Lady Ursula D'Abo
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Lady Ursula Isabel d'Abo (''née'' Manners, formerly Marreco; 8 November 1916 – 2 November 2017) was an English socialite and aristocrat who served as a
maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...
to the Queen at the
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of the British monarch, coronation of George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Elizabeth, as King of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realm, ...
in 1937. She received international media attention after her photograph from that day, standing alongside the
British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...
on the balcony of
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
, circulated in the news. Reporters focused on her beauty and distinctive
widow's peak A widow's peak is a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. Widow's Peak may also refer to: *'' Widows' Peak'', a 1994 British-Irish film *'' Widowspeak'', an American band ** ''Widowspeak'' (Widowspeak album), 2011 * ''Wido ...
, and an American wrote to the editor of a newspaper, asking "who is the girl with the widow's peak?" The title of her 2014 book, ''The Girl with the Widow's Peak: The Memoirs'', played with this question.
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
nicknamed Lady Ursula "the cygnet" in 1938 for her comparative youth and beauty among a travelling company that accompanied the king and queen on a royal tour in France that year. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Lady Ursula worked as a nurse with the
Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...
before being appointed to a managerial position over 2,000 women employees at the British Manufacture and Research Company's munitions factory in
Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...
. In her later life she received attention for her brief relationship with Maharaja
Man Singh II Major General Maharaja Sawai Governor Sir Man Singh II GCSI GCIE (born Sawai Mor Mukut Singh; 21 August 1912 – 24 June 1970) was an Indian prince, government official, diplomat and sportsman. Man Singh II was the ruling Maharaja of the pr ...
of
Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
and her long-term affair with American oilman
J. Paul Getty Jean Paul Getty Sr. (; December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American petroleum industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company in 1942 and was the patriarch of the Getty family. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was the son of pion ...
.


Early life

Lady Ursula Isabel Manners was born in London on 8 November 1916 to
John Manners, Marquess of Granby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a British Army officer and politician. The eldest son of John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, as he did not outlive ...
and Kathleen Tennant. She was the eldest of five children. Her father was the second son and eventual heir of
Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland Henry John Brinsley Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland, (16 April 1852 – 8 May 1925), styled Marquess of Granby between 1888 and 1906, was a British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Early life and education Rutland was b ...
and Violet Lindsay. After the death of her grandfather, her father became the 9th Duke of Rutland. Her mother was the niece of British prime minister
H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...
and a granddaughter of
Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Clow Tennant, 1st Baronet, (4 November 1823 – 4 June 1906) was a Scottish businessman, industrialist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Early life Tennant was the son of John Tennant (1796–1878) and Robina (née Arrol ...
. She was a paternal niece of Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich and
Marjorie Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey Victoria Marjorie Harriet Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey (''née'' Manners; 20 December 1883 – 3 November 1946) was a British writer on art, an illustrator, and a member of the peerage. Biography Lady Victoria was the eldest daughter of Henr ...
. Lady Ursula first lived at Wood House, a small farmhouse in
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, and at a residence in London. She spent a lot of time at the family estates,
Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Duke of Rutland, Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of David Manners, 11th Duke of Rut ...
and
Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle ( ) is a faux historic castle and stately home in Leicestershire, England, situated west of the town of Grantham and northeast of Melton Mowbray. A castle was first built on the site immediately after the Norman Conquest of 10 ...
, the latter of which she moved to once her father inherited the dukedom in 1925. When she was eight years old, she helped her father with the restoration at Haddon Hall, where she discovered medieval frescoes of
Saint Christopher Saint Christopher (, , ; ) is venerated by several Christian denominations. According to these traditions, he was a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Decius (), or alternatively under the emperor Maximin ...
in the chapel. These had been whitewashed over during the
English Reformation The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...
. In her youth, she was a friend of Prince Edward of Wales and a playmate of Princesses
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
and
Margaret of York Margaret of York (3 May 1446 – 23 November 1503), also known as Margaret of Burgundy, was Duchess of Burgundy from 1468 to 1477 as the third wife of Charles the Bold, and after his death (1477) acted as a protector of the Burgundian State. ...
at
Bognor Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...
.
C. E. Brock Charles Edmund Brock (5 February 1870 – 28 February 1938) was a widely published English painter, line artist and book illustrator, who signed most of his work C. E. Brock. He was the eldest of The Brocks of Cambridge, four artist brothers, ...
painted a portrait of Lady Ursula with two of her siblings,
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
and
Isabel Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th c ...
, when the three were children. She trained in ballet, taking lessons from
Tamara Karsavina Tamara Platonovna Karsavina (; 9 March 1885 – 26 May 1978) was a Russian prima ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later of the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. After settling ...
, a former principal dancer with the
Imperial Russian Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...
. She was educated by
governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...
es in mathematics, French, Latin, swimming, piano, sewing, cooking, and riding. As a teenager Lady Ursula and her sister, Isabel, were sent to France with their governess. After living in Paris, Lady Ursula was sent to
finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...
at the Villa Malatesta in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, Italy where she studied Italian, art, and architecture. In 1934, at the age of seventeen, she and her sister had a coming out ball hosted in their honour at Belvoir Castle. Soon after, she was presented at court to
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...
and
Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...
. As the daughter of a duke, she took part in local charitable organisations and events alongside her parents. In February 1936 English artist Cuthbert Bradley painted a watercolour and gouache portrait of Lady Ursula in a hunting scene, titled ''Lady Ursula Manners''. Lady Ursula was a childhood friend of
Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...
. They corresponded in early adulthood until he was killed in combat during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Adulthood


