The 13th Earl of Westmeath 1928-2026

The Earl's armorial bearings.

 The 13th Earl of Westmeath died 29 June, 2026. He was 97.

Lord Westmeath was an Anglo-Irish peer and a former soldier and schoolmaster. He was born at Flowerhill House, Tynagh, County Galway, and educated at Marlborough College, Wiltshire, and at Royal Military College, Sandhurst. From there he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery and retired in 1961 with the rank of Captain. He was subsequently employed as a schoolmaster at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne, from 1961 to 1988.

A peer for almost 55 years, he was the 18th Baron Delvin [Peerage of Ireland., created 1451]; and the 13th Earl of Westmeath [Peerage of Ireland, created 1621].

William Anthony Nugent was born 21 November, 1928, son of Major the 12th Earl of Westmeath (1880-1971), and his wife the former Doris Imlach (who died 9 April, 1968); and was known by the courtesy title Lord Devlin from 12 December, 1933, until inheriting the family honours, 20 November, 1971.

He married 31 July, 1963, Susanna Margaret Leonard (1941-2020), daughter of James Charles Beresford Whyte Leonard (1905-2004), and his wife the former Barbara Helen Incledon-Webber (1906-1989), by whom he had issue, two sons, Sean Charles Weston Nugent, Lord Devlin (born 16 February, 1965), and the Hon Patrick Mark Leonard Nugent (born 6 April, 1966). The elder son succeeds as 14th Earl of Westmeath and Baron Devlin.

The Countess of Westmeath predeceased him, 5 July, 2020.

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Sonia Elizabeth Sinclair 1925-2026

Sonia Elizabeth Sinclair (née Graham), who died 17 August, 2026, aged 100, was sometime wife of the 3rd Baron Melchett.

She was born 6 September, 1925, scion of an Irish landed family, a daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Roland Harris Graham (1898-1968), and his wife the former Kathleen Dunbar (1896-1983); and married 1stly, 26 April, 1947, the then Hon Julian Edward Alfred Mond (born 9 January, 1925), son of the 2nd Baron Melchett (1898-1949), and his wife the former Amy Gwen Wilson (1899-1982). Julian Mond succeeded his father, 22 January, 1949, as the 3rd Baron Melchett, and died 15 June, 1973.

Sonia, Baroness Melchett married 2ndly, in 1984, as his third wife, Dr Andrew Annandale Sinclair (1935-2019), son of Stanley Charles Sinclair (died 1975), and his wife the former Kathleen Henrietta Nash-Webber (died 1993). Dr Sinclair died 30 May, 2019.

Sonia leaves issue, two daughters, the Hon Kerena and the Hon Pandora Mond, and was predeceased by her only son, Peter, 4th and last Baron Melchett (1948-2018).

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Farquharson/Emslie-Smith engagement

 The engagement was announced 9 September, 2026, between Archie Alexander H. Farquharson (born 1996), youngers on of Donald Hugh Miller Farquharson of Finzean (born Dec 1963), of Aberdeenshire, head of that Scots landed gentry family, by his wife the former Catriona Rose, & Sarah Katherine Emslie-Smith (born 1997), only daughter of Dr Alistair Mark Emslie-Smith, of Broughty Ferry, Dundee, and his wife the former Katherine Mary Hector.

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Goddard/Harris engagement

 The engagement was announced 9 September, 2026, between Benjamin T. Goddard, younger son of Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Goddard, of Sewalds Hall, Essex, and the Hon Letitia Barbara D. Harris (born 2000), daughter of James Hugh Carleton Harris, styled Viscount FitzHarris (born 29 April, 1970), of Syndling Court, Dorset, and Viscountess FitzHarris (nee Jemima Nancy G. Fulford-Dobson (born 1968).

Letitia is a granddaughter of the 7th Earl of Malmesbury (born 19 June, 1946).

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Albert Henry Newton Hodgson (born 2026)

Sarah Newton, wife of the Hon Toby Henry Storr Hodgson (born 1988), gave birth to a son, Albert Henry Newton, 25 August, 2026.

