Sharman Douglas (October 5, 1928 – February 3, 1996) was an American socialite known for her friendship with the British royal family, in particular

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

. She was the only daughter of chemicals heiress and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Peggy Zinsser (d. 1992) and politician Lewis W. Douglas (d. 1974), the latter of whom served as an

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, director of the

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from 1933 until 1934, and U.S. ambassador to the

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from 1947 until 1950. It was during these three years in England that she developed her friendship with Princess Margaret and the royal family. At various times in her life, "Charmin' Sharman", as she was known during her father's tenure as ambassador, worked as a

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

, a movie publicist, and a public-relations agent. In 1966,

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mayor

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named her New York's Commissioner of Public Events. Linked romantically to the

Marquess of Blandford A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

and the

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in the 1950s, she also reportedly had a two-year relationship with the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

's Princess Margaret, according to ''Margaret: The Secret Princess'', an

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program broadcast in

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in February 2003. Sharman Douglas married Andrew MacKenzie Hay, a food importer, in 1968. They divorced in 1977. Her first cousin Josalee Douglas was the first wife of Count Jean-François de Chambrun, who later married

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, the former stepmother of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

. Sharman Douglas died of

bone cancer A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thyro ...

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

in 1996.

Sources

*''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', Sharman Douglas:Obituary, Feb. 12, 1996
Sharman Douglas obituary
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', Feb. 8, 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Sharman 1928 births 1996 deaths Vassar College alumni American socialites American talent agents Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from cancer in New York (state) People from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 20th-century American businesspeople Brearley School alumni