Loelia Lindsay
Loelia Mary, Lady Lindsay,[1] formerly Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, (née The Honourable Loelia Ponsonby (6 February 1902 – 1 November 1993), was a British socialite, needlewoman and magazine editor.[2]
Lady Lindsay | |
|---|---|
 The Duchess of Westminster by Glyn Philpot | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Loelia Mary Ponsonby 6 February 1902 |
| Died | 1 November 1993 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster (1930-1947; divorced) Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet (m.1969) |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Ponsonby, 1st Baron Sysonby Victoria Lily Hegan Kennard |
| Occupation | embroiderer, socialite, magazine editor |
Family and first marriage
Lindsay was the only daughter of the courtier Sir Frederick Ponsonby, later 1st Baron Sysonby, and Victoria Lily (Kennard), Lady Sysonby, the well-known cookbook author. She spent her early years at St James's Palace, Park House at Sandringham, and Birkhall. One of the Bright Young People, she met the twice-divorced Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster. They were married on 20 February 1930 in a blaze of publicity, with Winston Churchill as the best man, but were unable to have children.[3] Her marriage to the enormously wealthy peer failed, and was described by James Lees-Milne as "a definition of unadulterated hell". It was dissolved in 1947 after years of separation.[4]
Life after divorce
After her divorce, Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, established herself as a skilful hostess at Send, Surrey, occupying herself with needlework and gardening, passions she had inherited from her mother.[4][2] Her needlework collection was bequeathed to the National Trust. During the 1950s she worked as a feature editor for House & Garden magazine, and covered the wedding of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly.[4]
Lindsay is believed to have popularised the aphorism (falsely attributed to Margaret Thatcher): "Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life", which appears to have been coined by poet Brian Howard.[5]
Lindsay's second marriage, to the divorced explorer Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet, came as a surprise to her friends[2] but was much more successful.[4] The couple were married on 1 August 1969. Sir Martin, a devoted husband,[2] died in 1981, and Lady Lindsay chose to spend her last years in nursing homes. Her memoirs, written in 1961 and titled Grace and Favour: The Memoirs of Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, are a significant record of aristocratic life between the First and Second World Wars.[4]
References
- "Loelia" rhymes with "Delia"
- Lees-Milne, James (3 November 1993). "Obituary: Loelia Lindsay". The Independent. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- Anne Duchess of Westminster
- Lady Lindsay of Dowhill
- Panjwani, Abbas (26 April 2019). "Did Margaret Thatcher say bus users over the age of 25 were failures?". Full Fact. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
Further reading
- Grace and Favour: The Memoirs of Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1961.
- Cocktails & laughter: the albums of Loelia Lindsay (Loelia, Duchess of Westminster), Hamish Hamilton, 1983. ISBN 9780241110836