Georgina Susan Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (born 30 January 1962), is the ex-wife of Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk.

Early life and family

She was born Georgina Susan Gore, the younger daughter of John Temple ("Jack") Gore (1931-2018) and his first wife, Serena Margaret Mounsey. Her parents divorced in 1969. Jack Gore was very distantly connected to the

Earls Temple of Stowe Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The tit ...

and was descended from Sir John Gore,

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

. Her paternal grandmother, Lady Barbara Montgomerie (23 August 1909 – 1992), was the eldest daughter of

Archibald Montgomerie, 16th Earl of Eglinton Archibald may refer to: People and characters *Archibald (name), a masculine given name and a surname *Archibald (musician) (1916–1973), American R&B pianist * Archibald, a character from the animated TV show ''Archibald the Koala'' Other uses ...

, by his former wife Lady Beatrice Dalrymple, daughter of the 11th

Earl of Stair Earl of Stair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for the lawyer and statesman John Dalrymple, 2nd Viscount of Stair. Dalrymple's father, James Dalrymple, had been a prominent lawyer; having served as Lord Presiden ...

. Georgina's elder sister Charlotte Gore married Major Sir Hervey James Hugh Bruce-Clifton, 7th Bt. and her elder brother Christopher Gore (d. 2015) was remarried to Catherine Dickens, a descendant of the novelist

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, and lived in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Personal life

Georgina worked as a paint specialist at Colefax & Fowler before her marriage. She married Edward Fitzalan-Howard, then Earl of Arundel and Surrey, son of

Miles Stapleton-Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

, and his wife, Anne Mary Teresa Constable-Maxwell, on 27 June 1987 at

Arundel Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard is located in Arundel, West Sussex, England. Dedicated in 1873 as the Catholic parish church of Arundel, it became a cathedral at the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965 ...

; the wedding had 800 guests including, the

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the Monarchy of the ...

(a personal friend of the groom). The couple moved into the East wing of

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and earl ...

after marriage. They have five children (three sons and two daughters): * Henry Miles Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel (born 3 December 1987); he is

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to his father's titles. *Lady Rachel Rose Fitzalan-Howard (born 10 June 1989) *Lord Thomas Jack Fitzalan-Howard (born 14 March 1992) *Lady Isabel Serena Fitzalan-Howard (born 7 February 1994) *Lord Philip Fitzalan-Howard (born 14 July 1996) Lord Arundel succeeded to the Dukedom of Norfolk in 2002, and Lady Arundel then became the Duchess of Norfolk. As duchess, she stood in for

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in rehearsals for the

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...

. The Duke and Duchess separated in 2011, but were reconciled by 2016, only to split up again; their divorce became final in 2022. Since her divorce, she has been styled Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk.

Charitable work

The Duchess is patron of a number of charities, including: * DePaul International * Ferring Country Centre *

NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies t ...

South and Mid Sussex branch * Arun Choral Society * Arun Young Musicians * Home-Start Hampshire.

Honours

She is a Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex. * Duosicilian Royal Family: Dame Grand Officer of Justice of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

References

External links

*Helen Harrison
"Out of the ruins"
Daily Telegraph, 7 April 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2012. Discusses Arundel Castle's kitchen garden and other improvements. {{DEFAULTSORT:Norfolk, Georgina Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of 1962 births Georgina Living people Wives of knights