe Bassett, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Jessica R.L. Snell.

The 2nd Earl of Cromer > Lady Rosemary Baring > John Evelyn Hills > George Hills > Jack Hills

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Lady (Pamela) Lemina Lawson Johnston 1941-2026

The Lady (Pamela) Lemina Lawson Johnston ( née Gordon), who died 7 April, 2026, aged 84, was a scion of the Marquesses of Huntly.

She was born 17 December, 1941, daughter of the 12th Marquess of Huntly (1908-1987), and the former Hon Mary Pamela Berry (1918-1998), daughter of the 1st Viscount Kemsley (1883-1968); and married 4 April, 1970, the Hon (Ian) Harry Calthorpe Lawson Johnston (1938-2023), second son of the 2nd Baron Luke (1905-1996), and his wife the former Barbara Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe (1911-2006), scion of the baronets of that name, by whom she had issue, a son, Percy (born 6 July, 1971), and a daughter, Henrietta (born 2 May, 1973).

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Irens/Dalmeny engagement

The engagement was announced 15 April, 2026, between Jules Marie Nigel Irens (born Aug 1968), and Caroline Julia, Lady Dalmeny, former wife of the 7th Earl of Rosebery, and daughter of Ronald Daglish, of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, and of Mrs William Wyatt-Lowe.

Caroline Daglish married 1stly, 18 June, 1994 (div. 2014), Harry Ronald Neil Primrose, then styled Lord Dalmeny (born 20 Nov, 1967), who succeeded, 30 June, 2024, as 7th Earl of Rosebery.

Lady Dalmeny has issue, a son, Albert, styled Lord Dalmeny (born 8 Sept, 2005), and four daughters, Lady Marina Primrose (b 28 Oct, 2002), Lady Lavinia Primrose (b 13 Oct 2003), Lady Delphi Primrose (b 13 Oct 2003), & Lady Celeste Primrose (b 13 Oct 2003).

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Edgar Marc Kennedy Cox (born 2026)

Iryna Cox (nee Plastun), wife of Thomas Gerrard Kennedy Cox [born 31 October, 1995], gave birth to a son, Edgar Marc Kennedy, 1 April, 2026.

Thomas Cox is a son of Simon Cox [born 10 Oct, 1962], of Hyde Park, London, and his wife the former Antonia N. Feuchtwanger [born 1963].

Iryna is a daughter of Dr Maria and Dr Victor Plastun, of Crimea.

The 1st Marquess of Stafford > Lady Anne Leveson-Gower > Granville Harcourt Vernon > Rev Evelyn Harcourt Vernon > Edward Harcourt Vernon > Egerton Harcourt Vernon > Pamela Harcourt Vernon > Simon Cox > Thomas Cox > Edgar Cox 

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O'Brien/Murray engagement

 The engagement was announced 15 April, 2026, between Finn Thomas P. O'Brien (born 1998), elder son of Patrick O'Brien, of Hurstbourne Priors, Hampshire, and Mrs O'Brien (nee Kitching), & Elizabeth Charlotte Vane Murray (born 20 February, 1997), scion of the Earls of Eglinton & Winton, younger daughter of Andrew Henry William Vane Murray (born 29 June, 1964), of Dunley, Hampshire, and his wife the former Annabel Charlotte Pring (born 1965).

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Baroness Geraint (died 2026)

Baroness Geraint, who died 10 April, 2026, aged 93, was widow of the life peer the Baron Geraint.

She was the former (Mary) Olwen Hughes, of Tregaron, Dyfed, and married in 1957, the then Geraint Wyn Howells (born 15 April, 1925), son of David John Howells, of Brynglas, Ponterwyd, Cardiganshire.

Her husband was Liberal MP for Cardigan, 1974-1988, and Lib Dem MP for the same constituency until 1992. He was Chairman of the Welsh Liberal Party 1972-74, and President 1974-78. Liberal Spokesman on Wales 1985-87, Lib Spokesman on Agriculture, 1989-1992, and raised to the peerage for life in 1992 on leaving the Commons. His peerage was gazetted as Baron Geraint, of Ponterwyd, co Dyfed.

Baroness Geraint was widowed 17 April, 2004. She leaves issue, two daughters, Gaenor and Mari.

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Isla Olivia Brown (born 2026)

 Annabel Kathleen Brown (née Pettit, born 1992), wife of Oliver S. Brown, gave birth to a daughter, Isla Olivia, 5 April, 2026, a sister for Heidi Charlotte, who was born 21 December, 2023.

Oliver is a son of Neil Brown, of Edinburgh, who married 2022, Annabel Kathleen Pettit, daughter of Timothy John Pettit (born 28 March, 1959), and his wife the former Susan Julia Butterfield (born 1962).