Toby is a son of life peer the Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, CBE (born 25 April, 1942), and his wife the life peer Baroness Hodgson of Abinger, CBE (born 7 Nov, 1954).

Sarah is a daughter of Mr and Mrs Michael Newton of Melbourne, Australia.

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Daughter for Anna-Carolina, Archduchess of Austria and Jack Constable

 Anna-Carolina, Archduchess of Austria (born 11 June, 1996), wife of John (Jack) Straker Constable (born 23 October, 1990), scion of that landed gentry family, gave birth to a daughter, Emma, 10 July, 2026.

Jack Straker Constable 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.

Anna-Carolina, Archduchess of Austria, is the 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).

Jack Straker 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.

From the London Gazette in July 2025: 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.

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Albert Leopold Beaumont (born 2026)

 Elizabeth Louise Beaumont (nee Holland, born 1990), wife of Richard Christian Beaumont [born 27 May, 1989], scion of the Viscounts Allendale, gave birth to a son, Albert Leopold, 3 September, 2026, a brother for Theodore Holland, who was born 13 October, 2023.

Richard Beaumont is the second son of the Hon Hubert Wentworth Beaumont [born 13 Apr, 1956], of County Kildare, Ireland, and Katherine Emma [Kate] Beaumont [nee Abel Smith, born 11 March, 1961], of Nottinghamshire.

Elizabeth Beaumont is a daughter of Michael G. Holland, of Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, and his wife the former Margaret H. Osborne.

Richard Beaumont, a grandson of the late life peer the Baron Beaumont of Whitley [1928-2008] is also a descendant of Queen Victoria. 

Queen Victoria [1819-1901] > Prince Leopold [1853-84] > Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone [1883-1981] > Lady May Abel Smith [1906-94] > Richard Abel Smith [1933-2004] > Kate Abel Smith [b 1961] > Richard Beaumont [b 1989] > Albert Beaumont (born 2026)

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McKinnon/Getty marriage

 The marriage took place at Chelsea Old Town Hall, 3 September, 2026, between Faris Michael McKinnon (born London, April, 1985), son of Australian businessman Michael William Francis McKinnon, and his Kuwaiti-born wife the former Fawzia H. Al Sayegh, and Isabel Getty (born 11 November, 1993), daughter of Christopher Ronald Getty and his wife the former Pia Christina Miller (born 1966), sister of Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece (born 17 September, 1968).

The couple have a son, Viggo, born in October, 2025.

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John Julian Timothy Jeal 1945-2026

 (John Julian) Timothy Jeal, who died 5 August, 2026, aged 81, was a Prize winning novelist who wrote celebrated biographies of Dr Livingstone, Henry Stanley and Robert Baden-Powell while working at the BBC. He was descended from the Pasley baronets.

Always known as Timothy, he was born 27 January, 1945, son of Clifford Freeman Jeal (1906-1986), and his wife the former Norah Margaret Sabine Pasley (1902-1987).

His grandfather was Sir Thomas Edward Sabine Pasley, 3rd Baronet (1863-1947), and his wife the Lady Constance Wilmot Annie Hastings (1870-1922), daughter of the 14th Earl of Huntingdon (1841-1885).

He married 11 October, 1969, Joyce Timewell (born 1945), daughter of William George Timewell (1916-1990), and his wife the former Dorothy May Carter, by whom he had three daughters, Jessica, Lucy and Emily.

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Moore/Chilton marriage

Hon Garrett Moore.

 The marriage took place in the spring of 2026, at St Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Bayswater, between the Hon Garrett Alexander Moore [born 1986], scion of the Earls of Drogheda, second son of the 12th Earl of Drogheda [born 14 Jan, 1937], by his wife the former Alexandra Nicolette Henderson [born 1953], & Hope Chilton, daughter of Richard Lockwood Chilton, Jr (born 10 June, 1958), and his wife Maureen.

Hope's father is a US investment billionaire, whose English estate is at Crichel Down, Dorset, including Crichel House, bought for £34 million in 2013.

Garrett Moore is a grandson maternally of the late Sir Nicholas Henderson, GCMG, KCVO [1919-2009], British Ambassador to Washington 1979-1982.

