The Duchess of Westminster, Loelia Ponsonby (1902-1953), in 1930
The 4 Duchesses of Westminster
History of the Jewels of France
more information: Palace Hotels of the World
the beginning... Bendor, the Carlton's most glamorous guest
The 4 Duchesses of Westminster
Bendor was married 4 times. Each Duchess received a great many jewels, but when it came to the divorces, the jewels became a bone of contention...
His first wife, Constance Cornwallis West Lewes (1876-1970), bore him 3 children: Lady Ursula (1902 - 1978), Edward Hugh (1904 - 1909) and Lady Mary (1910 - 2000)
But the tragedy was the death of the son who was his heir, for in the England of that era (full of rather absurd conventions, some of which still exist today) the Westminster fortune could only pass to a male heir. And the marriage did not last. The divorce took place in 1919, but the former couple always remained on fairly good terms.
Then came 3 further Duchesses, with whom he had no children
Violet Nelson (1891-1983), married in 1920, divorced in 1926; Loelia Ponsonby (1902-1993), married in 1930, divorced in 1947, later Lady Lindsay of Downhill; and his 4th wife Nancy, Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster (1903-2003), married in 1947
continued... but there is also
Video on various European jewels
A few websites related to this article:
The Cremerie de Paris exhibition centre. In the history of the Cremerie .... Aimée de Heeren, Bendor and Coco Chanel. The story of Chanel by VB.com. The story of Aimee de Heeren. A website on the history of brands: Very Beautiful = VB.com. In preparation: Palace Hotels of the World.com
Information website on the activities of the Dukes of Westminster, Grosvenor Estate, published by Bendor's heir, the 6th Duke of Westminster. Information website on the life of Empress Eugénie's husband, Napoleon III. Information website on the English Dukes