The engagement was announced 4 April, 2026, between Richard George Archibald Vestey (born 17 December, 1997), scion of the Vestey baronets, third son of George Moubray William Vestey (born 17 September, 1964), of Great Thurlow, Suffolk, and his former wife Ms Rachel Philippa Osborne, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, & Francesca Lily Foster Moseley (born 1999), youngest daughter of James Moseley, of Upper Oddington, Gloucestershire and his wife nee Quiggin.
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Lara Alexandra de Groat (nee Ouvaroff, born 1996), wife of Cameron J.M. De Groat, gave birth to a daughter Cordelia Aprille Ames Florence, 26 March, 2026.
Cameron is a son of Mr and Mrs M.J.M. Groat, of Wimborne, Dorset.
Lara is a daughter of Count Dominic William Ouvaroff (born December, 1966), of Wandsworth, London, and his wife the former Jennifer Baxendale.
The infant is descended from the Marquesses of Exeter:-
The 3rd Marquess of Exeter (1825-95) > Lord Francis Cecil (1851-89) > Violet Cecil (died 1953) > Aubretia Ames > Count Stephen Ouvaroff (1935-2017) > Count Dominic Ouvaroff (b 1966) > Lara Ouvaroff (b 1996) > Cordelia de Groat (b 2026)
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Clementine Mary R. Lowe (born 1991, née Francklin), wife of Frederick James Lowe (born 1991), gave birth to a son, Hector George, 16 March, 2026, a brother for Harry Alexander, born 12 March, 2024.
Clementine Lowe is a daughter of William Alexander Mavourn Francklin (born 1958), scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Celina Lucinda Palmer (born 15 May, 1961), scion of the Palmer baronets, daughter of Sir Geoffrey Christopher John Palmer, 12th Baronet (born 30 June, 1936).
Fred Lowe is descended from the Baker baronets:-
Sir George Edward Dunstan Sherston Baker, 4th Baronet > Henrietta Baker > Michael Chapman > Nicola Chapman > Fred Lowe
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India Sarah T. Agar (nee Clevely, born 1991), wife of Charles Christopher Edward Agar [born 29 July, 1989], scion of the Earls of Normanton, gave birth to a son, Inigo Basil John, 27 March, 2026, a brother for Bodie Giles Edward, who was born 15 March, 2024.
Charles Agar is a son of the Hon Mark Sidney Andrew Agar [born 2 Sept, 1948], of Hilton, Dorset, and his wife the former Arabella Clare Gilbey [born 14 July, 1953], scion of the Gilbey baronets.
India Agar is a daughter of Rupert Clevely, of River, West Sussex, and his wife the former Joanna Beatrice Taswell Greenwell [born 14 Jan, 1962], scion of the Greenwell baronets, descended from the 1st Bt.
Charles Agar is a grandson of the 5th Earl of Normanton [1910-67].
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The engagement was announced 3 April, 2026, between Carl W. Dudley (born May, 1991), the only son of Mr Roy Dudley and the late Mrs Dudley, of Milton, Staffordshire, and Sophie Jean Home Tindley (born 1993), daughter of George William Tindley (born Nov, 1958), of Bramdean, Hampshire, and his wife the former Lucinda Home Franks (born 17 March, 1964), granddaughter of Sir David Home, 13th Baronet.
Sir David George Home, 13th Baronet (1904-1992) > Anne Home (1942-1986) > Lucinda Franks (b 1964) > Sophie Tindley (b 1993).
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The engagement was announced 3 April, 2026, between Edward John Chandos-Pole Chichester (born 27 July, 1991), son and heir of Sir James Henry Edward Chichester, 12th Baronet (born 15 October, 1951), of Radbourne Hall, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, and his wife the former Margaret Anne Chandos-Pole (born 1952), and Madeleine J. Maslin, elder daughter of Mr Charlie Maslin, of Gunningrah, NSW, Australia, and Mrs Anne Maslin, of Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia.
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Anthony Robert Edmund Pretor-Pinney, who died 23 March, 2026, aged 95, was head of that landed gentry family of Somerton Erleigh.
He was born at Bath in April, 1930, son of Lieutenant-Commander Giles Robert Pretor-Pinney, RN (1897-1942), and his wife the former Lucy Theodosia Gascoigne Fowle (1901-1980); and married in 1963, Laura Haight, daughter of George Winthrop Haight, of New York, United States, by whom he had issue, two sons, Giles Winthrop Pretor-Pinney (born 1963), and Gavin Edmund Pretor-Pinney (born 1968), and a daughter, Jennifer Clare (born 1966), wife of the Hon Jonathan Williamson (born 1965), son of the life peer the Baron Williamson of Horton.
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Margaret Vyner (nee Heathcote) died 27 March, 2026. She was 96.
She was born in London in 1929, daughter of Capt Ralph Heathcote, DSO, RN (1901-1990), of The Snab, Gressingham, Lancaster, by his wife the former Margaret Helen Richards (1906-1968); and married firstly, 7 September, 1951 (div. 1958), the then Hon Hugo John Laurence Philipps (1929-1999) (from 1993 the 3rd Baron Milford), son of the 2nd Baron Milford (1902-1993), and his wife the former Rosamond Nina Lehmann(1901-1990); and married 2ndly, 13 October, 1958 (div. 1982), Henry Vyner (1932-1996), of Studley Royal, Ripon, son of Commander Clare Vyner, RN (1894-1989), and his wife the Lady Doris Hilda Gordon Lennox (1896-1980), bridesmaid to Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon in 1923, daughter of the 8th Duke of Richmond & Gordon (1870-1935).
She leaves a daughter from her first marriage, the Hon Anna Philipps (born 17 Apr, 1954), and two daughters from her second marriage, Harriet Vyner (born 18 Aug, 1959), and Violet Vyner (born 21 March, 1962).
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The Baroness Holderness, who died 29 March, 2026, aged 98, was widow of the life peer the Baron Holderness.
She was sometime President of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for the Disabled.
She was born in October, 1927, as Eleanor Diana Myrtle Kellett, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Orlando Kellett, DSO, FRGS (1902-1943), Irish Guards, and his wife the former Helen Myrtle Dorothy Atherley (died 16 March, 1976), and married 15 April, 1947, the then Hon Richard Frederick Wood, MP, PC, DL, (born 5 Oct, 1920), third son of the 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, GCSI (1881-1959), sometime Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary (the 'Holy Fox') by his wife the former Lady Dorothy Augusta Evelyn Onslow (1885-1976), scion of the Earls of Onslow, CI, DCVO, sometime Extra Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Her husband was a Conservative politician who held numerous ministerial positions from 1955 to 1974. He was distinctive in having lost both his legs in action in North Africa during World War II. He was Conservative MP for Bridlington from 1950 to 1979. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Derick Heathcoat-Amory during his time successively as Minister of Pensions between 1951 and 1953, Minister of State at the Board of Trade between 1953 and 1954, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1954 and 1955. Wood was then Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance between 1955 and 1958. He was minister of Labour between 1958 and 1959 and at the minister of Power between 1959 and 1963. Wood urged Prime Minister Anthony Eden not to respond to the Suez Crisis with overt aggression, but his advice was ignored because of his father's association with appeasement and the Munich Agreement.
In 1959 Wood was sworn of the Privy Council served as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance from 1963 until the Conservative Party lost power in 1964.[3] When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970, he was Minister of Overseas Development for the duration of the Heath Government.
After he retired as an MP, her husband was raised to the peerage for life as Baron Holderness, of Bishop Wilton in the County of Humberside. From 1987 to 1991 he was an energetic chairman of the Disablement Services Authority, charged with the improvement of artificial limb services: he then served as a junior Minister on services for disabled people.
She was widowed 11 Aug, 2002.
Lady Holderness leaves issue, a son, the Hon Edward Orlando Charles Wood (born 14 Aug, 1951), and a daughter, the Hon Emma Myrtle Mary Anne (born 13 Feb, 1949), wife of Sir Edward Nicholas Brooksbank, 3rd Baronet (born 4 Oct, 1944).
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Iona Violet Astley Birtwistle (née Fraser, born 1991), wife of James N.V. Astley Birtwistle, gave birth to a son, Oswald Quintin, 24 March, 2026.
James id the second son of Mr & Mrs Pip Astley Birtwistle, of South Elmham, Suffolk.
Iona Astley Birtwistle is the second daughter of Mr Charles Torquil de Montalt Fraser, of London, by his former wife the former Hon Lucy Pearson [born 11 Apr, 1954], scion of the Viscounts Cowdray [now the Hon Mrs Lucy Beauchamp, of Fittleworth, West Sussex].
Iona is a granddaughter maternally of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray [1910-95].
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Peter Phillips, only son of the Princess Royal and the King's nephew, and Harriet Sperling, his girlfriend of two years, have announced their marriage date.
The 'royal' couple are to wed in a private ceremony in the Cotswolds this summer. Peter and Harriet will marry at All Saints' Church in the village of Kemble, near Cirencester, on Saturday 6 June, 2026.
The pair announced their engagement on 1 August 2025. Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November, 1977), is the only son of Capt Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September, 1948), late the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, scion of that landed gentry family, and his first wife HRH The Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, Princess Royal, KG, &c (born 15 Aug, 1950).
Harriet Eleanor Sperling (born 1980), is a daughter of the late Rupert Hugh Sanders (1944-2023) and his wife the former Mary Elizabeth Hoskins (born 1950).
Peter Phillips, nephew of the King, and Queen Elizabeth II's eldest grandchild, was first seen on the arm of a new girlfriend two years ago. Harriet, described in the Sun newspaper as "a paediatric and specialist nurse and freelance writer in her 40s" was seen with Phillips at the Badminton Horse Trials where she was introduced to Queen Camilla.
Harriet wrote in March 2024 of the struggles, and joys, of her life as a single parent bringing up her young daughter, Georgina Isabella (born in 2012). She highlighted how while 'parenting solo can be tough' it 'can also be the most beautiful, precious relationship.' Harriet said: 'In the earlier years of my journey as a single mother to my daughter, resources were scarce, and the future was uncertain. 'Yet, in the absence of material security, I discovered the strength and life that comes from true selfless love. A love that is able to be solely devoted to your child.'
Harriet's first marriage was to Antonio St John Sperling (born with the surname Di Martino in Nov 1981), who was a son of Domenico Di Martino & of Sonia Anne Agnes Sperling (1952-2017), scion of that landed gentry family, of Lattenbury Hill, St Ives, Huntingdonshire, and descended from Admiral Sir Henry Loraine Baker, 2nd Baronet, CB.
Harriet's life as a struggling single parent belies her aristocratic and distinguished ancestry. The NHS nurse was born Harriet Eleanor Sanders, her birth registered at Swindon, in the first quarter of 1980, daughter of solicitor Rupert Hugh Sanders (1944-2023), and his wife the former Mary Elizabeth Hoskins (born 1950), daughter of Richard Samuel Hoskins (1912-78), of Park Corner, Cirencester, and his wife (nee Wakefield).
Harriet's mother featured in Tatler in 1971 on their 'Girls in Pearls' page following the announcement of her engagement to Rupert Sanders, whose ancestry is rich in the landed 'beerage' and stockbroking.
Harriet's grandfather Maj Geoffrey Thomas St John Sanders (1911-86), a High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, married Eleanor De Zoete (1910-78), of the Mill House, Radwell, scion of the De Zoete stockbroking dynasty, daughter of the Old Etonian stockbroker and famed England cricketer Herman Walter De Zoete (1877-1957).
Herman De Zoete was a right-handed batsman who bowled both slow left-arm orthodox and left-arm medium pace, and played for Cambridge University in the 1890s. He was part of the De Zoete & Bevan stockbroking family who were bought out by Barclays Bank in 1986. De Zoete married in Essex in 1903, Dorothy Courage (1877-1972), scion of the Courage landed gentry family, whose fortune was based on brewing from the 18th century.