Moore had a previous controversial engagement in 2020 to the American actress Colleen Camp [born 7 June, 1953], a character actress and producer, the daughter of one Mr Wilson Camp. The actress was the same age at Garrett's own mother. No marriage followed.

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Ramsay/Fresson marriage

 The marriage has taken place between Ruaridh Shaw-Mackenzie Ramsay (born 29 March, 1996), third son of William Alan Grant Ramsay of Bowland (born April, 1958), of Cambridgeshire, and his first wife the former Rebecca Shaw (born 19 Oct, 1961, now Baroness Fraser of Corriegarth), & Elinor Violet Fresson (born 6 December, 1997), daughter of Michael John Fresson (born Nov 1945), of Hampshire, descended from the Holdich landed gentry family, and his wife the former Serena Louise Franklin (born Sept, 1960).

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The 8th Earl of Wilton 1934-2026

 The 8th Earl of Wilton, who died at his home in Clifton Hill, Melbourne, Australia, 4 September, 2026, abed 92, was heir presumptive to his kinsman the Duke of Westminster's marquisate.

Francis Egerton Grosvenor was Baron Ebury of Ebury Manor, co. Middlesex [U.K., 1857] & Earl of Wilton of Wilton Castle, co. Hereford [U.K., 1801] & Viscount Grey de Wilton [U.K., 1801].

His ancestor, the 1st Baron Ebury (1801-1893), was a younger son of the 1st Marquess of Westminster (1767-1845), who was grandfather of the 1st Duke of Westminster (1825-1899). The current 7th Duke of Westminster (born 29 Jan, 1991) is father of a daughter, and the 8th Earl of Wilton is the heir to to the duke's subsidiary peerages.

He was born 8 February, 1934, the eldest son of 5th Baron Ebury (1914-1957), and his first wife the former Anne Acland-Troyte (1912-1982), scion of the Dyke Acland baronets.

He succeeded his father, 5 May, 1957, as 6th Baron Ebury, and succeeded his kinsman, 1 October, 1999, as 8th Earl of Wilton.

He married firstly, 10 December, 1957 (div. 1962), Gillian Elfrida Astley Soames, scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Martin Roland Soames (1903-1995), and his wife the former Myra Drummond, scion of the Viscounts Strathallan; married 2ndly, 8 March, 1963 (div. 1973), Kyra Aslin, daughter of L.L. Aslin; and married 3rdly, 24 February, 1974, Suzanne Jean Suckling (1943-2018), daughter of Graham Suckling, of Christchurch, New Zealand. He married 4thly, 21 February, 2023, Joanna (Jo) Neilma Baevski (born 5 April, 1948), daughter of Kenneth Myer, of Melbourne. His fourth wife predeceased him, 16 April, 2026.

The Earl of Wilton leaves a son from his first marriage, Julian Francis Martin Grosvenor, styled Viscount Grey de Wilton (born 8 June, 1959), who now succeeds as 9th Earl of Wilton, and was predeceased by a daughter, Lady Georgina Lucy Grosvenor, who died 16 Aug, 2003.

EBURY: Francis, Died 4 September 2026. Beloved husband of the late Joanna Baevski, who passed away earlier this year. Francis will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all who knew him. Funeral arrangements are currently being made. Anyone who knew Francis and would like to attend his funeral is kindly asked to contact his son, Julian Grosvenor, on 0411 552 017 so that arrangements can be made according to expected numbers. Funeral details will follow.

Published by The Age on September, 8, 2026.

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Stewart-Brown/Zhang engagement

The engagement was announced 5 September, 2026, between Walter David Stewart-Brown (born 1989), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Ronald Reay Stewart-Brown (1948-2015), and his wife the former Juiet Rosamund Birch Reynardson (born 1952), scion of that landed gentry family, & Ning Zhang, daughter of Mr Zhang Guojun and the late Mrs Huang Xiaolian, of Shandong, China.

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Standeven/Peto engagement

The engagement was announced 5 September, 2026, between Jonathan George Standeven (born 1983), youngest son of John Denis Standeven, of Sinderby, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Sarah Joanna Scott Cobb, & Violet Selina Peto (born 15 February, 1984), scion of the Peto baronets, third daughter of Jonathan Basil Moreton Peto (born 9 December, 1942), of Great Bealings, Suffolk, and his wife the Hon Selina Lilian Hughes-Young (born 13 March, 1944), daughter of the 1st Baron St Helens (1912-1980).