The infant descends from the FitzGerald landed gentry family:-

Colonel John Sidney North Fitzgerald, CVO, MBE, MC (1893-1976) > Georgiana Mary Fitzgerald (b 5 April, 1935) > Timothy Pettit (b 1959) > Annabel Pettit (b 1992) > Isla Brown (b 2026)

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Sir (Gerald) Hayden Phillips, GCB 1943-2026

Sir Hayden Phillips, GCB, died 10 April, 2026. He was 83.

Phillips joined the Civil Service as an Assistant Principal in the Home Office in 1967, and was Economic Adviser, 1970–72, Principal 1972–74, and Assistant Secretary, and Principal Private Secretary to the Home Secretary (Roy Jenkins), 1974–76. From 1977 to 1979 he served as Deputy Chef de Cabinet to Roy Jenkins as President of the European Commission. He returned to the Home Office as Assistant Secretary from 1979 to 1981, and then as Assistant Under-Secretary of State from 1981 to 1986. From 1986 to 1988 he was Deputy Secretary in the Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office, subsequently Office of the Minister for the Civil Service). From 1988 to 1992 he was Deputy Secretary in HM Treasury. 

He was born 9 February, 1943, son of Gerald Phillips, and his wife Dorothy, and married firstly, 1967 (divorced)Dr Ann Watkins; and married 2ndly, 11 July, 1980, the Hon Laura Clare Grenfell, MBE (born 17 July, 1950), daughter of the 2nd Baron St Just (1922-1984), and his wife the former Leslie Nast, daughter of Condé Montrose Nast.

He leaves a son and daughter from his first marriage, and a son and two daughters from his second marriage.

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Henry John Chicheley Plowden 1956-2026

Henry John Chicheley Plowden, who died 6 April, 2026, aged 69, was a scion of the Plowden landed gentry family.

He was born 12 June, 1956, son of Geoffrey Frank Chichele Plowden (born 1929), and his wife the former (Elizabeth) Anne Wellesley-Colley (1929-2016); and married in 1988, Catherine D. Stainton, daughter of Keith Monin Stainton (1921-2002), and his wife the former Vanessa Ann Heald, scion of that landed gentry family, by whom he had two daughters, Atlanta Mary Chichele Plowden (born May 1994), and Harriet Georgina Chichele Plowden (born July 2003).

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The 3rd Viscount Bridgeman 1930-2026

 The 3rd Viscount Bridgeman died 9 April, 2026, aged 95.

Bridgeman, a peer for 43 years was one of the hereditary peers elected to the House of Lords in 1999.

Robin John Orlando Bridgeman was born 5 December, 1930, son of Brigadier the Hon Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman MC FRCS LRCP, (1898-1974), of Watley House, Sparsholt, Winchester, co. Hampshire ,Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at St George's Hospital, by his wife the former Mary Meriel Gertrude Talbot (died 5 Jul 1974), only daughter of Rt Hon Sir George John Talbot, scion of the Earls of Shrewsbury. He succeeded as 3rd Viscount Bridgeman, 17 November, 1982, on the death of hus uncle the 2nd Viscount.

He married 10 December, 1966, (Victoria) Harriet Lucy Turton, scion of that landed gentry family, 3rd daughter of Ralph Meredyth Turton, of Kildale Hall, Whitby, co. York, by his wife Mary Blanche Chetwynd-Stapylton, 1st daughter of Col Bryan Henry Chetwynd-Stapylton CBE, by whom he had issue, four sons, William (1968-2000), Luke (born 1 May, 1971), (who now succeeds as 4th Viscount) Esmond (born 3 Oct, 1974), and Orlando (born 11 Apr, 1983).

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Allela Harwood Cochrane-Dyet (née Annan) 1940-2026

 Allela Harwood Cochrane-Dyett (née Annan), who died 21 March, 2026, was the widow of Lieutenant-Colonel Rhoderick Stuart Cochrane-Dyet.

She was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, in 1940, daughter of Major John Annan by his wife the former Pamela Harwood James; and married in 1969, as his second wife, Lt-Col. Rhoderick Stuart Cochrane-Dyet (1933-2025), son of Colonel John Cochrane-Dyet.

Her husband's first wife was a scion of the Seymour Marquesses of Hertford.

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Lady Young 1929-2026

Lady Young, who died 8 April, 2026, was the widow of Lieutenant-General Sir David (Tod) Young, KBE, CB, DFC (1926-2000).