Dorothy Courage was the tenth child of Edward Courage (1832-1904), of Shenfield Place, Brentwood, Essex, and Hanover Square, London, an old Harrovian, head of the Courage landed gentry family, by his wife the former Helen Rosa Marshall (1837-96), a scion of that landed gentry family of Hardres Court, Canterbury.
Harriet has siblings: Nicholas (born 1975), Louisa (born 1976), and Rebecca (born 1986).
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The Baron Haskins, life peer, died 30 March, 2026, aged 88.
He was a businessman, latterly Chairman of Northern Foods from 1980-2002. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Haskins, of Skidby in the County of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on 25 July 1998.
Christopher Robin Haskins, a former chair of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and of Northern Foods, was born in Dublin, 30 May, 1937. He joined Wakefield-headquartered Northern Foods – then known as Northern Dairies in 1962 – becoming a director of the firm in 1967, deputy chairman in 1974, then chairman from 1980 to 2002.
During 2001, at the height of the foot and mouth disease epidemic, he became Prime Minister Tony Blair's 'rural tsar'. Lord Haskins retired from the Lords on 1 December 2020.
Sometime a member of the Labour Party. A dedicated supporter of the Humber region, Lord Haskins used his Humber LEP role to widely promote the region’s interests and ensure the views of its businesses were represented in government. He won the Ambassador award at TheBusinessDesk.com’s Business Masters Awards in 2015.Many tributes have been paid to him, with friends and colleagues describing him as an “inspirational leader”.
He married in 1959, Gilda Horsley (born 1936), daughter of Alec Stewart Horsley (1902-1993), and his wife the former Ida Seward Howitt, by whom he had two sons.
James Mayo Alastair Gunn died 20 March, 2026, aged 100.
He was born in Bristol in July, 1925, a son of Henry Somerville Gunn (1882-1966), and his wife the former Margaret Aileen Constance Wise (1893-1976); and married 1stly, 10 December, 1949 (div. 1968), as her first husband, Jill Rosalind Bruce (1927-2017), scion of the Earls of Elgin & Kincardine, fourth daughter of Capt. Charles Bruce (1883-1958), and his wife the former Joan Woodiwiss (1900-1984), scion of that landed gentry family; & married 2ndly, 1982, Rosemary Hunter (born circa 1952), daughter of Michael Henry Hunter (1927-1988), and his wife the former Rosemary Claire Bull (1928-2011).
From his first marriage he leaves issue, two sons, Henry and David, and two daughters Nicola and Ann, and from his second marriage he leaves a son, Alastair, and a daughter, Claire.
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Nigel Kenneth Cayzer, who died in France, 21 March, 2026, aged 71, was descended from the Cayzer baronets.
He was a businessman and chairman of two London-listed funds: Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust and Oryx International Growth Fund. He served as chairman of the cancer care charity Maggie's from 2005 to 2014.
In 1993 he oversaw the acquisition by the Oman National Insurance Company (ONIC) of an 18.7% stake in Oriel. The following year he established and became chairman of the Oryx JIA, an open-ended fund quoted on the Muscat Securities Market and invested principally in equities in Oman and other countries in the GCC. He held this position until 2007. He was a non-executive director of the Alliance Housing Bank SAOG between 1998 and 2006, and is the current chairman of the Oryx International Growth Fund.
He was born 30 April, 1954, the second son of Anthony Malcolm Galliers-Pratt, CBE (1928-1998), and his wife Angela Cayzer (1926-2014), daughter of Sir Charles William Cayzer, 3rd Baronet (1896-1940).
In 1982 he assumed the surname of Cayzer in lieu of his patronymic on being named as heir to the property of his uncle, Sir James Cayzer, 5th Baronet.
He married 8 May, 1986, Henrietta Caroline Rose Sykes (born 12 May, 1957), younger daughter of Sir Mark Richard Tatton Sykes, 7th Baronet (1905-1978), of Sledmere, by whom he had issue, two sons, Arthur (born 24 March, 1988), and John (born 30 Oct, 1996), and two daughters, Virginia (born 17 Jan, 1990), and Angelica (born 11 Sept, 1992).
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John Christopher Levett-Prinsep, who died 24 March, 2026, aged 79, was a scion of that landed gentry family. He was born in 1946, son of Edward John Levett-Prinsep (1914-1979), and his wife the former Irene Hartley (1919-2015); and married in 1968, Deirdre McLean (born 1945), by whom he had issue, two sons, Richard (born 1975), and Michael (born 1978).
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The Baroness Nickson, who died 22 March, 2026, aged 90, was the wife of the Baron Nickson, KBE (born 27 November 1929), a businessman, & a former crossbench peer and a former President of the Confederation of British Industry. He was Chairman of the Clydesdale Bank, Scottish & Newcastle, Scottish Enterprise and the Government's Senior Salaries Review Body.
She was the former Eira Govett, born in Westminster, January, 1936, a daughter of John Romaine Govett (1897-1956), of Manor House, Newton Stacey, Hampshire, and his wife the former Angela Mary Mostyn Pritchard (1909-1979); and was three times married, firstly, 6 Aug, 1955, to John Robert Findlay (1927-2016), scion of that landed gentry family of Findlay of Boturich, son of James Buchanan Findlay, CBE, of Carnell, Ayrshire, by his wife the former Mary Sancroft Findlay-Hamilton, scion of that landed gentry family; married 2ndly, 1983, John Drysdale, and married 3rdly, in 2013, the life peer the Baron Nickson.
She leaves three sons from her first marriage, James Anthony (born 14 Oct, 1957), Michael Andrew (born 22 March, 1960), and Alasdair John (born 13 May, 1963).
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Robert Gwyn Palmer died 14 March, 2026.
He was a son of J. Gwyn Palmer, of Treboeth, Glamorgan, and married at Cirencester, in December, 1991, Juliet Ann Favell Van Oss (born 8 March, 1961), daughter of Peter Humphrey Alexander Van Oss (1936-2020), a descendant of the Earls of Waldegrave, and his wife the former Susan Antonia Bazley (born 5 May, 1937), scion of the Bazley baronets.
He leaves issue, two daughters, Xanthe Hope (born 12 Feb, 1995), and Syrie Favell (born 20 May, 1997).
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The engagement was announced 28 March, 2026, between Dominic Andrew Slingsby Peppiatt (born 19 March, 1997), eldest son of Giles Ernest Peppiatt (born 1964), of Mursley, Buckinghamshire, and his wife the former Katherine Candida Innes (born .30 May, 1967), scion of the Inness of Edingight baronets, & Clementine Josephine McFarlane (born circa 1998), elder daughter of Alastair D.J. McFarlane (born 1963), of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, and Mrs Cassandra McFarlane (nee Martinez), of Clovelly, Devon.
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The engagement was announced 28 March, 2026, between Hector Edmund Murray Elliott (born 16 November, 1996), eldest son of Rupert Elliott, of Sandhurst, Kent, by his wife the former Catherine Jane Lawrence (born 24 November, 1964), scion of the Lawrence baronets, and Anna Jane Dujardin (born 1998), daughter of Mark Dujardin, of Cambridge, and Mrs Katrina Dujardin (nee McKenzie), of London and Edinburgh.
Sir Walter Lawrence, 1st Baronet (1857-1940) > Henry Lawrence (1891-1959) > Walter Lawrence (b 1935) > Catherine Lawrence (b 1964) > Hector Elliott
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Chloe Chandra Curtis (nee Holding, born May, 1984), wife of George Edward Curtis (born 31 Oct, 1980), gave birth to a daughter, Cecilia Catherine Holding, 26 March, 2026, a sister for Matheson.
George Curtis is the son and heir of Sir Edward Philip Curtis, 8th Baronet (born 25 June, 1940), of Ludlow, Shropshire, and his late wife the former Catherine Mary Armstrong (who died 16 January, 2015).
Chloe Curtis is a daughter of John E. Holding, of Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, and Mrs Holding.
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Hannah Gillian Campbell Adamson [born 1988, (née de Haan), wife of James William Campbell Adamson (b 1989), scion of the Adamson landed family, of Strathcaro, gave birth to a son, Ivo Archer William, 17 March, 2026, a brother for India Vivien, who was born 19 September, 2021, and for Sophia Gillian, who was born 6 October, 2023.
James Campbell Adamson is a son of Hugh A. Campbell Adamson [born 1954], of Stracathro, Angus, by his wife the former Hon Alison Mary Elliott (b 1957), daughter of the life peer Baron Elliott of Morpeth.
Hannah Campbell Adamson is a twin daughter of Archer de Haan [born 10 June, 1950], and Mrs Vivien de Haan [nee Whittall, born 1961], of Bromfield, Shropshire.
The infant descends from the Earls of Plymouth:-
Ivor Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of Plymouth [1889-1943] > Lady Gillian Windsor-Clive [died 1961] > Archer de Haan [b 1950] > Hannah de Haan [b 1988] > Ivo Campbell Adamson [b 2026]
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The engagement was announced 26 March, 2026, between Hugo Alexander Lakin (born 1995), scion of the Lakin baronets, son of Michael Simon Lakin (born 26 January, 1955), of Iping, West Sussex, and his wife the former Amanda Shaw, and Katherine Louise (Katie) Pike (born 1995), daughter of Matthew William Joseph Pike (born 10 Oct, 1964), of Milland West Sussex, by his wife the former Sarah Louise Rance.
Hugo Lakin is a great-grandson of the 2nd Viscount Cowdray (1882-1933), and a descendant of Sir Michael Lakin, 1st Bt (1846-1931).
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The engagement was announced 25 March, 2026, between George Frederick Rhind-Tutt (born 1998), son of the late Philip A. Rhind-Tutt (b 1953, d.?), and his wife Linda J. Bromwich (born 1961), & Eveleen Iona T. Letts (born 1998), daughter of Quentin Richard Stephen Letts (born 6 February, 1963), of How Caple, Herefordshire, and his wife the former Lois Henrietta Rathbone (born 1965).
Eveleen Letts is descended from the Stephen family, and from a sister of the 1st and last Baron Mount Stephen, GCVO (1829-1921), the first Canadian to be elevated to the peerage.
William Stephen (1801-1891) = Elspeth Smith > George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen (1829-1921)
William and Elspeth were also parents of Eleanora Simpson Stephen (1835-1916), who married James Cantlie (1836-1924), and were parents of Mary Stuart Cantlie (1868-1916), who married Prof John George Adami (1862-1926), and were parents of Colonel George Donald Stephen Adami (1900-49), who married Ione Katrine Johnstone, and were parents of Jocelyn Elizabeth Adami (b 1934), who married Richard Francis Bonner Letts (1928-2010), and were parents of Quentin Letts (above).
George Rhind-Tutt is a cousin of the English actor Julian Rhind-Tutt (b 20 July, 1967)
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Sir Hildebrand Harold Harmsworth, 3rd Baronet, died 6 March, 2026. He was 94.
He was born 5 June, 1931, son of Sir Hildebrand Alfred Beresford Harmsworth, 2nd Bt (1901-1977), and his wife the former Elen Billenstein (who died 29 December, 2005); and succeeded to the baronetcy (created in 1922), on the death of his father, 15 November, 1977.
He was a great-nephew of the 1st Viscounts Northcliffe and Rothermere.
He married 10 August, 1960, Gillian Andrea Lewis (b circa 1939, died 8 August, 2005), by whom he had issue, a son and two daughters. The son, (Hildebrand Esmond) Miles Harmsworth (born 1 September, 1964), succeeds as 3rd baronet.
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The engagement was announced 25 March, 2026, between Andrew William Mildmay Fane, OBE (born 9 August, 1949), of Woodbridge, Suffolk, scion of the Earls of Westmorland, the elder son of Major Robert William Augustus Fane (1913-1989), and his wife the former Elinor Valerie Borthwick (1915-2008), scion of the Borthwick baronets, & Mrs Valerie Mae Humphrey (born 1960), of Los Angeles, Hampshire and London.
