Lady Eliza Spencer engaged to Channing Millerd

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Joan Rosemary Fursdon (née Worssam) 1928-2025

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

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

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Roe/Miller engagement

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

James Roe is descended from the Earls of Malmesbury:-

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

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Hon Sir Mark Alexander Lennox-Boyd 1943-2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sophia Emma Van Den Arend, MBE 1941-2025

 Sophia Emma Van Den Arend, MBE, died 19 July, 2025, aged 84.

She was born Sophia Emma Reed, 21 December, 1941, daughter of Edward Percy Reed (1884-1942), and his wife the former Joan Grace Sandwith (1899-1968); and married in July, 1968, Commander Jeremy Frederik Van Den Arend (1930-2015), of Stanhope Mews, SW7, eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Frederik John Van Den Arend (1901-1942), and his wife the former Christine Irene Clutterbuck (1899-1981), scion of that landed gentry family.

She leaves issue, two sons, Charles Edward Frederik (born 1971), Nicholas James (born 1973), and a daughter, Henrietta Louise (born 1969).

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Penelope, Baroness Wrenbury 1933-2025

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

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

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

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

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Elms/Fergusson engagement

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

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

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The Baron Desai 1940-2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Name change for husband of archduchess

From the London Gazette 28 July 2025:

Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual

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

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

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

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

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A daughter for the Duke and Duchess of Westminster

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

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

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

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

The Duke of Westminster married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on 7 June, 2024. The Prince of Wales stood as one of the duke’s ushers.

Crowds lined the streets of Chester to cheer the arrival of the duke, his bride with her father, and the Prince of Wales. Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank was one of the 400 guests.

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

The young duke is a fourth cousin once removed of the King. They both have Romanov blood, the duke via his mother Natalia, and the King via the late Prince Philip's Romanov descent.

The duke's parents, the 6th Duke and Natalia Phillips married at Chester Cathedral, 7 October, 1978, and the Royal Family were there to celebrate the union of one of Britain's wealthiest men and Natalia, daughter of one of Queen Elizabeth II's great friends, the former Georgina Wernher. The duke's aunt, Lady Leonora Grosvenor, married the late 5th Earl of Lichfield at the cathedral, 8 March, 1975, and another aunt, Lady Jane Grosvenor married the 10th Duke of Roxburghe there, 10 September, 1977.

The Duke and Olivia Henson became engaged at Eaton Hall in April 2023.

Hugh Westminster, 34,  is godfather to Prince George of Wales, and a close confidante of the Prince and Princess of Wales. He was born 29 January, 1991, the only son of the 6th duke (1951-2016).

Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, the 7th duke, inherited the Eaton Hall estate near Chester, and large land holdings in London, Lancashire, Scotland, and in Canada, on the death of his late father, who died suddenly on his Abbeystead estate in Lancashire,  9 August 2016. The Westminster fortune is estimated to stand at 9.7 billion. 

The duke’s mother, the former Natalia Ayesha Phillips (born 8 May 1959), descended from the Russia tsars and from Pushkin, is a granddaughter of Lady Zia Wernher, of Luton Hoo, a great friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It was at Luton Hoo where the late Queen and her consort spent many wedding anniversaries in the lifetime of Lady Zia, who died in 1977, and her husband Harold, who died in 1973.

The Duke was present at the Coronation of the King and Queen in May 2023, and he carried a standard in the procession into Westminster Abbey. 

The duke has three sisters, Lady Tamara van Cutsem (born 20 Dec 1979), wife of another of the King’s godsons, Edward van Cutsem, and Lady Edwina Snow (born 4 Nov, 1981), a criminologist, wife of historian and broadcaster Dan Snow, and Lady Viola Roberts (born 9 Oct, 1992), wife of Dragoon Guards officer, Angus Roberts.

Their is no heir to the dukedom, and a son and heir would have secured the peerage and the vast Grosvenor inheritance. The peerage can only be inherited by male heirs. The current heir presumptive to the Marquessate of Westminster, but not the dukedom, is a Grosvenor cousin, Francis Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton (born 8 Feb, 1934).

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

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

The dukedom of Westminster was the last dukedom to be given outside the confines of the royal family, and was created by Queen Victoria in 1874.

