She married Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871-1934) 6 November 1896 in St . Behind the scenes, everything was falling apart. [17], The new duchess was adored by the poor and less fortunate tenants on her husband's estate, whom she visited and to whom she provided assistance. The matchmaker was a minor American heiress turned major English hostess, Lady Paget, the wife of Sir Arthur Paget. Consuelo Vanderbilt was a willowy beauty of 17 when the 26-year-old Frenchman and future aviation pioneer, Jacques Balsan, first saw her and fell in love. But that friendship was about to endure a horrible shock. Gladys Deacon, the newest young American heiress on the market, secured herself an invite to Blenheim one day and became fast friends with both the Duke of Marlborough and Consuelo. A reviewer in the same paper called it "an ideal epitaph of the age of elegance. During this Rapunzel period, Alva did let Consuelo out to attend the best society balls, naturally. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. She allows Consuelo and her siblings to take over an old bowling alley on the property as a playhouse, but insists the children do all the housework themselves, even the cooking. Embed from Getty Images Consuelos family was already hiding shadowy secrets. She wasnt. Scariest of all, she vaguely threatened that she wouldnt hesitate to shoot a man if I thought he might ruin your life. The day that Winthrop Rutherfurd made Consuelo Vanderbilt his fiance, the young girl was on the edge of heading out on a long European sojourn with her mother, ostensibly to broaden her horizons but really to catch her a husband with a title. After five months, her fianc Winthrop still hadnt shown up. Other images of Vanderbilt by artist Paul Csar Helleu: Reginald Fellowes is possibly Hon. Nor had he written, or called, or done anything to hold onto the promise they had made each other that day. [2] The Dukes of Marlborough had a storied history, and Alvawho had secured Consuelo an introduction to the noble at a dinner party on their tripwas foaming at the bit for Consuelo to be a part of that history. It is a busy and happy time, though its carefree nature ends with the advent of the Great War. Michel c. 1900 Object number NPG.86.169 Restrictions & Rights CC0 Type Print Medium Drypoint on paper Dimensions Image: 50.3 x 33.6cm (19 13/16 x 13 1/4") Sheet: 63.1 x 41.4cm (24 13/16 x 16 5/16 . Consuelo actually had affairs with no fewer than three of the Duke of Marlboroughs cousins over the course of her marriage, to the shock and horror of the respectable Spencer-Churchill family. John Singer Sargents portrait of the 9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons, painted in 1905. First, let's get Consuelo's mama out of the way: Alva Vanderbilt was . Another of Alva's friends, Minnie Paget, introduced Consuelo to the eligible Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. On the glittering surface, Consuelo Vanderbilt looked like she had it all. Discover (and save!) Little Gloria lived in Europe until she was 9 years old. Consuelo Vanderbilt was largely dominated by her mother, who was determined that her daughter would make a great marriage like that of her famous namesake. [26], Records in Florida show that in 1932 Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan built a home in Manalapan, Florida, just south of Palm Beach. . In truth, Alva had known about his mistress Nellie Neustretter for years. Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan (formerly Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; born Consuelo Vanderbilt; March 2, 1877 - December 6, 1964) was a socialite and a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family.Her first marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough has become a well-known example of one of the advantageous, but loveless, marriages common during the Gilded Age; as such . Eventually, the duke evicted Gladys from the premises and passed in 1934, utterly estranged from his second wife. Browse 868 consuelo vanderbilt stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. I have always had absolute power over my daughter. Over the years, the bankrupted dynasty had had to sell off masses of furnishings and possessions, so that now the stately home was only a husk. It is managed by the Fondation mdicale Franco-amricaine du Mont-Valrien, commonly called Foundation Foch. No, it made absolutely no sense. Before joining the team, she worked as a course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature. [25], After the annulment of her marriage to the Duke of Marlborough, she still maintained ties with favorite Churchill relatives, particularly Winston Churchill. Consuelo knew just what to do. Consuelo passed away on February 21 2011, at age 107. Located not far from London, Crowhurst becomes the scene of many happy gatherings with friends who arrive from the city for the weekend houseparties. Paul Csar Helleusportrait of Consuelo, offered in the 19th Century European Art sale in New York on 26 October, was executed during the artists visit to Blenheim Palace in the spring of 1900. Very difficult. Everyone expected an engagement at any moment. American socialite heiress, Duchess of Marlborough. For a brief time, it looked like Consuelo was going to get her happy ever after at last with Rutherfurd; around the time of Ivors conception, Rutherfurd experienced a fit of passion and proposed that they elope together. Churchill frequently visited Consuelo in her chateau near Paris into the 1930s. It worked: In 1921, Consuelo became a free womanand she wasted no time enjoying that freedom. She was 87 years old when she died. Helleu was cultured, sophisticated and witty, and was a friend to Consuelo during a lonely time in her life. She actually locked her up in her room, like a princess in a tower, and told any friends who visited that Consuelo wasnt at home. In 1886 William Vanderbilt inherited $65 million on the death of his father. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? In the span of two months, Consuelo had lost two of the people she loved the most, and she was well and truly alone for the first time in her life. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. She not only realized her husband was a shallow man, but that she was now a duchess, and subject to all the snobbery of the aristocracy that would put old money New York to shame. But for all her mid-life happiness, the next decades brought final tragedies to Consuelos story. The Vanderbilt family fortune was once equal to $185 billion. Nevertheless, by all accounts, Consuelo acquits herself well as the Duchess of Marlborough. The wedding, set for November 6, 1895, precipitates weeks of excited anticipation for nearly everyone but the heartbroken bride-to-be. The party is said to have cost her indulgent husband $3 million. 1. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. [5] When, as a teenager, Consuelo objected to the clothing her mother had selected for her, Alva told her that "I do the thinking, you do as you are told. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of consuelo. But the Duke of Marlborough was really a snake in the grass. The duchess eventually was smitten with her husband's cousin, the Hon. [1] The Duke obtained a large dowry by the marriage, and reportedly told her just after the marriage that he married her in order to "save Blenheim Palace", his ancestral home.[2]. Consuelo Vanderbilt was born on March 2, 1877 in New York City, New York, USA. But that was just the polite interpretation. Even worse, she had to stifle mournful sobs throughout the ceremony. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. #Royals Consuelo Vanderbilt contrajo matrimonio con Charles Spencer-Churchill, Duque Marlborough el 6 de noviembre de 1895, su vestido, que era una creacin de la casa Worth es considerado un icono dentro de la historia de la alta costura #consuelovanderbilt #vanderbilts #royalwedding #highsociety #houseofworth # . For another, she was one of the wealthiest young women in the United. Consuelo Vanderbilt around 1910. English: Consuelo Vanderbilt, aka Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan and Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, (March 2, 1877 - December 6, 1964), was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt Family, as well as an English aristocrat.She was seen as the ultimate marital prize of the Victorian age. Why was this beauty unfortunate? [14] The duke, for his part, gave up the woman he reportedly loved back in England and collected US$2.5million ($81.4million in 2021 dollars) in railroad stock as a marriage settlement. It was only much later that she found out the chilling truth. Consuelo had, in fact, been secretly engaged to someone else before accepting the Dukes proposal she was persuaded to break the engagement by her mother, who claimed it had caused her to suffer a near-fatal heart attack. Mrs. Earl was a long-time resident of Ridgefie When Consuelo Vanderbilt's grandfather died, he was the richest man in America. His lyrics speak to the heart through In her teens, Consuelo is recognized as a great beauty. Her first marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough has become a well-known example of one of the advantageous, but loveless, marriages common during the Gilded Age; as such, she was known as one of the earliest dollar princesses. Music lessons and an hour of exercise in Central Park fill out the day. Consuelo Vanderbilt & the Duke of Marlborough It perhaps all started with Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the Duke of Marlborough in 1895. Now she went in for the kill. But the Duke had a dark side he was hiding from Consuelo. Although Consuelo sold the house in 1957, it still exists. At the time, Winston, as she later described him, was the life and soul of the young and brilliant circle that gathered round him at BlenheimWhether it was his American blood or his boyish enthusiasm and spontaneity, qualities sadly lacking in my husband, I delighted in his companionship.. Thats because before she had an heir with the Duke of Marlborough, none other than his cousin Winston Churchill was