Andrew Fane married firstly, 1989, Dame Clare Lucy Marx, DBE, DL, FRCS (born 15 March, 1954, died 27 November, 2022), sometime President of the Royal College of Surgeons.
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Sir Richard Caesar Hawkins, 9th Baronet, died in South Africa, 23 February, 2026. He was 67.
He was born 29 December, 1958, a younger son of Sir Humphrey Villiers Caesar Hawkins, 7th Baronet (1923-1993), and his wife the former Anita Funkey, and was a younger brother of Sir Howard Caesar Hawkins, 8th Baronet (1956-1999), and he succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his brother, 2 April, 1999.
He married in 1992, Ernestine Ehrensperger, daughter of Johannes Ehrensperger, by whom he had a son, Jonathan Caesar, born 23 June, 1992.
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Poppy Alexandra Seymour, styled Baroness Seymour (born 7 September, 1990), wife of Sebastian Edward Seymour, styled Baron Seymour (born 3 February, 1982), gave birth to a son and heir, the Hon Louis Francis Edward Seymour, 14 January, 2026.
Lord Seymour is the son and heir of the 19th Duke of Somerset (born 30 December, 1952), and the Duchess of Somerset (nee Judith-Rose Hull, born 1952).
Lady Seymour is a daughter of John A. Wilcox, of West London, and his wife the former Gillian J. Saggers (born 1 March, 1954).
The infant is in direct line of succession to the Dukedom of Somerset.
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Peter Ringrose Latham, died 10 March, 2026, aged 76.
He was born 6 May, 1949, scion of that landed gentry family of Oak Knoll, the second son of Brigadier Henry Beveridge Latham (1892-1977), and his wife the former Evelyn Helen Anne Arbuthnot (1912-1986), who was a scion of the Arbuthnot and Anstruther baronets.
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Lady Marina Windsor, a granddaughter of the Duke of Kent and the late Duchess of Kent, has set the date for her marriage to her aristocratic fiancé, Nico Macauley.
The couple plan to marry on 20 June, 2026, just a couple weeks after the marriage of the Princess Royal's son, Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling. It is not known where Marina and Nico will wed, but both are Roman Catholics, and so the churches traditionally associated with descendants of the House of Windsor can be ruled out.
It is not known when Lady Marina and Nico started dating though the socialite cousin of the King was first linked to the cyber security account executive in 2023, when she posted a selfie with Nico to mark his 30th birthday. Lady Marina recently has shared images on Instagram featuring Nico in a loving embrace at last year’s Glastonbury festival.
Nico Julian Macauley (born 6 April, 1993), is the elder son of the late William Francis Macauley (born 30 Sept, 1953), and his wife the former Nicola Jane Thompson. Nico's father died 16 June, 2019, aged 65. He was a grandson of the newspaper magnate, William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (1879-1954).
Nico was educated at the top Catholic school Ampleforth College in Yorkshire and at Newcastle University.
Nico's grandfather, William Perine Macauley (who died in 1990), of Ballward House, County Wicklow, married 7 April, 1948, the Hon Diana Phyllis Berry (1924-94), fourth daughter of the 1st Viscount Camrose.
The 1st Viscount Camrose started his working life as a journalist and established his own paper, Advertising World, in 1901. Berry made his fortune with the publication of the First World War magazine The War Illustrated, which at its peak had a circulation of 750,000. In partnership with his younger brother, Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley (the elder brother was Seymour Berry, 1st Baron Buckland), he purchased The Sunday Times in 1915 and was its editor-in-chief until 1937. In 1919 the pair also purchased the Financial Times.
In 1924 the Berry brothers and Sir Edward Iliffe set up Allied Newspapers and purchased the Daily Dispatch, the Manchester Evening Chronicle, the Sunday Chronicle, the Sunday News, and the Sunday Graphic, as well as a string of other newspapers across the country. In Cardiff they merged four newspapers into the Western Mail. In 1927 they purchased The Daily Telegraph from the 2nd Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham, with William Berry becoming its editor-in-chief. In 1937 they purchased its rival, The Morning Post.
In 1926, the Berry brothers/Allied Newspapers purchased Amalgamated Press (AP), which had been started by Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, in 1901 (Harmsworth had died in 1922).
Berry bought out his partners in 1937 and amalgamated The Morning Post with The Daily Telegraph, with himself as chairman and editor-in-chief. His sons Seymour, the 2nd Viscount, and subsequently Michael, continued to run the newspaper until 1986; in addition, Seymour was Vice Chairman of Amalgamated Press from 1942 to 1959 (when AP was acquired by the Mirror Group).
Camrose provided financial assistance to Sir Winston Churchill after the Second World War. He and ten other wealthy well-wishers each donated £5,000 to the Churchills, allowing them to keep their home, Chartwell, on the condition that it would be presented to the nation upon their deaths.
One of Nico's great-aunts, Sheila, Countess of Birkenhead (nee Berry) (1913-92), was a lady-in-waiting to Lady Marina's great-grandmother and namesake, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent from 1949 to 1953. Another of Nico's great-aunts was Shelagh (nee Macauley), Countess of Lisburne (who died in 2016), wife of the 8th Earl of Lisburne, a television executive. Nico's father was a first cousin of Lady Juliet Townsend, DCVO, a Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon from 1971 to 2002.
Nico's cousin, Valerie McNair-Scott was wife of the 8th Earl of Longford. She died 22 January, 2023. Another cousin is the actor Joshua Sasse (born 9 December, 1987).
Lady Marina Charlotte Alexandra Katharine Helen Windsor (born 30 September, 1992), is a great-great granddaughter of King George V and a second cousin once removed of King Charles III. She is the second child, and eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of St Andrews. Her father is the elder son and heir of HRH The Duke of Kent, who is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lady Marina’s only brother is Edward, styled Baron Downpatrick, who will one day succeed to the dukedom of Kent. Marina’s sister, Lady Amelia, is a mannequin. Both Edward and Amelia are single.
Nico's parents married in Westminster, 5 February, 1992. They have a younger son, Alexander Ronnie Macauley born in 1995.
Lady Marina is a Roman Catholic and excluded from the line of succession to the Throne.
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Veronica Rosetta de Courcy Parsons (nee Glover), died 11 March, 2026. She was 103.
She was born in Bermuda, 25 January, 1923, daughter of Major-General Sir Guy de Courcy Glover, CB, DSO, MC (1887-1967), descended from the Barons Kingsale, and his wife the former Vera Phoebe Salter (1891-1983); and married 16 April, 1945, (Arthur) Christopher Parsons (born 2 June, 1919), scion of the Earls of Rosse, 1st son of Arthur David Clere Parsons (1881-1955), and his wife the former Doris Cookson (1885-1970), scion of that landed gentry family, by whom she had a son, Sir John Christopher Parsons, KCVO (born 21 May, 1946), sometime Deputy Keeper of the Privy Purse and Deputy Treasurer to HM Queen Elizabeth II, and two daughters, Rosemary Anne (born 12 May, 1948), and Daphne Phoebe (born 21 May, 1951).
Her husband died 24 October, 1999.
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Anita Lorna, Baroness Burgh, who died 14 March, 2026, aged 88, was the first wife of the late 7th Baron Burgh.
She was born in 1937, as Anita Lorna Eldridge, daughter of Frederick Clements Eldridge (1900-1973), of Gillingham, Kent, by his wife the former Alice Louisa Milner, and married 29 August, 1957 (div 1982), as his first wife the then Hon Alexander Peter Willoughby Leith (born 20 March, 1935), son and heir of the 6th Baron Burgh (1906-1959), and his 1st wife the former Elizabeth Rose Vincent (who died 1981).
Her husband succeeded his father, 26 May, 1959, as 7th (or ninth) Baron Burgh, a peerage created by Writ of Summons, 1 Sept, 1487, or sitting in Parliament, 2 Dec, 1529. He died 14 July, 2001.
Baroness Burgh, a novelist, was divorced from Lord Burgh in 1982. She leaves issue, two sons, Gregory, 8th Baron Burgh (born 16 March, 1958), and the Hon Patrick Leith (born 16 Apr, 1964), and a daughter, the Hon Rebecca Leith (born 17 Dec, 1959).
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The engagement was announced 21 March, 2026, between Alistair T. Oates, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Mark Oates, of Whittlebury, Northamptonshire, and Romilly Imogen Tess Tollemache (born 1991), scion of the Barons Tollemache, the only daughter of Murray Edwin Bentley Tollemache (born 1960), of Bentworth, Hampshire, and his wife the former Alison Jane Yorke Bluck (born 1960).
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The engagement was announced 21 March, 2026, between Lyonel Duncan Murray Tollemache (born 1996), scion of the Barons Tollemache, younger son of Murray Edwin Bentley Tollemache (born 1960), of Bentworth, Hampshire, and his wife the former Alison Jane Yorke Bluck (born 1960), and Emma Katherine Ralph (born 1997), youngest daughter of Charles P. Ralph, of Horsley, Gloucestershire, & his wife the former Belinda Thomas.
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Florence Maud Rocco di Torrepadula (born 1990, nee Wolstenholme), wife of Don Pietro Emanuele Rocco di Torrepadula, gave birth to a son, Hector Emmanuel, 8 December, 2025.
Don Pietro os the son of Don Cristoforo Rocco di Torrepadula [born 1951], and the late Mrs Corinne Rocco di Torrepadula [1960-2002] [nee Chambon] of Kensington, London.
Florence is the elder daughter of [Anthony] Richard Ashmore Wolstenholme [born 1956], of Thompson, Norfolk, & his wife the former Katharine Juliet Garnier [born 16 Oct, 1958], descended from the Barons Walsingham.
Florence Wolstenholme is a granddaughter maternally of Colonel William d'Arcy Garnier [1918-1989], descended from the Keppel Earls of Albemarle, and his wife the former Hon Lavender Hyacith de Grey [1923-2010], daughter of the 8th Baron Walsingham, DSO, OBE [1884-1965].
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The engagement was announced 21 March, 2026, between Capt. Fergus Edward Napoleon Cowan (born 8 February, 1996), The Royal Regiment of Scotland, elder son of Major-General James Michael Cowan, CBE, DSO (born 1964), and his wife the Dr the Hon Mary Louise Manningham-Buller (born 8 March, 1970), & Isabel Anne Chalmers (born 1998), younger daughter of Andrew Fyfe Chalmers (born 1964) and Dr Joanna Louise Chalmers (born 1967, nee Gill).
Capt Fergus Cowan is a grandson maternally of the 2nd Viscount Dilhorne (1932-2022).
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The engagement was announced 21 March, 2026, between George Sampson Peake (born 5 March, 1997), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Andrew Charles Peake (born 1956), of Tackley, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Suzette Ray Mitchell (born 1961), & Isabella Maria Greeno (born 4 April, 1997), daughter of Edward Patrick (Teddy) Greeno (born 1958), of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, and his wife the former Fleur van Roosmalen.
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Emily Lake (née Peck), wife of Edouard Lake, a descendant of the Barons Milford, gave birth to a daughter, Poppy Ottilie, 4 March, 2026, a sister for Isabella Carolyn, who was born 27 February, 2023.
Eduard is the younger son of David Anthony Lake (born 20 Jan, 1953), of Chelsea, London, and Mrs Lake. Emily is a daughter of Mr Graham Peck and the late Mrs Peck, of Little Witcombe, Gloucestershire.
The 1st Baron Milford > Maj Hon James Philipps > Penelope Doune Philipps > David Lake > Edouard Lake > Poppy Lake
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Annabel Flora Stirling Home Drummond Moray (née Edwards), born 1993), wife of Capt James Oliver Stirling Home Drummond-Moray [born 1992], Scots Guards, scion of that landed family, of Abercairny, gave birth to a son, Hugh David Roderick, 11 March, 2026, a brother for Heidi Katherine, who was born 6 January, 2024.
James is a son of Capt David Maurice Stirling-Home-Drummond-Moray [born 6 March, 1945], late the Scots Guards, of Crieff, Perthshire, and his wife the former Iona Barber.
