Lady Camilla Osborne

Last updated

Lady Camilla Osborne
BornCamilla Dorothy Godolphin Osborne
(1950-08-14) 14 August 1950 (age 72)
Noble family Osborne
Spouse(s)Julian Brownlow Harris (divorced)
​
​
(m. 1977;div. 2002)​
IssueEmily Kate Godolphin Harris
Louisa Beatrix Dempster
Father The 11th Duke of Leeds
Mother Audrey Young

Lady Camilla Dorothy Godolphin Osborne (formerly Harris and Dempster; born 14 August 1950) is an English heiress. She is the only child of the 11th Duke of Leeds.

Contents

Early life and family

Lady Camilla Osborne was born on 14 August 1950 to John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds, and his second wife, Audrey Young. [1] [2] She grew up in Jersey, where her parents moved to avoid heavy taxes. [3]

Her parents divorced in 1955 after her mother had an affair with a Guards officer. Her mother later remarried to Sir David Roland Walter Lawrence, 3rd Baronet. [4]

Osborne's father married a third time in 1955 to Caroline Fleur Vatcher. [5]

In 1963, at age 13, Osborne's father died without male issue. Due to the entail limiting the peerages to males only, she could not inherit her father's titles. [6] The titles of her father passed to his cousin Sir D'Arcy Osborne, making him the 12th Duke of Leeds. When D'Arcy Osborne died in 1964 without issue, the Dukedom of Leeds and all the other peerages became extinct. [7] [5] [8]

While she was not able to inherit the dukedom from her father, she did inherit money from his personal estate upon his death along with an annual allowance. In 1971 she inherited £1,000,000 (equivalent to £12,970,000 in 2016) from the family trust. [9] [10]

Osborne studied philosophy and English at Newcastle University, but left after a year. [11]

Personal life

Osborne married Julian Brownlow Harris and in 1972 gave birth to a daughter, Emily Kate Godolphin Harris. The couple later divorced. In 1975 she became engaged to Christopher Moorsom, but later called off the engagement. [11]

Osborne married a second time to Nigel Richard Patton Dempster [12] in 1977 at the Chelsea Register Office. [13] [14] [15] [11] The couple spent the first years of their marriage living separately. [16] She gave birth to another daughter, Louisa Beatrix Dempster, in 1979. [11] [17] [18] The marriage was dissolved in 2002. [19] [20] Nigel Dempster and Lady Camilla remained close after their divorce. [21] Dempster died on 12 July 2007. Osborne was present at his funeral. [22]

Osborne stated that she believed her father, having sold the family estate Hornby Castle, lived an unhappy life without purpose. [23] [24] [5] [25]

In 2004, Osborne sold a painting by William Oram that had been painted for one of the Dukes of Leeds. [26] [27]

Osborne was featured in the BBC Two documentary The Last Dukes. [5] [28] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Marlborough (title)</span> Title in the Peerage of England

Duke of Marlborough is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Queen Anne in 1702 for John Churchill, 1st Earl of Marlborough (1650–1722), the noted military leader. In historical texts, unqualified use of the title typically refers to the 1st Duke. The name of the dukedom refers to Marlborough in Wiltshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Osborne, Duchess of Leeds</span>

Mary Osborne, Duchess of Leeds, born Lady Mary Godolphin, was a daughter of Henrietta Godolphin, née Churchill, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, and Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, making her granddaughter to the powerful government trio during the reign of Queen Anne of Great Britain: the famous general and politician John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, through her mother; and Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, through her father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds</span> British politician (1751–1799)

Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds,, styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician. He notably served as Foreign Secretary under William Pitt the Younger from 1783 to 1791. He also was Governor of Scilly. In 1790, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter. As a statesman, he is generally regarded as a failure, and his deep hostility to the newly independent United States damaged relations between the two countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Leeds</span> Dukedom in the Peerage of England

Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, who had been one of the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded as 2nd Baronet, of Kiveton (1647) and been created Viscount Osborne, of Dunblane (1673), Baron Osborne, of Kiveton in the County of York and Viscount Latimer, of Danby in the County of York, Earl of Danby, in the County of York (1674), and Marquess of Carmarthen (1689). All these titles were in the Peerage of England, except for the viscountcy of Osborne, which was in the Peerage of Scotland. He resigned the latter title in favour of his son in 1673. The Earldom of Danby was a revival of the title held by his great-uncle, Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough</span> English peer

Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough was the daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, general of the army, and Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlborough, close friend and business manager of Queen Anne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds</span> British noble (1775–1838)

George William Frederick Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds,, styled Earl of Danby until 1789 and Marquess of Carmarthen from 1789 to 1799, was a British peer and politician. He served as Master of the Horse between 1827 and 1830. He also was Governor of Scilly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen</span>

Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen, 12th Baroness Darcy de Knayth, 9th Baroness Conyers, 5th Countess of Mértola, was a British peer and a Portuguese countess.

Nigel Richard Patton Dempster was a British journalist, author, broadcaster and diarist. Best known for his celebrity gossip columns in newspapers, his work appeared in the Daily Express and Daily Mail and also in Private Eye magazine. At his death, the editor of the Daily Mail Paul Dacre was reported as saying: "His scoops were the stuff of legend and his zest for life inexhaustible".

