Mary Curzon, Lady Howe (30 October 1887 – 1 September 1962) was an English aristocrat dubbed by the newspapers the Queen of Beauty.

Early life

Mary Curzon was born on 30 October 1887, the only daughter of Esmé FitzRoy and Col.

Montagu Curzon The Hon. Montagu Curzon (21 September 1846 – 1 September 1907) was a British soldier and Conservative politician. Early life Curzon was the eldest son of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, by his second wife Anne, daughter of Vice-Admiral ...

, the eldest son, by his second wife, of

Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe (11 December 1796 – 12 May 1870), was a British peer and courtier. Background He was the third but eldest surviving son of The Hon. Penn Assheton Curzon (the eldest son of Assheton Curzon, 1st ...

. Her brother, William Montagu Curzon-Herrick, was married to Lady Maud Hastings (daughter of

Warner Hastings, 15th Earl of Huntingdon Lieutenant-Colonel Warner Francis John Plantagenet Hastings, 15th Earl of Huntingdon, DL (8 July 1868 – 5 April 1939) was a British peer, and Deputy Lieutenant of King's County, Ireland. Family Hastings was born at St Stephen's Green, D ...

).Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003 Her maternal grandfather was Francis Horatio FitzRoy (son of Admiral

Lord William FitzRoy Admiral Lord William FitzRoy (1 June 1782 – 13 May 1857), was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and also as a Member of Parliament. Biography Family background FitzRoy was th ...

and grandson of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton).

Personal life

On 28 October 1907 she married her first cousin, who was then known as Francis, Viscount Curzon (1884–1964). Francis was the son, and later heir, of

Richard Curzon, 4th Earl Howe Richard George Penn Curzon, 4th Earl Howe, (28 April 1861 – 10 January 1929), styled Viscount Curzon between 1876 and 1900, was a British courtier and Conservative politician. He served as Treasurer of the Household between 1896 and 1900 and w ...

and his first wife Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Spencer-Churchill (fifth daughter of

John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (2 June 18224 July 1883), styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and noble ...

and Lady Frances Vane). Before their divorce in 1937, they were the parents of: * Edward Richard Assheton Penn Curzon, who inherited the title. * Lady

Georgiana Curzon Lady Georgiana Mary Curzon Kidston, Lady Starkey (7 January 1910 – 11 January 1976) was an English socialite, included in ''The Book of Beauty'' by Cecil Beaton. Early life Lady Georgiana Mary Curzon was born on 7 January 1910,Mosley, Charles, ...

(1910–1976), who married

Home Kidston Lieutenant-Commander Home Ronald Archibald Kidston (11 March 1910 – January 1996) was a Royal Navy officer, farmer and racing driver. Early life Kidston was born on the 11th of March 1910 in Cadogan Square, London, the son of Captain Arc ...

, a Royal Navy officer and racing driver. After their 1943 divorce, she married Lord Lewis Stanton Starkey in 1957. Lady Howe died on 1 September 1962. Upon her ex-husband's death in 1964, her son,

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

inherited the title and became the 6th Earl Howe.

Reputation

In 1912, she was dubbed the "Queen of Beauty," when she appeared in that role in Patsy Cornwallis-West's ''

Eglinton Tournament Eglinton can refer to: People * Earl of Eglinton, a title in the Peerage of Scotland *Geoffrey Eglinton (1927–2016), British chemist * Timothy Eglinton, a British biogeoscientist *William Eglinton (1857–1933), a British spiritualist medium an ...

'' at ''Shakespeare's England''. The newspapers talked about her as one of the loveliest women in England ever. "England’s most beautiful peeress," and "A perfect specimen of English beauty". In ''The Book Of Beauty'' 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 an Academy Awards, Oscar–winning stage design, stage and costume de ...

, Lady Howe is described as "the elegance of the aristocrat combined with the excessive prettiness that accompanies carnation-pink cheeks and yellow hair. She is gracefully statuesque, her height is superb, her neck swan-like, and her poreless complexion is like icing-sugar on a birthday cake. ..there is no living beauty who can create more of an effeft than she when entering a ballroom or sitting in a box at the opera."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curzon, Mary 1887 births 1962 deaths English socialites

Howe Howe may refer to: People and fictional characters * Howe (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (1788–1845), Irish peer and colonial governor Titles * Earl Howe, two titles, an exti ...

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...