Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter, formerly Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva, (born 25 June 1932) is a New Zealand-born British model. She had a successful career in the 1950s and was photographed by Henry Clarke and

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the t ...

. Campbell-Walter was known for her relationship with Greek shipping heir Alexander Onassis, whom she began an affair with after separating from her husband, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva.

Early life and family

Campbell-Walter was born on 25 June 1932 in

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is situated at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. While very small in terms of population, it ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

to Rear Admiral Keith McNeil Campbell-Walter and Frances Henriette Campbell. She is a member of the Scottish

Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The ...

and a descendant of the Campbell baronets of Airds. Her father was a senior officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and an '' aide-de-camp'' to

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. Her mother was the eldest daughter of

Sir Edward Campbell, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Taswell Campbell, 1st Baronet, KStJ Justice of the Peace, JP (9 April 1879 – 17 July 1945) was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. Ancestry He was the son of Lieutenant colonel (United Ki ...

, and was a granddaughter of Arthur John Warren. She is an aunt of

Jamie Campbell-Walter Jamie Campbell-Walter is a British professional racing driver. He was born in Oban, Scotland on 16 December 1972. He won the FIA GT Championship in 2000 and took a World Endurance Championship title in 2013 as an Aston Martin Racing factory dr ...

Career

Campbell-Walter's mother encouraged her to model and, as a teenager, she was photographed by Henry Clarke. She joined the

Lucie Clayton Charm Academy Lucie Clayton College was founded by Sylvia Lucie Golledge in 1928 as a modelling agency and finishing school. It was bought by Leslie Kark who owned a successful model directory. It became Britain's top modelling agency during the 1950s and 1960 ...

, a London-based modelling agency and finishing school. She signed as a model and was a favorite of the photographer

. In the 1950s she was earning up to £ 2,000 a day. In January 1953 she was featured on the cover of '' Life Magazine'' and was featured in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''. She was also photographed by John French,

Elsbeth Juda Elsbeth Ruth Juda (née Goldstein) and known professionally as Jay (2 May 1911 – 5 July 2014), was a British photographer most notable for her pioneering fashion photographs and work as associate editor and photographer for '' The Ambassador'' ...

Norman Parkinson Norman Parkinson (21 April 1913 – 15 February 1990) was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While servin ...

, and David Bailey and modelled for

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

Jacques Fath Jacques Fath (6 September 1912 in Maisons-Laffitte, France – 13 November 1954 in Paris, France) was a French fashion designer who was considered one of the three dominant influences on postwar haute couture, the others being Christian Dior and ...

, and Elsa Schiaparelli.

Personal life

On 17 September 1956 she married Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva at Castagnola, a Swiss village on the coast of

Lake Lugano __NOTOC__ Lake Lugano ( it, Lago di Lugano or , from la, Ceresius lacus; lmo, Lagh de Lugan) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated ...

. She was the third wife of Thyssen-Bornemisza, a Dutch-born German-Swiss heir and art collector who was a member of the

Hungarian nobility The Hungarian nobility consisted of a privileged group of individuals, most of whom owned landed property, in the Kingdom of Hungary. Initially, a diverse body of people were described as noblemen, but from the late 12th century only high ...

.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' vol. 16. C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 87–90. (German). . Upon her marriage, she became a baroness, retired from modelling and moved to the Villa Favorita on Lake Lugano. She and her husband had two children: * Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza (born 7 June 1958); married Archduke Karl von Habsburg **

Eleonore von Habsburg Eleonore von Habsburg-Lothringen (''Eleonore Maria del Pilar Iona Christina Jelena''; born 28 February 1994) is an Austrian jewellery designer, gemologist, and member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Early life and background Eleonore Habsb ...

(born 28 February 1994 in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

). Married

Jérôme d'Ambrosio Jérôme D’Ambrosio (born 27 December 1985) is a Belgian former professional racing driver, motorsport executive and former Team Principal of Venturi Racing in Formula E. He has previously driven for Marussia Virgin Racing and Lotus F1 in t ...

on 20 July 2020. **

Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen (born 21 June 1997 in Salzburg) is an Austrian motor racing driver and heir apparent to the headship of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He is curr ...

(born 21 June 1997 in Salzburg) **Gloria (born 15 October 1999 in Salzburg) * Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza (born 15 June 1963) She divorced Thyssen-Bornemisza on 20 January 1965 and moved to London with her children. In 1969 she received media attention for her affair with Greek shipping heir Alexander Onassis, the only son of

Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...

. Onassis had invited Campbell-Walter, 16 years his senior and his mother's friend, to a dinner party. .

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell-Walter, Fiona Living people 1932 births Austrian baronesses English female models English people of Scottish descent English socialites Clan Campbell Hungarian nobility People from Takapuna Thyssen family