Annabel is a daughter of Nicholas Edwards, of Hawkhurst, Kent, and his wife [nee Macleod].Capt Jams Drummond-Moray is a descendant of the Dukes of Buccleuch & Queensberry:-
6th Duke of Buccleuch [1831-1914] > Lord George Montagu Douglas Scott [1866-1947] > Jeanetta Montagu Douglas Scott [1906-97] > David Stirling Home Drummond Moray [b 1945] > James Stirling Home Drummond Moray [b 1992] > Hugh Stirling Home Drummond Moray (b 2026)
Eliza Flora Husmann (nee Cooke-Yarborough), wife of Hans Husmann, gave birth to a son, Otto Wolfgang, in New York, 12 March, 2026.
Hans is the only son of Mr and Mrs Uwe W Husmann of Hansestadt Stralsund, Western Pomerania, Germany.
Eliza (born 1993), is the elder daughter of Sir Anthony Edmund Cooke-Yarborough, 13th Baronet (born 6 August, 1956), of Barford St Michael, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Joanna Susan Northrop (born 1957).
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The engagement was announced 20 March, 2026, between Charles Hall Janeway (born April, 1989), son of Dr and Mrs William Janeway, of New York, NY, USA, & Georgina Elizabeth Stewart (born 1987), descened from the Lighton baronets, daughter of the late Alexander Christie Stewart (1955-2004), and his wife the former Katherine Lake Domville (born 1959), scion of that Irish landed gentry family.
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Baroness Maclennan of Rogart, who died 22 February, 2026, aged 90, was the widow of the life peer the Baron Maclennan of Rogart, PC.
She was the former Helen Cutter, daughter of Justice Richard Ammi Cutter of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Her first marriage was to Paul Horning Noyes, by whom she had a son, and she married secondly as a widow in 1968, the then Robert Maclennan, MP (born 26 June, 1936), who was the last leader of the Social Democratic Party, serving during the negotiations that led to its merger with the Liberal Party in 1988. He then became joint interim leader of the new party, known as the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD) and later as the Liberal Democrats. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1966 to 2001, when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Maclennan of Rogart, of Rogart in Sutherland. Her husband predeceased her 18 January, 2020.
Lady Maclennan leaves a son from her first marriage, Nicholas, and a son and daughter, Adam and Ruth Maclennan, from the second marriage.
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Cialann Bell (nee McKeating), wife of Alexander Luke Wentworth Bell [born 1990], gave birth to a daughter, Delilah Rose Wentworth, 6 February, 2026.
Cialann is the youngest daughter of Mr Mrs Kevin McKeating, of Donnybrook, Dublin.
Alexander Bell is a son of Michael Leopold Wentworth Bell [born 1960], of Newmarket Suffolk, and Mrs Georgina Patricia Bell [nee Lillingston, born 25 March, 1965], of Kennett, Suffolk, a member of the Inge-Innes-Lillingston landed gentry family.
The infant is a great-grandchild of Alan Lillingston [1935-2014], and his wife Lady Vivienne Margaret Nevill [1941-2018], daughter of the 5th Marquess of Abergavenny, KG [1914-2000].
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Isobel Camilla Honoria Caldin (nee Harrison-Allen, born 23 May, 1990), wife of Alexander Robert Giles Caldin (born circa 1984), gave birth to a daughter, Cecily Honor Constance, 26 January, 2026, a sister for Rowland James Ludo, who was born 24 July, 2024.
Alexander Caldin is a son of (Peter) Giles Caldin, of Salford, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Rachel M. Roberts.
Isobel Caldin is a scion of the Harrison-Allen landed gentry family, daughter of Hugh David Rowland Harrison-Allen (born 1950), and his wife the former Amanda Jane Ommanney (born 26 Feb, 1953), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Major Peter Richard Ommanney (1911-1995), and his wife the former Joan Isobel Paterson (1920-2005).
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Baroness Fritchie, DBE, a Crossbench life peer, died 12 March, 2026, aged 83.
Irene Tordoff (Rennie) Fritchie (nee Fennell) wasw born 29 April, 1942. She was appointed DBE in 1996, and in 2005 was raised to the peerage for life as Baroness Fritchie, of Gloucester in the County of Gloucestershire. She sat as Crossbench and retired from the Upper House, 1 July, 2024.
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Margaret Griswold Herbert (née Lewis) died 16 March, 2026, aged 87.
She was a daughter of the Hon Geoffrey Whitney Lewis (1910-1992), a US diplomat, of Maine, United States, and his wife the former Elizabeth Merrill Locke (1914-2009); and married 1960 (div. 1988), as his first wife, Robin Arthur Elidyr Herbert, CBE (1934-2024), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Arthur Herbert, GCIE (1895-1943), and his wife Lady Mary Theresa Fox-Strangways (1903-1948), Woman of the Bedchamber to HRH The Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) 1944-1948, daughter of the 6th Earl of Ilchester, GBE (1874-1959), by whom she had two sons, Ben and Richard, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Susannah.
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Katherine Anna (Kate) Legh (born 1991), and Douglas Grant, have announced the birth of their second son, Hector Per Wynter, 2 March, 2026, a brother for Ivo David Kelso, who was born 19 January, 2024.
Douglas C.I. Grant, is a son of Sir John Douglas Kelso Grant, KCMG [born 17 Oct, 1954], of Buckhorn Weston, Dorset, and Lady Grant.
Kate Legh, a scion of the Barons Newton, daughter of the Hon David Piers Carlis Legh [born 21 November, 1951], of Cubley, Derbyshire, by his wife the Rev Jane Mary Bee.
Kate Legh is a granddaughter of late 4th Baron Newton [1915-1992].
Douglas Grant's father is a retired British diplomat whose last diplomatic post was Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union between 2003 and 2007.
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Helen Rose Sanford de Sales La Terrière (nee Hodgson), who died 4 March, 2026, aged 78, was the second wife and widow of Ian Cameron de Sales La Terrière (1930-2025), head of that landed gentry family, of Dunalastair.
(Helen) Rose Sanford Hodgson was born in 1947, daughter of Lieutenant-Commander Archibald Richard Sanford Hodgson, RN (1908-1990), scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Helen Mary Ursula Pomeroy (1909-2000), scion of the Viscounts Harberton; and married in 1979, as his second wife, Ian Cameron de Sales La Terrière, son of Major James Fenwick de Sales La Terrière (1901-1969), and his wife the former Frances Natalie Barker-Hahlo (1899-1979), widow of the 5th Baron Ashtown, by whom she had issue, three sons, Rory (born and died 1980), Hugh William (born 1982), and Robert Duncan (born 1984).
She was widowed 13 March, 2025.
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Peter Maurice Afia died 1 March, 2026, aged 87.
He was born in London in 1938, son of Haim Victor Afia (1908-1992), and his wife the former Rose Lydia Cowan (1910-2011), & he married 15 December, 1985, as her second husband, Mrs, & Meriel Rose Kenyon-Slaney, CVO (nee Buxton), born 16 April, 1940, scion of the Buxton baronets, daughter of Capt Joseph Gurney Fowell Buxton (1913-1943), and his wife the former Elizabeth Barbour; who married 1stly, Robert Ivan Kenyon-Slaney (1926-1984), scion of the Barons Kenyon, son of Maj Robert Orlando Rodolph Kenyon-Slaney (1892-1965), and his 1st wife Lady Mary Cecilia Rhodesia Hamilton (1896-1984), daughter of the 3rd Duke of Abercorn, KG (1869-1953).
Meriel Afia was an Extra Lady-in-Waiting to HRH Princess Alexandra, the Hon Lady Ogilvy, and she died 8 October, 2025, aged 85.
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Chelsy Yvonne Cutmore-Scott (nee Davy, born 13 Oct, 1985), wife of Old Etonian Samuel Mark [Sam] Cutmore-Scott [born 1984], has given birth to a third child, a son, Finn, in March, 2026, a brother for Leo, born in January, 2022, and for Chloe, born circa Sept, 2024.
Sam is the son of Robert Mark C. Cutmore-Scott (born 1951), and his wife the former Joanne Joy Cutmore (born 1951).
Chelsy Davy, former girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex, is a daughter of Charles Davy [born 1952], and his wife the former Beverley Donald.
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The Hon Susan Mary Baring, who died 10 March, 2026, aged 95, was a scion of the Barons Renwick.
She was born 5 June, 1930, eldest child of the then Robert Burnham Renwick (born 4 Oct, 1904), and his wife the former Dorothy Mary Parkes (1908-2001).
Her father was controller of Communications Air Ministry and Communication Equipment Ministry of Aircraft Production. He succeeded his father as a baronet in 1932. He was member of the Aircraft Supply Council between 1942 and 1945, and was appointed KBE in 1944.He was raised to the peerage in 1964, as a hereditary peer, taking the title Baron Renwick, of Coombe, co. Surrey. He was among the last of the hereditary peers to be so created. He died 30 August, 1973.
Susan Renwick married firstly, 25 November, 1955 (div.1984), the then Hon John Francis Harcourt Baring (born 2 November, 1928), son and heir of the 6th Baron Ashburton, KG, KCVO (1898-1991), and his wife the former Hon Doris Mary Thérèse Harcourt (1900-1981), scion of the Viscounts Harcourt. Her first husband succeeded his father, 12 June, 1991, as the 7th Baron Ashburton. He was appointed KCVO in 1990, and created a Knight of the Garter in 1994. He died 6 October, 2020.
Susan Baring married 2ndly, 26 June, 1997, André Walter George Newburg (1928-2018), & retained the surname of Baring after her 2nd marriage.
She leaves issue from her first marriage, two sons, Mark, 8th Baron Ashburton (born 17 Aug, 1958), and the Hon Alexander Baring (born 15 Feb, 1964), and two daughters, the Hon Lucinda (born 20 Oct, 1956), who married a scion of the Earl of Lisburne, and the Hon Rose Baring (born 7 Dec, 1961).
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The engagement was announced 17 March, 2026, between Charles Peregrine Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon (born 14 August, 1975), of Powderham Castle, Devon, the only son of th late 18th Earl of Devon, DL (1942-2015), and his wife the former Diana Frances Watherston, & Mrs Jemima Alice Charlotte Hannon (nee Ensor, born August, 1982), of Elmwood House, Redenham, Andover, Hampshire, daughter of Peter Richard Ensor (born 1948), and his wife the former Hon Sarah Campbell (born 1950), daughter of the late life peer, Alan Robertson Campbell, the Baron Campbell of Alloway, ERD, QC (1917-2013), and his first wife Diana Watson-Smyth.
It will be Lord Devon's second marriage. In April, 2004, he married Allison Joy Langer (the actress A.J. Langer), daughter of Gary Langer, of Los Angeles, California, United States, by whom he has a son and heir, Jack Haydon Langer Courtenay, styled Lord Courtenay (born 16 August, 2009), and a daughter Lady Joscelyn Skye Courtenay (born 31 January, 2007).
Mrs Jemima Hannon, the equestrian, is the former wife of Richard Hannon, the racehorse trainer, whom she married 4 September, 2010, son of Richard Michael Hannon (born 1945), the racehorse trainer, of Everleigh, Wiltshire, by his wife the former Josephine McCarthy, by whom she has two children, Eliza Scarlet Hannon (born 2012), and Jack Richard H. Hannon (born 2014).
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The engagement was announced 14 March, 2026, between Robin Peter Garrard Spicer (born 22 October, 1991), youngest son of Mark Holgate Spicer, of West Haddon, Northamptonshire, by his wife the former Ann Marguerite Aitchison (born 17 August, 1955), scion of the Aitchison baronets, and Elizabeth Evelyn Huger (Lilly) Hanbury (born Dec, 1990), scion of that landed gentry family of that name of Drumstinchall, Kirkcudbrightshire formerly of Poles, the eldest daughter of Nigel John Hanbury (born 4 March, 1957), of West Harting, Sussex, and his wife the former Daphne E. Boyle.