Coronation and official duties

In 1937 Lady Ursula served as one of six
maids of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...
to
Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...
during her and
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
's coronation at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
. Lady Ursula, along with the other maids of honour, was dressed in a white gown designed by
Norman Hartnell Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the British royal family, royal family. Hartnell gained the Royal Warrant of Appointment (United Kingdom ...
, the royal dressmaker to the Queen. She was photographed alongside the
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
on the balcony of
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
after the ceremony and received international media attention when observers noted her beauty and distinctive
widow's peak A widow's peak is a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. Widow's Peak may also refer to: *'' Widows' Peak'', a 1994 British-Irish film *'' Widowspeak'', an American band ** ''Widowspeak'' (Widowspeak album), 2011 * ''Wido ...
. Later that year she was photographed by
Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as costume designer and set designer for stage and screen. His accolades ...
. On 19 July 1938 Lady Ursula accompanied the King and the Queen on their first official visit to Paris. She was nicknamed "the cygnet" by
Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
.


World War II

Once the United Kingdom entered into
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Manners family arranged to lend Belvoir Castle and Haddon Hall as repositories for historic national documents from the
Public Record Office The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...
. Lady Ursula's father died 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 ...
on 22 April 1940. Her brother Charles then became the 10th Duke of Rutland. During World War II, Manners joined the
Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...
in London, working alongside the
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
. Her first post was at the Ashton Hotel in
Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
, where she cleaned railway carriages. In 1940 Lady Ursula was working as a nurse at Battersea General Hospital and had to evacuate patients after a bombing. She was later posted to
St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It shares its main hospital site i ...
at
Hyde Park Corner Hyde Park Corner is between Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair in London, England. It primarily refers to a major road junction at the southeastern corner of Hyde Park, that was originally planned by architect Decimus Burton. The juncti ...
, where she was responsible for giving atropine injections to the wounded before they underwent operations. While working at St George's Hospital she resided at her mother's residence in Audley Square,
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
until it was severely damaged in an air raid. Lady Ursula survived unscathed and was taken to the
Dorchester Hotel The Dorchester is a five-star hotel located on Park Lane and Deanery Street in London, to the east of Hyde Park. It is one of the world's most prestigious hotels. The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931, and it still retains its 1930s furnis ...
by a policeman to stay with her aunt and uncle, Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich and
Lady Diana Cooper Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English silent film actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she ...
. Faced with being transferred to a country hospital after more bombings in London, she chose to resign and return home to Belvoir. Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow arranged for her to meet
Denis Kendall William Denis Kendall, (27 May 1903 – 19 July 1995), was an engineer, businessman, and politician. During World War II he was Managing Director of the armaments firm British Manufacture and Research Co ( BMARC), and from 1942-1950, he was th ...
, the managing director of the British Manufacture and Research Company's munitions factory, who offered her a job. She accepted a position at the factory in
Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...
, where she oversaw 2,000 women employed to make bullets for the war effort.


