Caroline Emma Stanley, Countess of Derby (née Neville; born 28 December 1963) is an English socialite and peeress.

Early life

Caroline Emma Neville was born on 28 December 1963 to Robin Neville, a member of the

House of Neville The House of Neville or Nevill family (originally FitzMaldred) is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the Late Middle Ages. The family became one of the two major powers in northern England an ...

, and Robin Helen Brockhoff. Her paternal grandfather was Henry Seymour Neville, 9th Baron Braybrooke. In 1990 her father succeeded his father as the 10th

Baron Braybrooke Baron Braybrooke, of Braybrooke in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1788 for John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, with remainder to his kinsman Richard Neville-Aldworth. Lord Howa ...

, at which time she was styled as ''

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...

'' Caroline Neville. Before her marriage, she worked as an assistant to the Curator of the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

. She now runs the Derby family's stately home and competes in

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

. She has been involved with a number of charities, including being President for twenty-five years of Alder Hey Children’s Charity, the largest children’s hospital in Europe, while in 2006 she was Chair of Dream Auction for the NSPCC, which raised £5.6m to set up the helpline Childline Online. She has started a podcast series on the history of her family.

Personal life

In 1994 it was reported in tabloids that she was dating

Prince Andrew Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger broth ...

, but her engagement to

Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby Edward Richard William Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby, (born 10 October 1962) is a British hereditary peer and landowner. He was a member of the House of Lords from 1994 to 1999. Early life Edward Stanley (known to friends as "Teddy")

was announced later that year. On 21 October 1995 she married Lord Derby at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. Th ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. Upon her marriage she became the Countess of Derby. They have three children.

References

Living people 1963 births Daughters of barons

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

English socialites Caroline Caroline {{England-earl-stub