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Count Charles John Fane de Salis 1930-2026

 Count Charles John Fane de Salis, who died 3 September, 2026, aged 96, was a scion of a landed gentry family descended from the Fane Earls of Westmorland.

He was born 25 January, 1930, the elder son of Major Count Anthony Denis Rodolph Fane de Salis (1897-1952), and his wife the former Francoise Carmen Dagmar de la Panouse (1903-1985), and married 23 July, 1960, Carolyn Mary Constable-Maxwell (born 23 August, 1938), scion of the Lords Herries of Terregles, and sister of Ann Duchess of Norfolk (1927-2013), wife of the 17th Duke of Norfolk, and daughter of Wing Commander Gerald Joseph Constable-Maxwell, MC, DFC, DL (1895-1959), and his wife the former Caroline Burns Carden (died 1984).

He leaves four daughters, Isobel (b 31 Aug, 1961), Frances (b 28 March, 1963), Julia (b 14 Jan 1968), and Theresa (b 14 Oct, 1970).

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Sir Archibald Bruce Charles Edmonstone of Duntreath, 7th Baronet 1934-2026

 Sir Archibald Bruce Charles Edmonstone of Duntreath, 7th Baronet, died 29 August, 2026. He was 92.

The baronet was seated at Duntreath Castle, Blanefield, Stirlingshire.

He was born 3 August, 1934, son of Sir Archibald Charles Edmonstone of Duntreath, 6th Baronet (1898-1954), and his wife the former Gwendolyn Mary Field (died 27 Nov, 1989), daughter of Marshall Field, Jr (1868-1905), of Chicago, Illinois.

He succeeded to the baronetcy (created GB 1774) upon his fathers death, 5 June, 1954.

He married firstly, 17 January, 1957 (div), Jane Colville (born 16 March, 1936), scion of the Viscounts Colville of Culross, daughter of Maj-Gen Edward Charles Colville, CB, DSO, JP (1905-1982), and his wife the former Barbara Joan Denny (died 1983); and married 2ndly, 24 June, 1969, Juliet Elizabeth Deakin (born 1 December, 1943), daughter of Maj-Gen. Cecil Martin Fothergill Deakin, CB, CBE (1910-1992), and his wife the former Evelyn Mary Frances Grant, scion of the Grant of Monymusk baronets.

From his first marriage he leaves two sons, (Archibald) Edward Charles Edmonstone Yr of Duntreath (born 4 Feb, 1961), and Nicholas (born 16 Apr, 1964), and a daughter, Philippa (born 12 June, 1958), and from his second marriage, a son, Dru (born 26 Oct, 1971), and a daughter, Elyssa Juliet (born 11 September, 1973), former wife of Archduke Sigismsund of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany.

His eldest son, Edward, succeeds to the baronetcy.

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Life peerages gazetted

 THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 20 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Nicholas Charles Stace, O.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARON STACE, of Brighton in the County of East Sussex.

In the afternoon

The Right Honourable Sir Sadiq Aman Khan, Knight, by the name, style and title of BARON KHAN OF TOOTING, of Tooting in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 21 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

June Abena Konadu Sarpong, O.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARONESS SARPONG, of Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

In the afternoon

Roberto Bruno Neri, by the name, style and title of BARON NERI, of Norwood in Greater London.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 24 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Ruth Mackenzie, C.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARONESS MACKENZIE OF SHERWOOD, of Sherwood in the City of Nottingham.

In the afternoon

Anas Sarwar, by the name, style and title of BARON SARWAR, of Maxwell Park in the City of Glasgow.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 25 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

David Peter John Ross, by the name, style and title of BARON ROSS OF NEVILL HOLT, of Great Grimsby in the County of Lincolnshire.