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Lady Drinkwater, who died 10 March, 2026, aged 92, was the widow of James Boscawen and Sir John Drinkwater, OBE, QC.
She was born Deirdre Elsie Elizabeth Curtis-Bennett, circa 1934, scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Frederick Henry (Derek) Curtis-Bennett, QC (1904-1956), head of that family, and his 1st wife the former Margaret Duncan Mackintosh; & married 1stly, 24 February, 1955, James Townshend Boscawen (1932-1992), scion of the Viscounts Falmouth, son of Major John Percival Townshend Boscawen (1906-1972), and his wife Lady Mary Helen Alma Graham (1909-1999), daughter of the 6th Duke of Montrose (1878-1954); married 2ndly, 1998, Sir John Muir Drinkwater., OBE, QC (born 16 March, 1925, and died 13 August, 2019).
She leaves issue from her first marriage, Caroline (born 2 Nov, 1959), and Diana (born 14 July, 1962).
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Philippa Mary Tweedie died 8 March, 2026.
She was born Philippa Mary Andrews, in 1947, daughter of Major Michael David C. Andrews (1918-1992), of Shepton Mallet, Somerset, and his wife the former Gertrude S.M. Andrews; and married 25 April, 1974, Major Gavin Hugo Tweedie (born 1944), son of Major Hugo Douglas Tweedie (1910-1945), and his wife the former Moyra Eileen Montagu Douglas Scott (1919-2011), scion of the Dukes of Buccleuch & Queensberry, by whom she had two sons, Esmond Michael Xan (born 7 June, 1976), and Alexander David (1978-2003).
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Angela Mary Cairncross died 24 February, 2026, aged 81.
She was born 27 June, 1944, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel John Colmslie Cairncross (1900-1976), of the Foreign Office, who served in Lima and Bogota, later of Fareham, Hampshire, and his wife the former Phyllis Grace Hickey (1904-1973).
Do not confuse her father with the Cambridge spy of the same name.
(work in progress)
Roger Earle Welby-Everard, who died 7 March, 2026, aged 83, was a scion of the Welby baronets.
He was born 11 June, 1942, the second son of Capt. Philip Herbert Earle Welby-Everard (1902-1985), and his wife the former Lilla Anne Marie Castell Spence (who died 13 Dec, 1999); and married 2 April, 1966, Isabel Anne Bucknall (born 1946), second daughter of Maj. Henry Lloyd Fielding Bucknall (1904-1970), of Newton Abbot, Devon, and his wife the former Barbara Helen Shorrock (1908-1994), descended from the Wake baronets, by whom he had issue, two sons, Julian (born 1 July, 1967), and Patrick (born 16 Dec, 1969), and a daughter, Anna (born 1974).
He was a descendant of Sir Glynne Welby-Gregory, 3rd Baronet (1806-1875)
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The engagement was announced 11 March, 2026, between Dr Adair George Wilmot Williams (born 1983), son of Raymond A.E.W. Williams (born 1949), of Herrington, Dorset, and his wife the former Pollyann S. Ruther, & Bryony Sheila A. Daniels (born 1982), eldest daughter of Major David J.M. Daniels, of Pentlow, Essex, and his wife the former Pauline A. Creasey.
Bryony Daniels is a friend of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Dr Adair Williams descends paternally from the Viscounts Guillamore, the Earls of Uxbridge, the Barons Addington, and the Archdale landed gentry family, &c.
Dr Williams is a nephew of the Duchess of Sutherland (nee Victoria Williams).
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Bridget Eleanor Ailsie Sackville-West (née Cunliffe) who died 4 March, 2026, aged 98, was a scion of the Cunliffe baronets and mother of the 7th Baron Sackville.
She was born 2 October, 1927, the eldest daughter of Capt Robert Lionel Brooke Cunliffe (1895-1990), and his wife the former Barbara Eleanor Cooper (1900-1970); and married 29 June, 1957, Hugh Rosslyn Inigo Sackville-West (born 1 February, 1919), scion of the Barons Sackville, son of the Hon Bertrand George Sackville-West (1872-1959), and his wife the former Eva Adela Mabel Inigo Jones (died 28 Feb, 1936). Her husband died 10 February, 2001.
She leaves issue, two sons, Robert, 7th Baron Sackville (born 10 July, 1958), who succeeded to the Sackville peerage, in 2004, and the Hon William Sackville-West (born 9 Jan, 1967), and by three daughters, the Hon Mary (born 10 Sept, 1960), the Hon Elizabeth (born 8 July, 1962), and the Hon Jane (b 16 Apr, 1964).
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Rosanna Sarah Grant-Dalton (nee Coats, born 1990), scion of the barons Glentanar, wife of Samuel Duncan Spry Grant-Dalton [born 1985], scion of that landed gentry family, of Brodsworth Hall, gave birth to a son, Orlando Nicholas Spry, 10 February, 2026.
Samuel is a son of Kevin Duncan Spry Grant-Dalton [born 23 December, 1952], of Fulham, and his wife the former Amanda Charlton de Smitt [born 1955].
Rosanna Sarah Coats is a daughter of Nicholas James [Nico] Coats [born 19 Apr, 1952], of Fulham, and his wife the former Belinda S. McKechnie [born 1957].
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Marilyn Jean Crawford (nee Colville), who died 28 February, 2026, aged 87, was kin of the Barons Clydesmuir.
She was born 7 June, 1938, the second daughter of John Millar Colville (1902-1984), and his wife the former Helen Markillie; and married 31 July, 1965, William Hamilton Raymund Crawford (born Nov. 1936), descended from the Acheson baronets, son of Colonel Mervyn Crawford, DSO (1901-1977), and his wife the former Martha Hamilton Walker (died 1991), by whom she had issue, a son, Alexander (born 14 May, 1966), and two daughters, Clare (born 26 Feb, 1968), and Frances (born 25 July, 1971).
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Michael Rose died 6 March, 2026, aged 90.
He was a son of Jack Rosenberg, and married 2 Oct, 1958, Dr Susan Phyllida Latham, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Latham, MC (who died 1957), of Oak Knoll, Sunningdale, and his wife Lady Gwendoline Lucy Constance Rushworth Jellicoe (1903-1997), daughter of Admiral the 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO (1859-1935), and his wife the former Florence Gwendoline Cayzer (who died 1964), by whom he had issue, three sons, David, Bernard and Philip, and a daughter, Dinah.
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Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Haversham (Robin) Godwin-Austen, DL, died 13 February, 2026. He was head of that landed gentry family of Pirbright Manor.
He was born in 1932, son of Robert Annesley Godwin-Austen (1885-1977), and his wife the former Kathleen Beryl Odling (1901-1995); and married in 1959, Katharine Eliot (Kate) Power (1939-2015), daughter of Eliot Kingsmill Power (1899-1969), of Ardeley, Pirbright, Surrey, by whom he had issue, a son, Stephen (born 1962), and three daughters, Claire (born 1960), Diana (born 1965), and Susan (born 1969).
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The engagement was announced 7 March, 2026, between James Patrick (Jamie) Robson (born 1990), the ony son of the late Hon (Erik) Maurice William Robson (1943-2021), and his wife the former Chloë Annabel Edwards (born 1956), now of Chadlington, Oxfordshire & the Hon (Charlotte) Rosa Banbury (born 15 April, 1990), the eldest daughter of the 3rd Baron Banbury of Southam (born 29 July, 1953), of Fossebridge, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Inger Marianne Wiegert.
Jamie Robson is a grandson of the life peer the Baroness Robson of Kiddington (1919-1999), and descends from the Barons Hylton:-
The 1st Baron Hylton (1800-76) > Hon William Jolliffe (1841-1912) > Maj Berkeley Jolliffe (1878-1956) > Eileen Jolliffe (b 1921) > Chloë Edwards (b 1956) > Jamie Robson (b 1990)
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Audley Nicholas Willoughby Archdale, died 21 January, 2026, aged 84.
He was born 20 June, 1941, scion of that Irish landed family, son of Nicholas Montgomery Archdale (1902-1955), and his wife the former (Doris) Sheila Hester Willoughby Beddoes (1905-1978); and married 24 April, 1975, Brigid Fianna Grattan Moore (1938-2023), daughter of Major-General Denis Grattan Moore, CB (1909-1987), and his first wife the former Alexandra Wann, by whom he had two sons, Nicholas and Patrick .
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Daisy Frederica March Phillipps de Lisle [nee Tregear, born 1990], wife of Dominic Robert Peter March Phillipps de Lisle [born 1990], scion of that landed family, gave birth to a daughter, Arabella Daisy Gordon, 11 February, 2026, a sister for Cosima Annabel Edith, who was born 2 June, 2021, and for Georgina Alexandra Leanda, born 9 December, 2023.
Daisy is a daughter of [Vyvian A] Gordon Tregear and his wife the former [Susan] Alexandra Symington [born 1951].
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The engagement was announced 7 March, 2026, between Jimmy Scott, younger son of Mr and Mrs Hugh Scott, of Nairobi, Kenya, and Philippa (Pippa) Howell (born 1992), daughter of Philip Luard Howell (born 23 November, 1955), of Hadleigh, Suffolk, descended from the Buxton baronets, and his wife the former Stephanie Fernandez.
Sir Edward Buxton, 2nd Bt > Henry Edmund Buxton > Rosalind Buxton > Dr Paul Howell > Philip Howell > Pippa Howell
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Louisa Ariana Rose Holland-Hibbert (nee Willoughy, born 2 June, 1992), scion of the Barons Middleton, wife of Thomas Arthur Holland-Hibbert [born 15 December, 1992], scion of the Viscounts Knutsford, gave birth to a son, Arthur Thurstan, 17 February, 2026.
Louisa is the eldest daughter of Guy Nesbit John Willoughby [born 2 June, 1960], of Ayrshire, and the former Fiona Kathryn Stewart-Blacker [born 1961], now of Northumberland.
Thomas Holland-Hibbert is the eldest son of the Hon Henry Thurstan Holland-Hibbert [born 6 April, 1959], of Munden, Watford, and his wife the former Katherine Ropner [born 16 April, 1964], scion of the baronets of that name.
The infant is a grandson of the 6th Viscount Knutsford.
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Stella Nony Faber (née Weatherall, born 1991), wife of Luke Christopher Michael Faber (born 1990), gaveb birth to a daughter, Olive Silvy, 4 January, 2026, a sister for Nicholas Mark Percy (Nicky), born 29 April, 2024.
Stella is a scion of the Keswick family (of Jardine Matheson), daughter of Percy Weatherall (born 1957), and his wife the former Clara Mary Johnston (born 1960).
Luke Faber is a descendant of the Dukes of Devonshire, and a great-grandson of Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC, FRS (1894-1986).
9th Duke of Devonshire (1868-1938) > Lady Dorothy Cavendish (1900-86) > Lady Caroline Macmillan (1923-2016) > Mark Faber (1950-1991) > Luke Faber (b 1990) > Olive Silvy Faber (born 2026)
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The engagement was announced 7 March, 2026, between Christopher Bentley Barnett (born Oct, 1996), son of Antony Barnett, of Bath, and his wife the former Katharine Young, & Emily Sarah Baring (born 11 September, 1998), scion of the Baring baronets, daughter of Edward Richard Philip Baring (born September, 1962), of London, and his wife the former Marianne Stanton.
Emily's father, Edward Baring, is a younger half-brother of the 4th Viscount Astor.
The 6th Baron Grantley > Hon Sarah Norton > Edward Baring (b 1962) > Emily Baring
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HRH Princess Michael of Kent is reportedly unwell following a stroke. This comes after a run of bad health for the wife of Prince Michael of Kent. The 81 year-old wife of the King's cousin is said to be seriously ill.
The Daily Mail reported on Saturday: "Her Royal Highness suffered a stroke. Sadly, she is now bedridden." A spokesman for Princess Michael said: "We are grateful for the concern shown, but do not comment on private medical matters."
