Dai Llewellyn | |
|---|---|
 Llewellyn at the Cardiff North election count in 2007 | |
| Born | 2 April 1946 |
| Died | 13 January 2009 (aged 62) |
| Spouse | Vanessa Hubbard (m. 1980) |
| Children | 2, including Olivia Llewellyn |
| Parents |
|
Sir David St Vincent "Dai" Llewellyn, 4th Baronet (2 April 1946 – 13 January 2009), was a Welsh socialite.
Llewellyn was born in Aberdare, the son of Sir Harry Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet, a 1952 Summer Olympics gold medallist showjumper, and the Hon Christine Saumarez, the daughter of the 5th Baron de Saumarez, from a family from Guernsey with British naval ties. Llewellyn's middle name, St Vincent, came from his great-grandfather James St Vincent Saumarez, 4th Baron de Saumarez, [1] and originally commemorated the friendship between James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez, and John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent. [2]
Llewellyn grew up at the family homes of Gobion Manor and Llanfair Grange, both near Abergavenny, and was educated at Hawtreys Preparatory School and Eton College. He did not complete his time at Eton, being moved to Milton Abbey School. He then attended Aix-en-Provence University in southern France, and worked as a travel agent, journalist, male model and as the social secretary of the Clermont Club and the Dorchester club. [3]
Llewellyn was a Knight of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910), a humanitarian charity, and in 1992 drove relief convoys in Yugoslavia.
A supporter of the United Kingdom Independence Party, he stood in the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election, as a candidate for the party in Cardiff North, [4] where he came last and polled 3.7% of the vote [5] However his drinking bouts, espousal of UKIP and anti-socialist behaviour earned disapproval in his native Wales for opposing the compulsory teaching of Welsh. Driven out for his "British" agenda he left his beloved homeland permanently for Mayfair, London.[ neutrality is disputed ]
Llewellyn married Vanessa Mary Theresa Hubbard in 1980. She was the daughter of Lady Miriam Fitzalan-Howard and Lt-Cdr Peregrine Hubbard and a niece of the 17th Duke of Norfolk. They had two daughters, actress Olivia Llewellyn (b. 1982) and Arabella (b. 1983). Llewellyn was known as a 'party animal', regularly bragging about his prowess with women. [6]
Some people may call being a playboy a useless occupation, but I'm not so sure. I've not only had fun myself, but there has been fun for many others. [7]
Often dressed like a latter-day Master of Fox Hounds, he frequented London's clubs quaffing magnums of champagne earning him the soubriquet "Conquistador of the Canape Circuit". He once, over lunch, told an old friend, journalist Peter McKay, that he had left his "secretary tied up in the bath." [8] The couple divorced after seven years in 1987, and Vanessa then married John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe; one of her children from this marriage is the actress Gabriella Wilde. In 1999, Llewellyn inherited the Llewellyn baronetcy upon the death of his father, along with a home in Aberbeeg, near Abertillery.[ citation needed ]
His younger brother, Roddy Llewellyn, is a British landscape gardener and gardening journalist, who was at one time romantically involved with Princess Margaret. Llewellyn's relationship with his brother was soured when he published a lurid account of Roddy's relationship with Princess Margaret. Although Llewellyn later apologised, his brother found it difficult to forgive him, and later made disparaging comments regarding Llewellyn's then fiancée, Christel Jurgenson. The brothers fell out, with many of their comments aired in the tabloid press. In 2008, on the news of Llewellyn's failing health, the brothers finally reconciled. [9]
Although Llewellyn died of bone cancer, he had already been diagnosed with prostate cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and severe anaemia. [10] His last affair was with a widow and old friend, Ingrid Seward, who was with him when he died, aged 62, on 13 January 2009, at Edenbridge and District War Memorial Hospital in Kent. [11] His funeral was held at St Mary's Church, Coddenham, near Ipswich.[ citation needed ]
Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd, known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a British novelist of a Welsh background, who is best remembered for his 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley, which chronicles life in a coal mining village in the South Wales Valleys.
Baron de Saumarez, on the Island of Guernsey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 15 September 1831 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir James Saumarez, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Guernsey, on 13 June 1801. Lord de Saumarez was succeeded by his eldest son James, the second Baron, a clergyman. James was succeeded by his younger brother, John, the third Baron, whose son, the fourth Baron, was a career diplomat who bought the family estate at Castel, Guernsey, from his father, the third Baron, who wished to sell it. However, by marrying an heiress, the fourth Baron also brought estates in Suffolk into the family.
Admiral of the Red James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez, GCB was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, known for his victory at the Second Battle of Algeciras.
Sir Roderic Victor Llewellyn, 5th Baronet, is a British baronet, garden designer, journalist, author, and television presenter. He had an eight-year relationship with Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
How Green Was My Valley is a 1941 American drama film directed by John Ford, adapted by Philip Dunne from the 1939 novel of the same title by Richard Llewellyn. It stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, and a young Roddy McDowall.
Sir Henry Morton Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet, was a British equestrian champion.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1943 to Wales and its people.
Hawtreys Preparatory School was a private boys' preparatory school in England, first established in Slough, later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to a country house near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire. In its early years it was known as St Michael's School.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1941 to Wales and its people.
There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Llewellyn, both in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extinct or dormant while one is extant.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1866 to Wales and its people.
Howard Overing Sturgis was an English-language novelist who wrote about same-sex love. Of American parentage, he lived and worked in Britain.
Henry Neville Gladstone, 1st Baron Gladstone of Hawarden was a British businessman and politician. He was the third son of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.
Broke Hall is an English country house at Nacton, near Ipswich, Suffolk. It overlooks the River Orwell, opposite Pin Mill. The gardens were landscaped by Humphry Repton in 1794, and the house is Grade II* listed.
Piers Egerton-Warburton was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1876 to 1885.
Gabriella Zanna Vanessa Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, known professionally as Gabriella Wilde or Gabriella Calthorpe, is an English actress and model.
Olivia Anna Cristina Llewellyn is an English actress, best known for her television appearances portraying Isabel Danforth in The Lizzie Borden Chronicles and Mina Harker in Penny Dreadful.
Admiral Sir George Nathaniel Broke-Middleton, 3rd Baronet CB was a British Royal Navy officer.
James St Vincent Saumarez, 4th Baron de Saumarez, was a British diplomat and peer, for some forty-five years a member of the House of Lords. The name is pronounced "Sommeray".
Llanfair Grange, Nant-y-derry, Monmouthshire is a country house dating from the 18th century. It was extensively remodelled in the early 19th century in a Neoclassical style. In the mid-20th century, the grange was owned by Harry Llewellyn, who founded the Foxhunter stud at the house, named after his most famous horse. The Grange was the childhood home of his two sons, Dai and Roddy. The house, a Grade II listed building, remains a private residence and was sold in August 2021.