Personal life

On 25 July 1943, Manners married
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
Anthony Marreco Anthony (Tony) Freire Marreco (9 August 1915 – 4 June 2006) was a British barrister. He was Junior Counsel at the Nuremberg trials, and later a founding director of Amnesty International. He was also known for his romantic liaisons, marrying ...
in the chapel at Belvoir Castle. Her husband left to serve in the
British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...
in Asia and lost communication with her until 1946. During this time she entered a brief relationship with the
Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
of
Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
,
Man Singh II Major General Maharaja Sawai Governor Sir Man Singh II GCSI GCIE (born Sawai Mor Mukut Singh; 21 August 1912 – 24 June 1970) was an Indian prince, government official, diplomat and sportsman. Man Singh II was the ruling Maharaja of the pr ...
, whom she met through her friend
Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
. Lady Ursula and Marreco divorced in 1948. In October 1947 she attended the wedding of
Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba Grandee, GE (28 March 1926 – 20 November 2014) was one of the most senior aristocrats in Spain, as well as the most titled aristocrat in the world, a record now held ...
and Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See in
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
,
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 ...
. Upon returning to England, she was courted by financier Erland d'Abo and by John Scott, Earl of Dalkeith. During this time she was in a serious car accident with d'Abo and had to undergo facial reconstructive surgery under
Arthur Rainsford Mowlem Arthur Rainsford Mowlem (1902–1986), born in New Zealand, was the youngest of the four plastic surgeons who practised in Interwar Britain, between the world wars in Britain. In 1936, he joined the London-based partnership that was started by Har ...
. On 22 November 1951 she married Erland d'Abo at the St. Andrew's Church in West Wratting, Cambridgeshire. They moved into West Wratting Park, a Georgian
country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
, and also purchased a mansion in
Kensington Square Kensington Square is a garden square in Kensington, London, W8. It was built from 1692 on land acquired for the purpose in 1685 and is the oldest such square in Kensington. The houses facing, Nos. 1–45, are listed Grade II for their architec ...
. They had three children. Their first child, John Henry Erland d'Abo, was born on 7 October 1953. Their second child, Louisa Jane d'Abo, was born on 8 January 1955. Their third child, Richard Winston Mark d'Abo, was born on 3 July 1956. Her husband died from a heart attack in 1970. By that time, Lady Ursula had been in a long-time affair with American oil tycoon
J. Paul Getty Jean Paul Getty Sr. (; December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American petroleum industrialist who founded the Getty Oil Company in 1942 and was the patriarch of the Getty family. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was the son of pion ...
. They lived together for five years at Sutton Place. She was aware that Getty had affairs with other European aristocratic women at this time, including Mary Teissier and Countess Marianne von
Alvensleben von Alvensleben may refer to: * Christian von Alvensleben (born 1941), German photographer * Constantin von Alvensleben (1809–1892), Prussian general * Gustav von Alvensleben (1803–1881), Prussian general * 'Alvo' Gustav Konstantin von Alven ...
. When Getty died in 1976, he left her an inheritance, reportedly £85,000 and $165,250 in stock.


Death

Lady Ursula d'Abo died at her apartment in Buckingham court, Kensington, in the presence of her family on 2 November 2017, six days before her 101st birthday.


Memoir

Her autobiographical memoir, titled ''The Girl with the Widow's Peak: The Memoirs'', was published in 2014.


References


Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dabo, Lady Ursula 1916 births 2017 deaths 20th-century English people 20th-century English women 21st-century English memoirists 21st-century English women writers British debutantes Daughters of English dukes Ursula Ursula English socialites English people of Scottish descent English women centenarians English women non-fiction writers British women in World War II British maids of honour Mistresses British women memoirists Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses