Elizabeth Shirley Vaughan Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, (''née'' Morgan; 4 December 1924 – 21 January 2017), better known as Dame Shirley Paget, was a British public servant and writer.

Early life and education

She was born in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

, the daughter of novelists Charles Langbridge Morgan and Hilda Vaughan and granddaughter of engineer Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan. She was named after the heroine in

Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Nicholls (; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855), commonly known as Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ), was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë family, Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novel ...

's 1849 novel '' Shirley''. She and her younger brother, Roger Morgan (1926–2018), grew up in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

, London. She was educated at

Francis Holland School Francis Holland School is the name of three separate private day schools for girls in central London, England, governed by the Francis Holland (Church of England) Schools Trust. The schools are located at Clarence Gate (near Regent's Park ...

and Malvern St James until the

Second World War 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 ...

, when she, her brother, and their mother moved to America. She finished her schooling at

Kent Place School Kent Place School is an independent, college-preparatory, private all girls' day school in Summit, New Jersey, with a Lower School (coed preschool and pre-k, all girls K-5), Middle School (grades 6-8) and Upper School (grades 9-12). It was es ...

in New Jersey.

Career

Shirley Morgan began her career in the Foreign Office as personal secretary to Gladwyn Jebb until her marriage to Lord Anglesey in 1949. As Marchioness of Anglesey, she served as President of the

National Federation of Women's Institutes National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

1966–1969, a board member of the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

1985–1995, chairman of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission 1987–1991, and vice-chairman of the Museums and Galleries Commission 1989–1996. As an author she wrote ''The Countrywoman's Year'' (1960).

Personal life

She married Henry Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey (8 October 1922 – 13 July 2013) on 16 October 1948, a year after he succeeded to the marquessate. They had met at the 1946 Paris peace conference. Queen Mary was a guest at their wedding as King

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 ...

was a godfather of the groom. Their marriage produced three daughters and two sons. Along with her husband, she attended the Coronation in 1952 of Elizabeth II. At the time of her husband's death in 2013, it was believed they were the only living married couple apart from Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to have attended the Coronation. She died in 2017, aged 92, at a Moorlands Lodge nursing home in Surrey.

Honours

Paget was invested as a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1977. She was invested as a Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1983. She was later invested as a Lieutenant,

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

( LVO) in 1993.

References

External links

Brief profile of Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey
1924 births 2017 deaths Kent Place School alumni People from Chelsea, London Writers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea British marchionesses British people of Welsh descent British writers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Shirley {{UK-marquess-stub