Dale Elizabeth Tryon, Baroness Tryon (née Harper; 3 January 1948 – 15 November 1997) was a

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

and a successful businesswoman in the international fashion world. She created the fashion label ''"Kanga"'' and the couture line ''"The Dale Tryon Collection"''. "Kanga" also came to be her own nickname. Tryon gave her support to a number of charities including SANE—the mental health charity of which she was the chairwoman. She was a close friend of

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

(then

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

Early life

Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia, she was the eldest of three children of a wealthy printing magnate, Barry Harper, and his wife, Jean Harper. In early childhood Dale was diagnosed with

Perthes disease Perthes is the name of three communes in France: * Perthes, Ardennes, in the Ardennes ''département'' * Perthes, Haute-Marne, in the Haute-Marne ''département'' * Perthes, Seine-et-Marne, in the Seine-et-Marne ''département'' As a German surna ...

, which affects the hip joint, and which she had until the age of nine, spending time in a children's hospital in irons, from feet to chest. She had also received a diagnosis for

spina bifida Spina bifida (SB; ; Latin for 'split spine') is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the vertebral column, spine and the meninges, membranes around the spinal cord during embryonic development, early development in pregnancy. T ...

since childhood. On her graduation, she worked in London as a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

officer for the airline

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

Marriage

An active socialite described by family and friends as having "tremendous ''

joie de vivre ( , ; " joy of living") is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit, and general happiness. It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And ' ...

''," within two weeks of arriving in England she had met Anthony Tryon, 3rd

Baron Tryon Baron Tryon, of Durnford in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1940 for the Conservative politician George Tryon. He was the son of the naval commander Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon. the ...

(1940–2018), who was a member of Prince Charles's inner circle. Even though she had met the Prince of Wales briefly in 1966 at a school dance in Victoria, it was through her husband that she got to know him. Dale and Anthony married in 1973 in the Chapel Royal at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

, and had four children: Zoë (born 1974), Charles (born 1976), and twins Edward and Victoria (born 1979). She and Prince Charles both enjoyed

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...

, which they undertook regularly, and he publicly described Kanga as "the only woman who ever understood me." After divorcing her husband, Anthony Tryon, Kanga was also out of the Prince's inner circle. According to

Tina Brown Christina Hambley Brown, Lady Evans (born in England on 21 November 1953), is a journalist, magazine editor, columnist, broadcaster, and author, with dual British/United States citizenship. She is the former editor in chief of '' Tatler'' (197 ...

's book ''The Palace Papers'', Prince Charles released a statement in 1997 which declared that he was in touch with Kanga "once or twice a year" but they were no longer the closer friends they had once been.

Businesses

Tryon started her career in late 1960s by working as a reporter for ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known simply as ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Are Media in Sydney and founded in 1933. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before bein ...

''. In 1969 she moved to the UK and worked in the London office of the same magazine. In 1970s, she briefly worked as a fashion agent for an American designer in the UK. In 1983, Dale started a fashion business called ''Kanga'', located in

Beauchamp Place Beauchamp Place (pronounced "Beecham Place") is a fashionable shopping street in the Knightsbridge district of London. Previously known as Grove Place until 1885, it has since evolved into a well-known shopping street. It was once better kno ...

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

. Having persuaded

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 Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

to wear a ''Kanga'' dress to the

Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

concert, ''Kanga'' quickly became a favourite of the

Sloane Ranger In the United Kingdom, a Sloane Ranger, or simply a Sloane, is a stereotypical upper-middle or upper-class person, typically although not necessarily a young one, who embodies a very particular upbringing and outlook. The Sloane Ranger style i ...

set and became a successful international business. Dale lived in both London and Lord Tryon's family home, the 18th-century Manor House at

Great Durnford Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

, near

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. From the early 1980s her clothes were sold in shops in England, America, Australia,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and her own boutique in Knightsbridge was later joined by branches in Salisbury,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. Both "Kanga" and her couture line named "The Dale Tryon Collection" were very successful.

Health

Dale had

as a child,

since childhood and was diagnosed with

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ute ...

in 1993. After living with spina bifida for years, she had a series of surgeries to correct the issue. After this point she travelled for a period with a nurse, a

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

, and her daughter, Zoë, who would lie next to her as she slept, rolling her over regularly. Soon after she received the 'all clear' from cancer, Tryon underwent treatment at Farm Place, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation clinic in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. She was on a heavy dose of painkillers, and drank excessive quantities of vodka and champagne. While undergoing treatment for addiction at the clinic, she fell from a third-floor window, fractured her skull, broke her back and was paralysed. Tryon was left a

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...

from her fall, and for the last 18 months of her life was in a wheelchair.

Divorce

Living with recurring depression, and after being told by her husband that he wanted a divorce, she was detained on 17 June 1997 under the

Mental Health Act 1983 The Mental Health Act 1983 (c. 20) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It covers the reception, care and treatment of mentally disordered people, the management of their property and other related matters, forming part of the me ...

for 28 days, after leaving the Black Horse Inn in Great Durnford. After discharge from the spinal injuries unit at

Salisbury District Hospital Salisbury District Hospital is a large hospital on Odstock Road, Britford, Wiltshire, England, about south of the centre of the city of Salisbury. It is managed by the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. History The first Odstock Hospital was co ...

, she returned home. The

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the con ...

was announced on 1 September, after which she renounced her title and moved into The Ritz hotel, where she intended to throw a party for her 50th birthday. From there she gave her last recorded interview with journalist Christopher Wilson.

Death

Towards the end of her life, Tryon took a trip to Australia to meet her mother and went to India to undergo homeopathic treatment by a doctor who was introduced to her by the Prince of Wales. On her return, she was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, experiencing complications from severe

bed sores Pressure ulcers, also known as pressure sores, bed sores or pressure injuries, are localised damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue that usually occur over a bony prominence as a result of usually long-term pressure, or pressure in combi ...

for which she had plastic surgery. Tryon died there on 15 November 1997 from

septicaemia Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

, aged 49. She was buried four days later in England, and in her

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

left her £1.3 million estate to her children.

Legacy

On 4 November 2008, Tryon was the subject of a documentary, ''Prince Charles' Other Mistress'', aired by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tryon, Dale 1948 births 1997 deaths Australian socialites British baronesses Deaths from sepsis in the United Kingdom Businesspeople from Melbourne People with paraplegia Australian emigrants to England British public relations people People with spina bifida British royalty and nobility with disabilities Dale 20th-century British businesspeople Australian artists with disabilities British artists with disabilities