Despite reports of his wife's condition, her 83-year-old husband, Prince Michael of Kent travelled to Birmingham on Friday to attend the opening of Crufts, with the Kennel Club delighted with his appearance.
"The Royal Kennel Club was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent to Crufts today" they wrote on Instagram. His Royal Highness’s visit was a valued occasion, recognising the dedication and expertise that underpin the sport of dogs, and the ongoing commitment to canine health, welfare and responsible ownership."
Princess Michael celebrated her 81st birthday in January.
Her husband Prince Michael is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, and a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
The prince was born at Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire, the country home of his parents, 4 July, 1942, the second son of HRH The Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, 1st Duke of Kent, KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC (born 20 December, 1902), and his wife HRH Princess Marina of Greece & Denmark, CI, GCVO, GBE (born 13 December, 1906), and was named Michael George Charles Franklin, his last name in honour of President Franklin Roosevelt, who was one of his godfathers.
At Prince Michael's christening on 4 August 1942, in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle, his godparents were his paternal uncle King George VI; Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (for whom her son-in-law Prince Bernhard stood proxy); King Haakon VII of Norway (his great-uncle); the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (for whom the Duke of Kent stood proxy); Frederica of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Greece (his first cousin once removed, who was absent); Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (his paternal uncle, who was absent); the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (his paternal first cousin twice removed); and Lady Patricia Ramsay (his paternal first cousin twice removed).
Michael's father, the Duke of Kent, died tragically a few weeks later in the Dunbeath air crash in Scotland on 25 August 1942, in which fourteen of the fifteen crew and passengers were killed.
His widowed mother lived on as a popular member of the British Royal Family and died at Kensington Palace, from a brain tumour, 27 August, 1968.
Princess Marina was the third and youngest daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and his wife Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. Her father was the third son of George I of Greece and Queen Olga, while her mother was the only daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. Her father was a grandson of Christian IX of Denmark, while her mother was a granddaughter of Alexander II, Tsar of Russia.
Prince Michael was educated at Sunningdale, then Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
At the age of five, 20 Nov 1947, he was a page boy at the wedding of his cousin, Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, RN.
His Royal Highness joined the army and was commissioned into the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own), later the Roya Hussars (PWO), Commodore RNR, Grand Master of the Lodge of Mark Master Masons, and Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex, in the United Grand Lodge of England. His elder brother, the Duke of Kent, has been Grand Master, the United Grand Lodge of England since 1967. Prince Michael is Hon Liveryman of the Clothworkers' Company, Leathersellers' Co, Scientific Instrument Makers' Co, Coach Makers and Coach Harness Makers' Co.
HRH saw service in Germany, Hong Kong, and Cyprus, where his squadron formed part of a United Nations peacekeeping force in 1971. Subsequent tours of duty, during a military career that spanned twenty years, included a number of appointments on the Defence Intelligence Staff. He retired from the Army with the rank of Major in 1981.
Prince Michael represented Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral of President Ahmed of India in 1977; and the at the funeral of President Makarios of Cyprus, 1977. He represented the Queen at the Independence of Belize in 1981, the funeral of King Sobhuza II of Swaziland, 1982; the Coronation of King Mswati III of Swaziland, 1986; Commonwealth President of the Royal Life Saving Society, President of the Royal Automobile Club, the Institute of the Motor Industry, SSAFA, Medical Commission on Accident Prevention, the Dogs' Home Battersea, the Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation, the National Eye Research Centre, the Kennel Club, the Institute of Road Safety Officers, and the Society of Genealogists, Patron of the Museum of Army Flying, the Veterans Car Club of Great Britain, the Thames Rowing Club, the Popular Flying Association, the Museum Trust Appeal, the Bermuda Maritime Museum, the David Shepherd Conservation Fund, the Carriage Foundation, the Brooklands Museum Trust Appeal, Founder of the Prince Michael Road Safety Award Scheme, Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Trustee of the National Motor Museum, &c.
Honorary military appointments: Canada - Canada Colonel-in-Chief, The Essex and Kent Scottish (14 November 2001 – present), United Kingdom: United Kingdom Honorary Commodore, Royal Naval Reserve (1 April 1994 – 2004), United Kingdom Honorary Commodore, Maritime Volunteer Service, United Kingdom Honorary Rear Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve (2004–2015), United Kingdom Honorary Vice Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve (9 March 2015 – present), United Kingdom Honorary Auxiliary Commodore, Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (1990), United Kingdom Commodore-in-Chief, Maritime Reserves (2006–present), United Kingdom Honorary Colonel, British Army (10 November 2010 – present), United Kingdom Senior Colonel, The King's Royal Hussars, United Kingdom Regimental Colonel, Honourable Artillery Company (2009–2012), United Kingdom Royal Honorary Colonel, Honourable Artillery Company (31 January 2012 – present). (member since 1981), United Kingdom Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Benson (27 June 2002 – 2012), United Kingdom Honorary Air Marshal of RAF Benson (1 March 2012 – present)
Prince Michael is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of German and Italian, and is a qualified interpreter of Russian.
In his younger years, Prince Michael was a competitive rower and bobsledder and was on the reserve list for Britain's bobsleigh team at the 1972 Winter Olympics.
In 2014 Prince Michael was successfully treated for prostate cancer.
Prince Michael is the recipient of the following orders:-
2 June 1953: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, 6 February 1977: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, 18 January 2001: Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ), 6 February 2002: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2 June 2003: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), 4 July 1992: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), 6 February 2012: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 19 October 2015: Recipient of the Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD), 6 February 2022: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, 6 May 2023: Recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Foreign awards: UN: Recipient of the United Nations Medal for UNFICYP (1971), Russia: Member of the Order of Friendship (4 November 2009 – 4 March 2022), Two Sicilies: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I (19 August 2017), Peru: Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun (2 November 1994), &c.
Prince Michael married at Vienna, 30 June, 1978, Baroness Marie-Christine Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, who was thereafter styled as HRH Princess Michael of Kent.
Eighth in line to the throne at the time of his birth, the Prince lost his right of succession following his marriage because Marie-Christine is a Roman Catholic and the Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701) excluded those who married Roman Catholics from the Succession. However, this provision was repealed by the Succession to the Crown Act (2013) and the Prince’s place in the Succession was reinstated.
Marie-Christine was born 15 January, 1945, daughter of Baron Gunther Hubertus von Reibnitz (1894-1983), and his wife, Maria Anna Carolina Franziska Walpurga Bernadette Gräfin Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget und Szapár . She was born on her mother's estate at Tachau (now Tachov), in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). As a child she was taken to live in Australia and was educated there, and came to London in 1965.
On 25 May, 1971, Marie-Christine became engaged to Old Etonian banker Thomas Troubridge (born 26 December, 1939), scion of the Troubridge baronets. The couple had met on a boar hunt in Germany in 1969. Marie-Christine married Troubridge at Chelsea Old Church, London, 15 September, 1971. Her first cousin was a close friend of Prince William of Gloucester (1941-72), a first cousin of her future second husband. The childless marriage ended in divorce in the summer of 1977, and was later annulled by the Roman Catholic Church.
Prince Michael first met Marie-Christine in 1972 at Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire, the home of his uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
On 30 May, 1978 with days of the annulment of the Troubridge marriage , Prince Michael of Kent and Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz announced their engagement with the blessing of Queen Elizabeth II, the approval of the Privy Council and the Catholic Church.
That the Queen gave her cousin permission to marry a divorcee might seen prima facie, surprising. Since the Queen is supreme governor of the Church of England, which then opposed the remarriage of divorced people. It is said that at this time Her Majesty had declined to grant approval for the marriage of her cousin Prince William of Gloucester and his love Mrs Nicole Sieff. It was of course the wish of the Queen's uncle, King Edward VIII, to marry a divorcee that resulted in the Abdication Crisis of 1936. And in the 1950s the scandal of Princess Margaret's desire to marry the divorced Group Capt Peter Townsend had caused much heart ache for the Queen and her younger sister.
The wedding was celebrated at the Town Hall in Vienna. Guests included the Duke of Kent, his sister Princess Alexandra and her husband the Hon Angus Ogilvy, Lady Helen Windsor, Prince Michael's niece, and Princess Anne and Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
Because Prince Michael had announced that any children of the marriage would be brought up in the Anglican faith the Catholic authorities forbade a church wedding which had been planned to take place at the Schottenkirche, Vienna. The Vienna Boys' Choir had been engaged, ecclesiastical dignitaries were enrolled, and European royalty was said to be attending in their hundreds. This did not happen.
Following the civil wedding a dinner took place at the Schwarzenberg Palace. On 30 October, 1978 the Archbishop of Canterbury held a service of prayer and blessing at Lambeth Palace, and in 1983 Prince and Princess Michael finally went through a Catholic service at Archbishop's House, Westminster.
Prince and Princess Michael have two children, a son, Lord Frederick Michael George David Louis Windsor, born 6 April, 1979, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, and a daughter Lady Gabriella Marina Alexandra Ophelia Windsor, born at St Mary's Hospital, 23 April, 1981 (Shakespeare's birthday hence her last forename). Under the terms of letters patent of King George V both the children rank as the children of a duke and were prefixed 'Lord' and 'Lady' from birth.
Lord Frederick married at Hampton Court, 12 September, 2009, the actress Sophie Lara Winkleman (born 5 August, 1980), and they have issue, two daughters, Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina (born 15 Aug, 2013), and Isabella Alexandra Mary (born 16 January, 2016).
Lady Gabriella Windsor married 18 May, 2019, Thomas Henry Robin Kingston (born in 1978), son of (William) Martin Kingston QC by his wife Jill Mary Bache. Tom Kingston died from a self inflicted gun shot wound, 25 February, 2024, aged 45.
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Elizabeth Jane B. Sutton (née Snow, born 1988), wife of Hugo George Richard Sutton [born 1990], scion of the Sutton baronets, gave birth to a daughter, Polly, 2 December, 2025, a sister for Edward, who was born 25 November, 2022.
Hugo is a son of Maj. Richard Charles Sutton [born 6 Feb, 1955], of Ansty Cross, Dorset, and his wife the former Jane Elizabeth Bird.
Elizabeth Sutton is a daughter of Mr & Mrs David Snow, of Pencoyd, Herefordshire.
Sir Richard Sutton, 2nd Bt [1799-1855] > Rev Augustus Sutton [1825-85] > Gilbert Sutton [1858-1929] > John Sutton [1892-1982] > Cdr Richard Sutton [b 1922] > Maj Richard Sutton [b 1955] > Hugo Sutton [b 1990] > Polly Sutton [born 2025]
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Amyas Michael George Martelli died 25 February, 2026, aged 84.
He married at Bridport in 1980, Gabrielle Mary Frances Weld (born 1950), scion of that landed gentry family of Chideock, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Humphrey Giles Weld, MC, DL (1912-1998), and his wife the former Frances Mary Fraser (1916-2000), who was a granddaughter paternally of the 13th Lord Lovat and a granddaughter maternally of the 3rd Earl of Verulam.
He is survived by Gabrielle and by three sons, Frederick, Francis and Bartholomew, and by a daughter Anna Rose.
His son Bartholomew is married to Lady Amabel Kerr, daughter of the 14th Marquis of Lothian.
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The engagement was announced 5 March, 2026, between James Charles J. Spencer (born 1990), eldest son of Judge Timothy John Spencer, KC (born 1958), and his wife the former (Ann) Fiona Rigg (born 1959), of Northamptonshire, and Imogen Felicia Anne Erskine (born 1989), scion of the Earls of Mar & Kellie, daughter of Robin David Erskine (born 18 February, 1948), and his former wife the former Belinda Anne Bates (born 1 January, 1957), descended from the Musgrave baronets (she is now Mrs Belinda Speir, of Northumberland).
Sir Christopher Musgrave, 6th Bt (1892-1956) > Elizabeth Musgrave > Belinda Bates (b 1957) > Imogen Erskine (b 1989)
The Earl of Mar & Kellie (1839-1888) > Hon Alexander Erskine (1881-1925) > David Erskine (1921-2006) > Robin Erskine (b 1948) > Imogen Erskine (b 1989)
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Baroness Emerton, DBE, a nursing administrator and life peer who was a member of the House of Lords from 1997 to 2019, died 27 February, 2026, aged 90.