She was born in 1929 as Joanna Torin, a daughter of Major Lionel Henry Torin (1887-1967), and his wife the former Katharine Theodora Gordon-Duff (1903-2002), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 1stly, 1954, Geoffrey Oyler (1915-1981); and married 2ndly, 1988, as his second wife, Lt.-Gen. Sir David Young, KBE, CB, DFC, who died 9 January, 2000. She leaves issue from her first marriage.

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Hector Luca Dickson Corona (born 2026)

 Charlotte P.E. Corona (née Dickson), wife of Alexander Tenzin (Sasha) Corona (born 27 September, 1991), gave birth to a son, Hector Luca Dickson, 24 March, 2026.

Charlotte is a daughter of Major David Dickson, of Symington, Ayrshire, who married 2023, Sasha Corona, son of Maurizio Corona, and his wife the former Camilla Ann Hulse (born 15 November, 1962), daughter of Sir Edward Jeremy Westrow Hulse, 10th Baronet (1932-2022).

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Capt Francis Philip Brooke-Topham, OBE, RN 1928-2026

Capt Francis Philip Brooke-Popham, OBE, RN, who died 4 April, 2026, aged 97, was head of that landed gentry family.

He was born in 1928, son of Air Chief Marshal Sir (Henry) Robert Moore Brooke-Popham, GCVO, KCB, CMG, DSO, RAF (1878-1953), and his wife the former Opal Mary Hugonin (1900-1983), scion of that landed gentry family, and married 23 February, 1957, Susan Carmichael Fry (born 1939), daughter of John Fry (1907-1986), of Yelverton, Devon, by his wife the former Marjory Catherine (Kathleen) Viles (1910-1995), by whom he had issue, three daughters, Jane, Catherine, and Mary.

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Damiani/Knatchbull engagement

 The engagement has been announced  between Giovanni Luca Maria (Gionzy) Damiani (born July, 1985), and Daisy Isadora Louise Knatchbull (born 5 October, 1992), scion of the Earls Mountbatten of Burma, daughter of the Hon Philip Wyndham Ashley Knatchbull (born 2 December, 1961), and his first wife the former Atalanta Cowan (born 20 June, 1962).

Daisy is a granddaughter of the 7th Baron Brabourne (1924-2005), and Patricia, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (1924-2017).

The Damiani family are an established Italian jewellry business strongly linked to tradition and the passion for goldsmith art. They have designed and manufactured precious and unique jewels for three generations.

Gionzy Damiani is a music professional known for his work in publishing, production and song writing, linked to the Mutineer Music Group in London. 

Daisy Knatchbull is a fashion designer , founder of Knatchbull, the first female only tailor on London's Savile Row.

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William Patrick Stirling Damerell 1949-2026

 William Patrick Stirling Damerell died 5 April, 2026. 

He was born in Wiltshire in April, 1949, son of D.V. Damerell, of Stodham Park, Liss, Hampshire; and married at Chichester, Sussex, 2 July, 1977, the Lady Mary Barbara Carnegie (born 10 February, 1953), second daughter of the 13th Earl of Northesk (1926-1994), and his wife the former Jean Margaret MacRae (1927-1989), a granddaughter maternally of the 4th Marquess of Bristol (1863-1951), by whom he had issue, three sons, Charles Carnegie S. Damerell (born 1980), Thomas Edward Carnegie Damerell (born 1982), and Robert William Carnegie Damerell (born 1985).

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Lady Anastasia Compton engaged to Christian Rena

The engagement was announced 11 April, 2026, between Christian Henry M. Rena (born 2002), younger son of Nicholas J.D. Rena (born Westminster, 1963), and his wife the former Rachel F. Broughton (born 1964), and the Lady Anastasia Henrietta Grace Compton (born 26 March, 2002), eldest daughter of Daniel Bingham Compton, styled Earl Compton (born 16 January, 1973), and his former wife the former Elizabeth Lucy Cardozo (now Mrs Capel Irwin, wife of Capel Robert Powell Irwin, born 1967), descended from the Brotherton Ratcliffe landed gentry family.

Lady Anastasia is a granddaughter of the 7th Marquess of Northampton.

Christian Rena has an aristocratic ancestry, descending from the Stuart Black, Pereira, and Lane Fox landed families.

George Sackville Frederick Lane Fox (1838-1918) = Annette Weld-Blundell > Helen Mary Lane Fox (1881-1957) = Maj Gen Sir Cecil Edward Pereira, KCB, CB, CMG (1869-1942) > Margaret Helen Pereira (1905-82) = Ian Hervey Stuart Black (1908-1986) > Sarah Mary Stuart Black (b 1941) = Oliver Rena (1937-2021) > Nicholas Rena (b 1963)

Christian's aunt, Francesca Rena (born 1969) married in 1993, the Hon (David) Patrick Cairns (born 27 May, 1967), second son of the 6th Earl Cairns.

