Dione Angela Grimston, Countess of Verulam, (née Smith; born 19 July 1954) is a British artist and former
Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.
The daughter of Jeremy Smith and Julia Burrell, she is maternally granddaughter of
Sir Walter Burrell, 8th Baronet. She married
John Grimston, 7th Earl of Verulam, on 12 September 1976. Lord and Lady Verulam have four children:
*James Grimston, Viscount Grimston (b. 6 January 1978)
*Hon. Hugo Guy Sylvester Grimston (b. 5 November 1979)
*Hon. Sam George Grimston (b. 18 October 1983)
*Lady Flora Grimston (b. 28 September 1981)
The Countess of Verulam served as
High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the foundation of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provi ...
in 2002 and was appointed
Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire in June 2007 following the retirement of
Sir Simon Bowes-Lyon. She served until July 2017 and was the first woman to hold that office. She was succeeded by
Robert Voss. She was appointed
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the
2019 Birthday Honours
The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...
.
Lady Verulam has worked on churches,
Cliveden Hall and
Hambleton Hall, and has exhibited her paintings in two solo exhibitions at the
Rebecca Hossack Gallery in London.
She is the patron of
Home-Start St Albans. A keen artist, Lady Verulam specialises in collages and has her works exhibited in collections across the
UK,
America
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Verulam, Dione Grimston, Countess of
1954 births
Living people
British countesses
Lord-lieutenants of Hertfordshire
High sheriffs of Hertfordshire
20th-century English painters
21st-century English painters
Dione
20th-century English printmakers
Dione
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order