Baron Godolphin is a title that was created three times: first in the Peerage of England, next in the Peerage of Great Britain, and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Francis Godolphin Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin, styled Lord Francis Osborne from 1789 to 1832, was a British politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds</span>

George Godolphin Osborne, 9th Duke of Leeds was a British peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds</span>

George Godolphin Osborne, 10th Duke of Leeds, JP, styled Earl of Danby from birth until 1872 and subsequently Marquess of Carmarthen until 1895, was a British peer and Conservative politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds</span>

Francis George Godolphin D'Arcy D'Arcy-Osborne, 7th Duke of Leeds, styled Earl of Danby from birth until 1799 and Marquess of Carmarthen from 1799 until 1838, was a British peer and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Osborne, 8th Duke of Leeds</span> British peer (1802–1872)

George Godolphin Osborne, 8th Duke of Leeds was a British peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds</span> British peer

John Francis Godolphin Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds was a British peer.

Harriet Osborne, Baroness Godolphin was a British noblewoman. An illegitimate child, her mother was the society figure Henrietta Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough, who became pregnant by her longtime lover Granville Leveson-Gower. Henrietta gave birth to the girl in secret and sent her to be raised by a foster mother, though she stayed in contact through letters and gifts.

Catherine Osborne, Duchess of Leeds, formerly Catherine Anguish, was the second wife of Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds.

Lady Rosemary Mildred Muir is an English aristocrat who served as a maid of honour to Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953.

Irma Amelia de Malkhozouny was an Italian-born Serbian ballet dancer. She was Duchess of Leeds from 1933 until 1948, during her marriage to John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Osborne, Duchess of Leeds</span> British painter and the last Duchess of Leeds

Caroline Fleur Osborne, Duchess of Leeds, later Caroline Hobart, Lady Hobart, was a British portraitist and landscape painter. As the third wife of John Osborne, 11th Duke of Leeds, she was the last Duchess of Leeds. She was known professionally as Caroline Leeds.

References

  1. ↑ "Lady Camilla Dorothy Godolphin Osborne: Thrale.com". Thrale.com.
  2. ↑ Griffiths, Peter (12 July 2007). "British gossip columnist Nigel Dempster dies". Reuters.
  3. 1 2 Real Stories (31 July 2017). "The Last Dukes (British Aristocracy Documentary) - Real Stories" – via YouTube.
  4. ↑ "Audrey (née Young), Duchess of Leeds (later Lady Lawrence) - Person - National Portrait Gallery". Npg.org.uk.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Midgley, Dominic (24 October 2015). "BBC documentary reveals Britain's dukes last of a dying breed". Express.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "The Last Dukes - Spun Gold". Spungoldtv.com.
  7. ↑ "BBC Documentaries - The Last Dukes @ TheTVDB". Thetvdb.com.
  8. ↑ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald/20151026/282398398273865 – via PressReader.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ Inc, Time (8 August 1969). LIFE . Time Inc. p.  58 – via Internet Archive. Camilla.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ↑ Willis, Tim Nigel Dempster and the Death of Discretion, Short Books, 2010, ISBN   1906021848
  11. 1 2 3 4 Willis, Tim (4 September 2010). Nigel Dempster and the Death of Discretion. Short Books. ISBN   9781907595325 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ "The Windsor Watchers". People.com.
  13. ↑ "Gossip columnist Dempster dies". Yorkshirepost.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "Daily Mail's Nigel Dempster, doyen of newspaper diarists, dies aged 65". Standard.co.uk. 12 April 2012.
  15. ↑ "Columnist Nigel Dempster dies at 65". Metro.co.uk. 12 July 2007.
  16. ↑ "Nigel Dempster". Telegraph.co.uk. 12 July 2007.
  17. ↑ "Columnist Dempster dies aged 65". News.bbc.co.uk. 12 July 2007.
  18. ↑ Martin, Douglas (13 July 2007). "Nigel Dempster Dies at 65; Made Gossip Respectable". The New York Times.
  19. ↑ "The last dance". Independent.co.uk . 21 October 2013.
  20. ↑ Barker, Dennis (12 July 2007). "Obituary: Nigel Dempster". The Guardian.
  21. ↑ "Nigel Dempster". Independent.ie.
  22. ↑ "Thanksgiving Service Nigel Dempster". Thetimes.co.uk. 18 October 2007.
  23. ↑ "Modern Times: The Last Dukes - Interesting Media". Interestingmedia.co.uk.
  24. ↑ "The Sunday Times : Diana Chambers" (PDF). Dianachambers.com. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  25. ↑ "Downton and Dukedom: The real-life Lady Marys saving our country houses - The F-Word". Thefword.org.uk. 6 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ↑ "William Oram A Wooded Landscape with a View of Classical Ruins". Jamesharveybritishart.com.
  28. ↑ "Strange people doing strange things: Tonight's TV highlight: The Last Dukes, BBC2, 9pm". HeraldScotland.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.