Lady Victoria Diana Leatham

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(; born 28 June 1947) is an antiques expert and television personality. She was the

chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. *Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

Burghley House Burghley House () is a grand sixteenth-century English country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire. It is a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, built and still lived in by the Cecil family. The exterior largely retains its Elizabet ...

from 1982 to 2007.

Career

Leatham began working for

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

in Bond Street, concentrating on the East of England. She joined the BBC ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...

'' and was a regular contributor to the programme for 20 years. On the death of her father in 1981, with the marquessate passing to a Canadian uncle, she and her husband became the custodians of

for 25 years, increasing annual visitor numbers from 48,000 to 97,000 by 2007, before handing it over to their daughter, Miranda Rock. In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) for services to the community in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

and

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

Positions

* Honorary colonel of 158 Royal Anglian Regiment (1996–2002) * Deputy Lieutenant of

Worshipful Company of Drapers The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 110 livery companies of the City of London. It has the formal name The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Dr ...

(first female Master) * Public Governor, Peterborough and Stamford Hospital Trust * Fundraiser, Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, which supports many of Britain's most talented athletes aged 15–23 * Founder, Fishing for Forces, which provides free fishing in private lakes and rivers to disabled veterans * Patron of Westmorland of Apethorpe Archive Appeal 2012 * Trustee of Sue Ryder Hospice at Thorpe Hall in Peterborough * President of Friends of Fotheringhay Church

Personal life

Leatham is the daughter of

David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, KCMG KStJ (9 February 1905 – 22 October 1981), styled Lord Burghley before 1956 and also known as David Burghley, was an English athlete, sports official, peer, and Conservative Party poli ...

, then known as Lord Burghley, and his second wife, Hon. Diana Henderson, granddaughter of

Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon (28 September 1850 – 17 March 1934), known as Sir Alexander Henderson, 1st Baronet, from 1902 to 1916, was a British financier and Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament. Biography Henderson was the ...

. She married Simon Patrick Leatham, son of Major Patrick Magor Leatham, on 25 April 1967. They have two children: * Miranda Rosemary Leatham (born 19 October 1969) she married Orlando Rock (born 28 July 1968) in 1997. They have four children. * Richard David Leatham (born 5 April 1971); he married Georgina Susan Mounsey, daughter of Simon Mounsey, on 4 October 1996. They have one deceased son Milo Charles Albert (born and died in 1997) and a boy, Ludovic Simon (b. 26 Apr 1999) and a girl, Minna Isabella (b. 2001) .

Books

* ''The Antiques Roadshow Book of Do's and Dont's - A Simple guide to the Storage Cleaning and Preservation of Antiques and Works of Art'' with George Archdale (1989) * ''Burghley: The Life of a Great House'' (1992); * ''Burghley'' with Jon Culverhouse and Eric Till (2009);

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leatham, Victoria 1947 births Living people Antiques experts British television presenters British activists British women activists British philanthropists Daughters of British marquesses Members of the Order of the British Empire Place of birth missing (living people)

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...