Frances Laura Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (''née'' Charteris; 10 August 1915 – 19 February 1990), was a British noblewoman and socialite. She was variously Viscountess Long, Countess of Dudley and became Duchess of Marlborough upon her fourth marriage, to

John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, (18 September 1897 – 11 March 1972), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1934, was a British military officer and peer. Early life He was born in London on 18 September ...

. She was the sister of novelist

Hugo Charteris Hugo Francis Guy Charteris MC (11 December 1922 – 20 December 1970) was a noted British novelist and screenwriter, the author of nine novels, 17 television screenplays and numerous children's books and short stories. Early life Charteris wa ...

and Ann Charteris (who married

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

), as well as the granddaughter of

Hugo Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March DL (25 August 1857 – 12 July 1937), styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a British Conservative politician. Early life He was the fifth but eldest surviving son of The 1 ...

. Her third husband,

Michael Temple Canfield Michael Temple Canfield (August 20, 1926 – December 20, 1969) was an American diplomatic aide and secretary at the US Embassy in London during the Eisenhower administration who later worked in London as an editorial representative of Harper & R ...

, was the former husband of

Lee Radziwill Caroline Lee Bouvier ( ), later Canfield, Radziwiłł (), and Ross (March 3, 1933 – February 15, 2019), usually known as Princess Lee Radziwill, was an American socialite, public-relations executive, and interior decorator. She was the y ...

, sister of

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

. During World War II, she served as an auxiliary nurse.

Early life

Frances Laura Charteris was born on 10 August 1915 at London, England, to Captain the Hon. Guy Lawrence Charteris (second son of the 11th

Earl of Wemyss Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in ...

and

Mary Constance Wyndham Mary Constance Charteris, Countess of Wemyss and March (''née'' Wyndham; 3 August 1862 – 29 April 1937), styled Lady Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was an English society hostess and an original member of The Souls, an exclusive social and intell ...

) and Frances Lucy Tennant, daughter of a Scottish chemical merchant. Laura, as she was called, had 3 siblings, Ann, Mary Rose and

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

. Their mother died of cancer in 1925 and the remainder of their childhood was spent shuffling between homes in London and family in Scotland, where their grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Wemyss, lived. During World War II, she served as an auxiliary nurse for the Royal Navy."Lycett (2013)", p 101

Marriages

On 14 November 1933, at

St Margaret's Church, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...

, London, England, she married Walter Francis David Long, 2nd Viscount Long. He was the son of Brigadier-General Walter Long and Sibell Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone. During her marriage, she was the Viscountess Long. Laura's only child, was the product of this union: The couple divorced in 1942. * Antoinette Sara Frances Sibell Long (b. 1934), who married the Hon. Sir

Charles Morrison Sir Charles Andrew Morrison (25 June 1932 – 9 May 2005) was a British landowner and Conservative politician. He sat as Member of Parliament for Devizes from 1964 until 1992. Early life Morrison was the son of John Morrison, a Wiltshire ...

, second son of

John Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale John Granville Morrison, 1st Baron Margadale, TD, DL (16 December 1906 – 25 May 1996) was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician. An MP from 1942 to 1965, he notably served as Chairman of the 1922 Committee between 1955 an ...

, in 1954. Laura then married

William Humble Eric Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley William Humble Eric Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley, Military Cross, MC Territorial Decoration, TD (30 January 1894 – 26 December 1969), known as Viscount Ednam until 1932, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. Early l ...

, son of

William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, (25 May 1867 – 29 June 1932), was a British aristocrat, politician, and military officer who served as the fourth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1908 to 1911. He was previously Lord Lieut ...

and Rachel Gurney, on 23 February 1943. She was known as the Countess of Dudley until she and Ward divorced in 1954. On 13 June 1960, Laura married

, rumoured to have been the son of

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

and American socialite Alice Gwynne Preston. Canfield was adopted as an infant by Cass Canfield, head of

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

Publishing house with his wife Katharine Emmet. Michael Canfield was the previous husband of Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy's younger sister. Her fourth and final husband was John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, whom she married six weeks before his death in 1972. From the time of this marriage, she became known as the Duchess of Marlborough. Laura died on 19 February 1990 at age 74 at Portman Towers, Marylebone, London, England.

Autobiography

In 1980, she published her autobiography, ''Laughter from a Cloud''. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980 ()

Titles

*1915 — 1933: Miss Frances Laura Charteris *1933 — 1942: ''

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

'' The Viscountess Long *1942 — 1943: Frances, Viscountess Long *1943 — 1954: ''The Right Honourable'' The Countess of Dudley *1954 — 1960: Frances, Countess of Dudley *1960 — 1971: Mrs Michael Temple Canfield *1972 — 1972: ''

Her Grace His Grace or Her Grace is an English style used for various high-ranking personages. It was the style used to address English monarchs until Henry VIII and the Scottish monarchs up to the Act of Union of 1707, which united the Kingdom of Scotland ...

'' The Duchess of Marlborough *1972 — 1977: ''Her Grace'' Laura Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough *1977 — 1990: ''Her Grace'' The Dowager Duchess of Marlborough

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer-Churchill, Laura 1915 births 1990 deaths Women autobiographers English socialites

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

20th-century British women writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers English autobiographers

Long Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...