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Dunn/Scott-Bowden engagement

The engagement was announced 11 April, 2026, between George P. Dunn, son of Mr Frank Dunn and Mrs Angie Boyle of London, & Matilda Nancy Scott-Bowden (born 26 January, 1997), daughter of Major James Russell Scott-Bowden (born 1958), of Alderley, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Nicola Jane Shepherd (born 1963).

Matilda is a great-granddaughter of Sir Francis Caradoc Rose Price, 5th Baronet (1880-1949)

Sir Francis Rose Price Bt (1880-1949) > Helen Price 1920-2010 > Maj. James Scott-Bowden (b 1958) > Matilda (b 1997)

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The Baron Beecham, DL 1944-2026

 The Baron Beecham, DL, life peer, Labour party politician, died 9 April, 2026. He was 81.

Jeremy Hugh Beecham was born 14 November, 1944. He was a Labour politician and a senior figure in  local government. He was leader of Newcastle City Council and the first Chairman of the Local Government Association. He was the elected Chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party (October 2005 – September 2006).

Beecham was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, and University College, Oxford (1962–1965), where he obtained a first class honours degree in law. He became a solicitor. He joined the Labour Party in 1959, and was elected a councillor for Benwell, Newcastle, in the Newcastle City Council elections of 11 May 1967. He stood for Parliament without success in Tynemouth in 1970. He chaired the Social Services Committee on the council from 1973 to 1977 and was Leader of Newcastle from 1977 to 1994, chairing the Finance Committee from 1979 to 1984. In 1991, Beecham became Chairman of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities (AMA). When the AMA merged with the Association of District Councils and the Association of County Councils on 1 April 1997 to form the Local Government Association, he became the first chairman of the LGA. He was the LGA vice-chairman and continued to chair the LGA Labour Group. He was the President of the British Urban Regeneration Association. Beecham was a member of many boards and committees in Newcastle and North East England, and in advising government. Beecham was a member of the Labour Party National Executive Committee from 1998 and was its chairman in 2005-2006. 

He was appointed Knight Bachelor in June, 1994. 

Beecham was made a Freeman of the city of Newcastle in 1995. He was Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Tyne and Wear and Benwell and Scotswood on the City Council. He has been a council member at charity Common Purpose since 1989. He was Jewish, and a board member of the New Israel Fund in the UK.

He was raised to the peerage for life in 2010 as Baron Beecham, of Benwell and Newcastle upon Tyne in the County of Tyne and Wear. He was was introduced in the House of Lords on 28 July 2010. He sat on the Labour benches until his retirement in 2021.

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Michael Owen Lidwell 1941-2026

 Michael Owen Lidwell died 25 March, 2026, aged 84.

He was born 24 December, 1941, the eldest son of Owen Millwood Lidwell, MA, D.Phil, BSc (1914-2010), and his wife the former Daphne Jenefer Mary Fursdon (1918-2011), scion of the Fursdon of Fursdon landed gentry family, and married in 1972, (Agnes) Naomi Allison (born 1945), daughter of Alexander Bernard Allison (1912-1999), and his wife the former Agnes Margaret Houghton (1905-2001), by whom he had issue, a son, Simon Neil (born 1973), and three daughters, Aline (born 1976), Hannah (born 1979), and Rebekah (born 1984).

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Eleanor Paton Dreyer (née Copland) 1941-2026

Eleanor Paton Dreyer (née Copland), died 14 March, 2026, aged 84.

She was born in 1941, a daughter of Leslie Copland, of Westmount, Quebec, and married 4 June, 1966, Martin Raymond Dreyer (born 2 November, 1942), scion of that landed gentry family, elder son of Lieutenant-Commander Raymond Garnier Dreyer, MBE, RN (1919-2006), and his wife the former Molly Eileen Travers-Drapes (1920-2012). She leaves issue, two sons, Charles William G. Dreyer, and (Jonathan) Mark A. Dreyer.

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Ian Alexander-Sinclair 1946-2026

Ian Alexander-Sinclair, who died 22 March, 2026, aged 79, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born in 1946, son of Lieutenant-Commander Roderick Ian Alexander-Sinclair, RN (1911-1985), and his wife the former Margaret Hamilton-Campbell (1915-1994), and married 1972, Patricia J. Fairhead (born 1947), daughter of Alan Tyrrell Fairhead, by his wife the former Joyce Mona Varney, by whom he had issue, two sons, Charles Boyd Alexander-Sinclair (born 1978), and Samuel John P. Alexander-Sinclair (born circa 1981).

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