In the afternoon

The Right Honourable Sir Brian Henry Leveson, Knight, by the name, style and title of BARON LEVESON OF LIVERPOOL, of Liverpool in the County of Merseyside.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 26 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Marcus John Davey, C.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARON DAVEY OF CHALK FARM, of Chalk Farm in the London Borough of Camden.

In the afternoon

Martin Gerard McTague, O.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARON McTAGUE, of Heighington in the County of Durham.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 27 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Sir Christopher Stephen Wormald, K.C.B., by the name, style and title of BARON WORMALD, of Dulwich in the London Borough of Lambeth.

In the afternoon

Timothy Charles Leunig, by the name, style and title of BARON LEUNIG, of Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 28 August 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Mark Edward Petterson, by the name, style and title of BARON PETTERSON, of Shenington in the County of Oxfordshire.

In the afternoon

Barbara Mills, K.C., by the name, style and title of BARONESS MILLS OF GREENWICH, of Greenwich in Greater London.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 1 September 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Alison Esther Garnham, by the name, style and title of BARONESS GARNHAM, of Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney.

In the afternoon

Julia Catherine Weir Aglionby, by the name, style and title of BARONESS AGLIONBY, of Armathwaite in the County of Cumbria.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 2 September 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Hannah Ruth Kitching, by the name, style and title of BARONESS KITCHING OF PENISTONE, of Penistone in the County of South Yorkshire.

In the afternoon

Catherine Helen Ashley, O.B.E., by the name, style and title of BARONESS ASHLEY OF LAMBETH, of Lambeth in the London Borough of Lambeth.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 3 September 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon the following:

In the forenoon

Katharine Anne Ussher, by the name, style and title of BARONESS USSHER, of Burnley in the County of Lancashire.

In the afternoon

David James McCobb, by the name, style and title of BARON McCOBB, of Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 4 September 2026 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon General Sir Patrick Nicholas Yardley Monrad Sanders, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., by the name, style and title of BARON SANDERS OF HALLINGDAL, of Hallingdal in the Kingdom of Norway and of East Knoyle in the County of Wiltshire.

Nigel Victor Charles Jackaman 1939-2026

Nigel Victor Charles Jackaman died 31 August, 2026. He was 87.

He was born in 1939, son of James Nigel Jackaman (1906-1997), and his wife the former Diana Savory (1913-2002), scion of the baronets of that name; and married 1969, Christina Beatrice (Christa) Scrope (1942-2012) scion of the Scropes of Danby, daughter of Simon Scrope (1910-1991), and his wife the former Constance Mary Weld (1907-1987), by whom he had issue, two sons, Mark and Richard, and a daughter, Claire, who predeceased her in 2014.

Nigel Jackaman was a grandson maternally of Sir William Savory, 3rd Baronet (1882-1961).

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John Charles Greenway Irvin 1940-2026

 John Charles Greenway Irvin, film-maker who directed the BBC’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and several Hollywood movies, died 11 August, 2026. He was 86.

He overcame Alec Guinness’s misgivings to guide him to a Bafta-winning performance as Smiley, and also made The Dogs of War and Champions.

He was born 7 May, 1940, son of Major C.W. Irvin, of Tynemouth, Northumberland, and his wife the former Elsie Bending, and married in 1970, Sophie Mary Cecilia Litchfield (born 8 December, 1942, died 1991), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Capt John Shirley Sandys Litchfield, OBE, RN (1903-1993), and his wife the former Margaret Cecilia Portal (1908-2006), scion of the Portal baronets, by whom he had a son, Luke (born 1973), and two daughters, Emilie (born 1970), and Amy (born 1978).

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Fitzherbert/Zeal engagement

The engagement was announced 5 September, 2026, between Basil Edward Fitzherbert (born 17 January, 1998), scion of the Barons Stafford,  the ony son of the Hon Philip Basil Fitzherbert (born 7 October, 1962), of Swynnerton, Staffordshire, and his wife the former Caroline Hadcock (born 1965), & Katherina Cameron (Kitty) Zeal (born 11 June, 1998), elder daughter of Christopher John Zeal (born 1958), of Twyford, Berkshire, and his wife the former Lucy Violet Godsal (born 15 March, 1964), scion of that landed gentry family, descended from the 8th Earl of Courtown (1908-1975).

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