The Duchess of Westminster (born 1 Sept, 1992), is a senior account manager with Belazu, an ethical food company, in London. She is extremely well connected, with lines of descent from the Hoare banking dynasty, the Marquesses of Britsol, of Ickworth, Suffolk, and the Dukes of Rutland, of Belvoir Castle. She is the elder daughter of Mr Rupert Cornelius Brooke Henson (born 7 September, 1962), of Longworth, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Caroline Belinda Frisby (born 17 August, 1963), scion of that landed gentry family, descended from the Hoare banking family and the Marquesses of Bristol. Olivia’s uncle, Charles Wolrige Gordon, is the Grand Master of Scottish freemasons, Scotland’s senior freemason. Olivia’s mother is the twin sister of Charles’s wife, Angela Clare Wolrige Gordon.

Olivia has a brother Jasper (born 1994), who announced his engagement last year to the Spanish aristocrat Isabel Rodriguez-Legorburu Cabrera Kabana, and a sister, Emilia (born 1997).

Olivia is a granddaughter paternally of Thomas John Brooke Henson, MC (1931-2024), and his first wife the former Jennifer Caswell Cornelius (born 1938), daughter of Leonard Raymond Cornelius (1907-88), and his wife the former Betty Kathleen Caswell (1916-2010). Her grandparents divorced and in 1983 Mrs Jennifer Henson married Robert Christopher Thoroton Hildyard (1912-86), scion of a Yorkshire landed gentry family, descended from the Foljambe Earls of Liverpool.

The Romanov link:-

Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia (1796-1855) > Grand Duke Michael of Russia (1832-1909) > Grand Duke Michael of Russia (1861-1929)  > Lady Zia Wernher (1892-1977)  > Georgina Wernher (1919-2011)  > Natalia Ayesha Phillips (b 1959) > The 7th Duke of Westminster (b 1991)> Lady Cosima Grosvenor (b 2025)

Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia (1796-1855) > Grand Duke Constantine of Russia (1827-1892) > Grand Duchess Olga of Russia (1851-1926) > Prince Andrew of Greece (1882-1944) > Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) > King Charles III (b 1948) > Prince William (b 1982)

Lady Cosima is also descended from the Dukes of Rutland :-

The 5th Duke of Rutland > Lady Katherine Manners > Lord Augustus Henry Charles Hervey > Lady Geraldine Mariana Hervey > Angela Beryl Hoare > Simon Rollo Frisby > Caroline Belinda Frisby > Olivia Grace Henson > Lady Cosima Grosvenor

The infant's descent from the Marquesses of Bristol-

Frederick, 2nd Marquess of Bristol > Lord Augustus Henry Charles Hervey >Lady Geraldine Hervey > Angela Beryl Hoare > Simon Frisby . Caroline Frisby > Olivia Grace Henson > Lady Cosima

The Duke and Olivia are both 6x great grandchildren of the 5th Earl of Carlisle (making them 7th cousins) and 7x great grandchildren of the 4th Duke of Beaufort (making them 8th cousins).

Olivia is a great-great granddaughter of Henry Hoare (1866-1956), partner in the eponymous family concern -  Hoare's Bank, of Ellisfield Manor, Basingstoke, White Wings, Angmering, Sussex, and La Lucretola, Lago di Como, Italy. The Old Etonian died 29 July, 1956.

The infant's descent from the Arbuthnot baronets:--

Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet (1766-1829) > John Alves Arbuthnot (1802-75) > William Arbuthnot (1833-96) > Alice Arbuthnot (b 1869) > Capt William Herbert Fox (1901-40) > Sara Fox (d 2018) > Caroline Frisby (b 1963) > Olivia Henson (b 1992) > Lady Cosima Grosvenor (b 2025)

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Wright/Mountbatten engagement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Peter John Nicholas Prideaux-Brune 1944-2025

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

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

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Houston/Napier engagement

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

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Kit Hamish Stewart Birrell (born 2025)

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

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

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

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Ivo Angus Ribaroff (born 2025)

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

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

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

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

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Josh Berry, comedian & impressionist to marry Eliza Plowden

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

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

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Lady Lucy Mary Frances Lytton 1957-2025

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

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

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

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Rona Lowsley-Williams (nee McCorquodale) 1936-2025

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

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

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

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

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Lady Marshall (née Hutchison) 1941-2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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