Audrey Caroline Emerton, Baroness Emerton, DBE, GCStJ, FRCN, was born 10 September 1935.
She was appointed DBE in 1989, and raised to the peerage for life in 1997, as Baroness Emerton, of Tunbridge Wells in the County of Kent and of Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. She sat in the Lords as a Crossbencher.
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Baroness Cornwallis, who died 9 February, 2026, aged 76, was the wife of the 4th Baron Cornwallis.
She was born Sara Gray de Neufville Stockwell in 1949, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Nigel Stockwell (1909-1976), of Mill Street House, Iden Green, Benenden, Kent, by his wife the former Deirdre Jarman (1920-2007).
She married 29 May, 1969, the then Fiennes Wykeham Jeremy Cornwallis (born 25 May, 1946), son and heir of Fiennes Neil Wykeham Cornwallis (1921-2010), who in 1982 succeeded his father as the 3rd Baron Cornwallis, and his wife the former Judith Lacy Scott.
Her husband succeeded his father, 6 March, 2010, as 4th Baron Cornwallis (Peerage of the UK, cr 1927).
Sara Cornwallis is survived by her husband, and by a son the Hon (Fiennes) Alexander Wykeham Martin Cornwallis (born 25 Nov, 1987), and by two daughters, the Hon Anna Cornwallis (born 15 Jan, 1971), and the Hon Charlotte Cornwallis (born 3 Sept, 1972).
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The engagement was announced 4 March, 2026, between Dr Rupert Charles Berkeley (born 1988), scion of the Barons Berkeley, the elder son of the late Roger Maurice Berkeley (1961-2011), and his wife the former Victoria Selmon (born 1962), and Mark Kevin Spiller (born 1994), younger son of Kevin Spiller, of Birch Hill, Berkshire, and his wife the former Lesley A. Ayriss.
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Elizabeth Mary Trotter (née Stallard), died 24 February, 2026, aged 98.
She was a daughter of Richard John Stallard, of Monte Carlo, and Ashley Gardens SW1; and married firstly, 15 December, 1950, the Hon Ronald Charles Manus Nall-Cain (born 15 Aug, 1928), eldest son of the 2nd Baron Brocket (1904-1967), of Brocket Hall, and his wife the former Angela Beatrix Pennyman (1906-1975). Her husband died 15 March, 1961, predeceasing his father; she married 2ndly, 10 July, 1964, Colin John Richard Trotter (born 12 September, 1932), head of that landed gentry family. Her second husband died in 2006.
She leaves issue, from her first marriage, three sons, Charles, 3rd Baron Brocket (born 12 Feb, 1952), the Hon Richard Nall-Cain (born 5 Apr, 1953), and the Hon David Nall-Cain (born 17 Dec 1955), and from her second marriage a son, Rupert A.J. Trotter (born 1965).
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John Richard Sclater, CVO, sometime of Sutton Hall, Barcombe, Lewes, died 21 February, 2026, aged 85.
He was a member of the Council of Duchy of Lancaster, and appointed CVO by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.
He was born in June, 1940, son of Arthur William Sclater (1909-2002), of Newick Park, Sussex, and his wife the former Alice Collet (1913-2005); and married 1stly, 1967 (div.), Nicola Mary Gloria Cropper (born 4 May, 1948), daughter of Anthony Charles Cropper (1912-1967), and his wife the former Philippa Mary Gloria Clutterbuck (1917-2009), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 2ndly, 25 April, 1985, (Grizel Elizabeth) Catherine Dawson, MBE (born 6 November, 1944), daughter of Lt-Col Herbrand Vavasour Dawson (1918-2011), head of that landed family, of Weston Hall, near Otley, West Yorkshire, by his wife the former Grizelda Louise Richmond (1919-2001).
He had issue from his first marriage, a son James Arthur Sclater (born 1970), and a daughter, Emma Mary (born 1972, deceased).
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Ambre Knatchbull [born Paris, 24 July, 1984], wife of the Hon Nicholas Charles Louis Norton Knatchbull, [born London, 15 May, 1981], scion of the Earls Mountbatten of Burma, gave birth to a daughter, the Hon Endora Luna Marie Knatchbull, in 2025, a sister for the Hon Alexander Nicholas J. Knatchbull, who was born circa 24 June, 2022.
Nicholas, who does not use the courtesy title of Baron Brabourne, is the only son and heir of the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma [born 8 Oct, 1947], of Broadlands, Hampshire, and his wife the former Penelope Meredith Eastwood [born 16 Apr, 1953]. He married at the family seat, Broadlands, Hampshire, 20 May, 2021, Ambre Pouzet, a French-born behavioural therapist, a 'mer-lesque' performing mermaid, according to the Daily Mail.
Nicholas Knatchbull, a future 4th Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a godson of HRH The Prince of Wales. He is heir apparent to the Earldom, the Barony of Romsey, the Barony of Brabourne, and the Baronetcy, of Mersham Hatch.
Source: Marlene Eilers Koenig
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The engagement was announced 2 March, 2026, between Ivo James Thomas (born 1994), son of Major Nicholas James Thomas, of Burrill, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Victoria Mary Trotter (born 10 July, 1962), descended from the Holcroft baronets, & Lauren Olivia Gaunt (born 1999), daughter of Roger Stuart Gaunt (born 1966), of Thorner, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Helen Anne Stevenson (born Aug 1965).
Sir Reginald Holcroft, 2nd Baronet (1899-1978) > Mary Virginia Holcroft (b 1939) > Victoria Mary Trotter (b 1962) > Ivo Thomas (b 1994)
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Clare Mary E. Bossom (born 1993, née Hunter), wife of Caspar Luke Sebastian Bossom (born 1991), scion of the Bossom baronets, gave birth to a son, Alfred Alexander Eric, 18 February, 2026.
Clare is a daughter of Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter, OBE (born 1962), and his wife the former Dorothy Crookenden (born 1960).
Caspar is a son of Doric Alfred Howard Bossom (born 27 February, 1960), and his wife the former Sara Jocelyn Vaughan (born 1958).
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Laura Worsley (née Taylor), wife of Nicholas Arthington Pitfield Worsley [born 29 July, 1988], scion of the Worsley baronets, of Hovingham Hall, gave birth to a daughter, Clio Zuleika Rose, 4 February, 2026, a sister for Lachlan Alexander Arthington, who was born 7 October, 2023.
Laura is the only daughter of Mr & Mrs Ian Taylor, of Assington, Suffolk, and Nicholas is the eldest son of Jonathan Hugh Worsley [born 3 Oct, 1960], of Hillington, Norfolk, by his wife the former Laura Pitfield.
The infant is a great-great niece of the late HRH The Duchess of Kent, GCVO.
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Lucie Quicke [née Shuttlewood, born 1986], wife of Thomas William Quicke [born 1987], descended from the Dewey baronets, gave birth to a third daughter, Ophelia Clementine Clara, 14 February, 2026, a sister for Araminta Florence Cressida, who was born in 2019, and for Florence Isabella Ophelia, born 26 May, 2021.
Thomas Quicke is a son of Colonel Richard Neville Brayley Quicke [born 1951[, and is wife the former Amanda Julia Dewey [born 1957].
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The engagement was announced 28 February, 2026, between Dominic Hew Williams Barrington (born 1994), scion of the Barrington baronets, eldest son of Rupert Hew Williams Barrington (born 5 January, 1963), of Miserden, Gloucester, and Mrs (Ann) Olivia Barrington (nee Nutting, born 20 Aug, 1963, scion of the Nutting baronets), of St Just in Roseland, Cornwall, & Augusta Kate Redding (born c 1996), daughter of Jon Stewart Redding (born 1952), of Wandsworth, London, and his wife the former Joanna Charlotte Stephenson (born 1960).
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The engagement was announced 28 February, 2026, between William (Billy) Falcon (born 1994), son of Andrew Falcon (born 1958), of Reymerston, Norfolk, and his wife the former Victoria de Bunsen (born 16 July, 1968), scion of that landed gentry family, & Brooke Elizabeth Hollingbery (born 1995), daughter of Sir George Michael Edward Hollingbery, KCMG (born 12 Oct, 1963), of Alresford, Hampshire, sometime British Ambassador to Cuba, by his wife the former Janette Marie White.
Billy Falcon is of Wellesley descent, descended from the 1st Earl of Mornington. His mother, Victoria, is a granddaughter of the 6th Baron Carrington, KG, GCMG, CH, MC, PC (1919-2018).
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Jenna Kate Hobhouse (née Ralfe, born 1984), wife of Hugh James Hobhouse (born 1984), scion of the baronets of that name, gave birth to a daughter, Nina Romy Ida, 18 February, 2026, a sister for Martha Grace (born 27 Apr, 2019), and for Thea Susan Julia (born 7 Oct, 2020).
Hugh is the eldest son of Martin Hugh John Hobhouse (1955-2024), and his wife the former Julia Isobel Craib, and a great-grandson of Sir Reginald Hobhouse, 5th Baronet (1878-1947).
Jenna is a daughter of Christopher Ralfe (born 1951), and his wife the former Gwendoline Shaw.
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Richard Mervyn Wingfield, who died 26 January, 2026, aged 83, was a scion of the Viscounts Powerscourt.
He was born 30 December, 1942, elder son of Capt Mervyn Robert George Wingfield, DSO, DSC, RN (1911-2005), and his wife the former Sheila Mary Pigé Leschallas (1909-2006); and married 26 July, 1969, Diana Longhurst (born 5 May, 1948), daughter of Peter Michael Longhurst (1918-1990), of Haslemere, Surrey, and his wife the former Barbara Watson (1918-2008), by whom he had one son, James (born 24 Oct, 1973), and a daughter, Caroline (born 9 Aug, 1976).
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Douglas Michael Free died in Pau, France, 18 February, 2026, aged 76.
He was a son of Thomas Victor Free (1897-1949), and his wife the former Mary Louise Waddoups (1897-1958); and married in 1987, the Hon Harriet Susan Anne Neill (born 1962), daughter of the life peer the Baron Neill of Bladen (1926-2016), and his wife the former Caroline Susan Debenham (1930-2010), daughter of Sir Piers Debenham, 2nd Baronet (1904-1964), by whom he had issue, a son, Alexander (born c. Jan 1992), and two daughters, Philomena (born 1989), and Isabella (born 1996).
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Sacha Grimston (nee Tasker), wife of Edward Charles Lucklyn Grimston [born 1985], scion of the Barons Grimston of Westbury, gave birth to a daughter, Georgiana Rose Tasker Grimston, 4 November, 2025, a sister for Antigone Rosslyn Katherine, who was born 23 July, 2023.
Sacha Grimston (née Miss A.S.R. Tasker), is the youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs Alan Tasker, of Lower Failand, North Somerset.
Edward Grimston is the son of Major the Hon [Gerald] Charles Walter [Charley] Grimston [born 4 September, 1953], of Finmere, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Katherine Evelyn Kettle.
The Hon Charley Grimston is the younger brother and heir presumptive of the 3rd Baron Grimston of Westbury.
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Diana Mary Pigott (born 1992, nee Stewart-Brown), wife of Matthew Thomas Michael Pigott [born 1992], gave birth to a daughter, Sophia Rose, 13 February, 2026, a sister for George Henry Anthony, who was born 12 May, 2023.
Diana is a daughter of the late Ronald Reay Stewart-Brown (1948-2015), of Charlbury, Oxfordshire, scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Juliet Rosamund Birch Reynardson (born 1952), scion of that landed gentry family.
Matthew Pigott is the younger son of Lt-Gen Sir Anthony David Pigott, KCB, CBE (1944-2020) and and his wife the former Felicity Ann Astley-Cooper (b 1954), a scion of the Cooper baronets [UK, cr 1821].