next in line to inherit Blenheim. To the ambitious Alva, only a prince or a duke was good enough to marry her daughter and lift up the Vanderbilt dynastywhether Consuelo liked them or not. She was buried alongside her younger son, Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill, in the churchyard at St Martin's Church, Bladon, Oxfordshire, England, near her former home, Blenheim Palace. Consuelo and the Duke separated in 1906. The surly Duke makes Alva wait but finally proposes to Consuelo in the gloomy Gothic Room at Marble House, and Consuelos fate is sealed. When the duke arrived home from the conflict, she coolly informed him that she had been sleeping with his cousin, and that she never wanted to see him in her bedroom ever again. Still, she manages to escape the splendor occasionally to have some fun at a nearby farm. In fact, she continued to feed information to the papers about everything from Consuelos gown to the gold fastenings on her undergarments in order to build public excitement in the lead up to the wedding. He reportedly accumulated a $100 million fortune by the. [7] None of the others, however, was good enough for Alva Vanderbilt, herself the daughter of a cotton broker. When Consuelo woke up the next morning, it was to gut-wrenching news. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. Under no circumstances would the intelligent and sensitive Consuelo ever have been impressed by the dandyish duke but, in fact, she is in love with another man. Aliases: Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough; Winston Churchill's BFF. Mrs. Balsan, widow of Lieut. "[9] She came to embody the "slim, tight look" that was in vogue during the Edwardian era. But all that glitters is very much not gold. Her mother leaked the news to the press right away. But she soon realized something had gone terribly wrong. [1] She was educated entirely at home by governesses and tutors, and learned foreign languages at an early age. While this was more than a little ironic given her childhood owning slaves and her motherhood controlling her daughter, it did seem to provoke twinges of feminist guilt in the matriarch, and she showed it by testifying in Consuelos divorce. Two governesses, one German, one French, have her reading both languages by the age of eight. The fallout was unimaginable. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. The entire time that they were in Europe, Alva had one man on her mind: Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, the ninth Duke of Marlborough. Instead, the exact opposite happened. Consuelo Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family, a family of Dutch origin who gained prominence during the Gilded Age because of her great grandfather Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had great success with shipping and railroads and built an empire. Shortly after becoming the official lady of the house at Consuelos old home of Blenheim, Gladys painted a huge mural of her own sparkling green eyes on the front hall ceiling. After Consuelos Europe trip wrapped up, she might have thought she would finally be free to exhale. 56x 38in (144 x 97.5 cm). When Consuelo reported her engagement to her younger brothers, she couldnt keep anguished tears out of her eyes. Lady Paget, always short of money, soon became a sort of international marital agent, introducing eligible American heiresses to British noblemen.[10]. And Winthrop Rutherfurd, a young man with an impeccable pedigree and considered the handsomest bachelor in New York society, is in love with her. Consuelo in course of time, spent many more millions to renovate the 'decrepit heap' that was Blenheim, at the time of her marriage. Heartwarmingly enough, Balsam had been in love with Consuelo since her debutante days; hed fallen in love with her when he first saw her just before her 18th birthday. . Alva had gradually stripped Consuelo of all her independence. Travel is her escape, Paris her favorite destination, and there she is often able to enjoy the company of her exuberant father. Although that . Besides basically telling her that she amounted only to a big bank account, Consuelos new husband revealed his real feelings. LADY SARAH SPENCER-CHURCHILL, who has died suddenly in Connecticut, aged 78, was a powerful personality, 6 ft tall, rich and well-known in international society for several decades. The Duke was away fighting in the Boer War and this touching portrait illustrates an intimacy between Helleuand his sitter. There is an 1 1/2 diagonal tear to the paper in the upper left edge. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. One writer said he and his friends were enamoured by "her dimples, and her tiny teeth when she smiled." Consuelo was quite a catch, future dowry notwithstanding. It was at one of these events that Consuelo happened to run into Winthrop at long last, and they shared a single dance together. says: Hugo Vickers. In 1902, she is one of four duchesses chosen to bear the canopy of Queen Alexandra at the coronation of Edward the VII. 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