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Drusilla Norman Shulman (née Beyfus), who died 26 February, 2026, aged 98, was a journalist and etiquette writer who was best known for her books on modern modes and manners.
She was born in London, 1 March, 1927, a daughter of Norman Beyfus (1891-1975), and his wife the former Florence Noel Rhys Barker (1895-1974). After leaving finishing school, Beyfus began her writing career writing women's columns at the Reading Mercury and the Berkshire Chronicle. As a young journalist, 19 year old Beyfus was sent to Berlin in 1948 by the Daily Express to cover the Berlin blockade. In the 1960s, she contributed a chapter to Len Deighton's London Dossier, a guide book to 'modern' London. She was later a features editor at Vogue. As an etiquette writer, Beyfus contributed to over 60 different magazines and published books on the topics of modes and manners.
On 6 June, 1956, she married the Canadian-born journalist, war historian and theatre critic Milton Shulman (1913-2004), by whom she had three children, Alexandra Shulman, CBE (born 13 November, 1957), a journalist and the editor of British Vogue; Nicola Shulman (born 1960), a model, biographer, the Marchioness of Normanby, wife of Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby; & Jason Shulman (born 1963), a photographer, sculptor and magazine art director.
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Anthony Frederick de Salis died in Tasmania, 13 February 2026. He was 91.
He was born 5 December, 1934, the elder son of Rudolph Ulrico de Salis (1904-1996), and his wife the former Ellen Louise Simpson (died 1957); and married 3 April, 1961, Marie Dawn Hamilton (born 21August, 1942), by whom he had issue, three sons, Stephen, Robert and Paul, and a daughter, Linda.
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Nigel Edward Goodeve-Docker died 15 February, 2026, aged 81.
He was born in 1944, son of Arthur Guy Goodeve-Docker (1904-1969), of The Firs, Hermitage, Newbury, Berkshire, and his wife the former Mary Watts (1912-1985), and he married in 1973, Aurelia Jean Pirie-Gordon (born 18 March, 1950), scion of that landed gentry family, of Buthlaw, second daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel George Patrick Pirie-Gordon (1918-2011), and his wife the former Catherine Grace Taylor (who died 2004), by whom he had two sons, Mark Patrick Goodeve-Docker (born 1979), and Phillip George Goodeve-Docker (born 1982, who died tragically, 28 April, 2013, on the icecap of Greenland during an expedition), and a daughter, Mary Kate Goodeve-Docker (born 1977).
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Caroline Louisa Feilding Charles-Jones (née Harwich) died 13 February, 2026.
She was born in 1948, daughter of Christopher Alfred E. Harwich (1909-1972), by his wife the former Daphne Margaret Feilding Davidson (1911-1949), and married as his second wife, in 1982, Hugh Francis Charles-Jones (born 1932) (son of Maj Francis Jones, CVO, TD (1908-1993), sometime Wales Herald Extraordinary, by whom she had a daughter, Lilery Caroline D.E. Charles-Jones (born January, 1986).
She was a granddaughter of Sir Walter Edward Davidson, KCMG (1859-1923), the colonial administrator and diplomat, who served periods as Governor of the Seychelles, Governor of Newfoundland and as Governor of New South Wales, where he died in office, by his wife the former Margaret Agnes Feilding (1871-1964), daughter of Gen the Hon Sir Percy Robert Basil Feilding, KCB (1827-1904), scion of the Earls of Denbigh, by his wife the former Lady Louisa Isabella Harriet Thynne (died 1919), daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Bath (1797-1837).
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(Ernest) Michael Le Quesne Herbert, who died 22 February, 2026, aged 89, was father of the life peer the Baron Herbert of South Downs, CBE, PC.
He was born in Oct 1936, and married in 1961, Judy Hutchinson, by whom he had issue, an only son, Nicholas Le Quesne Herbert (born 7 Apr, 1963), sometime Conservative MP for Arundel and the South Downs, created a life peer in 2020, and two daughters, Claire and Sara.
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The engagement was announced 25 February, 2025, between Benjamin Christopher Hamilton Cook (born 1983), younger son of the late Christopher William Batstone Cook (1951-2021), of Devon, by his wife the former Margaret Anne Blackett-Ord (born 2 March, 1950), scion of that landed gentry family of Whitfield Hall, Northumberland & Alexandra Hero C. Melhuish (born 1987), younger daughter of the late Jeremy P. Melhuish (born 1948), and his wife the former Caroline J. Charlton.
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Sir Robin Phillips, 3rd and last Baronet, died 10 February, 2026, aged 85.
Robin Francis Phillips was owner and principal of the Ravenscroft Theatre School, Hammersmith, and previous Chief Air Traffic Controller at Biggin Hill, 1970-78; with Hazel Malone Management 1978-81, Devonair Radio 1981-83, &c.
Robin Francis Phillips was born 29 July, 1940, son of Sir Lionel Francis Phillips, 2nd Baronet (1914-1944), and his wife the former Camilla Mary Parker (1916-2006), scion of the Earls of Macclesfield. He succeeded to the baronetcy 81 years ago, 6 July, 1944, when his father was killed in action in Italy.
Sir Robin was unmarried, and the baronetcy created in 1912 now becomes extinct.
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Annette Josephine Perry (née Anderson), died 28 January, 2026.
She was born in 1934, a daughter of Alan Bruce Anderson (1902-1985), and his wife the former Margaret Dampier (1900-1997), daughter of Sir William Dampier (nee Whetham) (1867-1952), of that landed gentry family; and married 1958, Cecil William Perry (born 1931), son of Edward William Perry, CSI, CIE (1891-1971), and his wife the former Mary Thrift Reavell (1906-1995), by whom she had a son and two daughters
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Grace Cristabel Alice Fernandez-Armesto [born 1987, nee Pilkington], wife of Frederico Fernández-Armesto, gave birth to a daughter, Milagros Annie Rose (known as Mila), 16 February, 2026, a sister for Alfredo, who was born 5 July, 2019, and for Esmeralda Serena Juliet, who was born 31 December, 2021.
Fred is the son of Prof Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. Grace is a daughter of Michael Charles David Pilkington [born 1948] by his wife the former Clarissa Mary Baring [born 22 September, 1955], scion of the Earls of Cromer.
1st Earl of Cromer > Hon Windham Baring > Robin Windham Baring > Clarissa Baring > Grace Pilkington > Mila Fernández-Armesto [b 2026]
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Lady Vernon, who died 22 January, 2026, aged 85, was the widow of Sir (William) Michael Vernon, Kt (1926-2014), the businessman and company director.
Sie Michael, scion of the Vernon baronets, joined Spillers (millers and animal food manufacturers) as trainee 1948, Director 1960-1980, Joint Manager Director 1962-1967, Deputy Chairman 1967-1968, Chairman 1968-1980. Chairman Famous Names Limited. 1981-1985, Granville Meat Company Limited. from 1981.
She was the former Penelope Alexandra Skelton, born in 1940, daughter of Air Commodore George Felix Allin Skelton (1909-1985), and his wife the former Karin Rosenius (1906-1994); and married 1stly, 1963, Norman A. Cuddeford; and married 2ndly, 15 March, 2001, Sir (William) Michael Vernon (born 17 Apr, 1926), second son of Sir Wilfred Douglas Vernon (1897-1973), and his wife the former Nancy Elizabeth Jackson (1899-1999). Sir Michael died 24 January, 2014.
Lady Vernon leaves a son from her first marriage, Alastair R.A. Cuddeford (born 1964).
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The Lady Iona Margaret Sophia Spink (née Murray, born 13 March, 1992), wife of Capt Barnaby Frederick J Spink (born 1992), gave birth to a daughter, Frederica Maria Kathryn, 24 January, 2026, a sister for Beatrice Veronica Sophia, who was born 31 May, 2024.
Capt Spink is a son of [Andrew David] Jonathan Spink [born Oct 1960], of Kimbolton, and his wife the former Kathryn Anne Armstrong [born 1963].
Lady Iona is a daughter of the 8th (and ninth) Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield (born 17 October, 1956) of Scone Palace, Perthshire, and the Countess of Mansfield (nee Sophia Mary Veronica Ashbrooke (born 22 January, 1959).
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Morag MacDougall, chief of a Highland clan who protected the family’s heritage. died 22 January, 2026, aged 86.
Madam MacDougall of MacDougall was the 31st Chief of the Name and Arms of MacDougall, was born Morag Hadfield, 21 November, 1939, daughter of Stephen John Hadfield and his wife Jean Louisa Morag MacDougall (who died 1 January, 1999, aged 88), and niece of Coline Helen Elizabeth MacDougall of Macdougall (1904-1990) recognised as 30th Chief of the Name and Arms of MacDougall in 1953.
As a speech therapist she worked with children and stroke patients, and she was much in demand to play the organ in Herefordshire churches. To her neighbours in Shobdon, Herefordshire, she was the unassuming Mrs Morag Morley, housewife, speech therapist and church organist. But on her regular visits to Scotland, and eventually in retirement there, she inhabited an entirely different persona, that of hereditary chief of one of the leading Highland clans.
Her chiefly line is long and illustrious. The eponymous Dougal, who flourished in the early 13th century, was the eldest son of Somerled, a sea-borne adventurer of mixed Gaelic and Norse heritage, who had carved out a kingdom for himself in the west. Somerled’s realm extended from the northern Hebrides to the mainland, including both Argyll and Kintyre.
Dougal, meaning “dark stranger”, was a euphemism for Viking. By means of their fleet of galleys, the MacDougalls wielded immense power and were poised at one time to add the Isle of Man to their kingdom. However, their mainland possessions were richer and less troublesome. Basing themselves in Lorn (northern Argyll) and eventually coming to terms with the King of Scots, they dropped their royal title and were soon fully assimilated into the Scottish aristocracy.
An alliance with the mighty Comyn family proved fateful for the MacDougalls and has affected their fortunes ever since. In 1306, Robert the Bruce murdered John “the Red Comyn”, who opposed his claim to the throne, making John’s uncle, Alasdair Mòr MacDougall of Argyll, his “capitale ennymy”.
Soon afterwards, Alasdair Mòr defeated his bedraggled army at Dalrigh. As the Bruce fled the field, a MacDougall clansman is said to have gripped his plaid and pulled it from his shoulders. The plaid and its clasp, consisting of a quartz charmstone set in a brooch, were presented to the victorious chief.
Now in a studded silver setting of later date, the “Brooch of Lorn” remains the proud possession of the family, and, until the 19th century, was regularly worn. Madam Morag, who kept it safely in the bank at Oban, eventually presented it, on indefinite loan, to the National Museum of Scotland, where it is displayed with other Brucian memorabilia.
Morag succeeded to the chiefship in 1990, and with pride in her family “in her bones and soul”, Madam Morag made it her mission to preserve her inheritance, much diminished by the Bruce’s ultimate victory in 1308.
The MacDougall lands had been forfeited and redistributed among assorted Campbells, Stewarts and MacDonalds; but in 1452, thanks to the generosity of his maternal uncle, the then chief had recovered a small but significant part of their former estate. It included the castle of Dunollie (founded by the original Dougal in the early 1200s) and the Isle of Kerrera, which it overlooks across the Firth of Lorn.
With a view to protecting this heritage and making it more accessible – both to the local community and to the wider clan – Madam Morag established the MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust in 1996, which manages the ruined castle and grounds as a visitor attraction.
Morag Hadfield was born at Beer, Devonshire, on November 21 1939, to Dr Stephen Hadfield, the local GP, and his wife Jean, one of the three daughters of Alexander James MacDougall of MacDougall, an army surgeon. Jean’s elder sister, Coline, was to succeed him as Chief in 1953.
She married 30 July, 1966, Richard Morley, a chartered engineer, son of Dr John Edwin Morley, of Yeovil, Somerset
Madam Morag was buried among generations of MacDougall chiefs in Kilbride Cemetery. She is survived by her son, Robin MacDougall of MacDougall, and her daughter Fiona.
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