Dale Tryon, Baroness Tryon
Encyclopedia
Dale Elizabeth Tryon, Baroness Tryon (3 January 1948 – 15 November 1997), was a colourful figure in royal court circles, being a close friend of both Prince Charles
and Diana, Princess of Wales
, and a successful businesswoman in the international fashion world, with the fashion label "Kanga" and couture line "The Dale Tryon Collection". Tryon gave her support to a number of charities including SANE
—the mental health charity of which she was the Chairman.
Born Dale Elizabeth Harper in Melbourne
, Australia, she was the eldest of three children of a wealthy publishing magnate. In early childhood Dale was diagnosed with Perthes disease, which affects the hip joint. which she suffered with until the age of nine after being in a children's hospital in irons from feet to chest. On her graduation, she worked in London
as a public relations
officer for the airline Qantas
.
A committed socialite
described by family and friends as having "tremendous joie de vivre
," within two weeks of arriving in England she had met Anthony Tryon, Baron Tryon who was a member of Prince Charles's inner circle. It was through her husband that she first met the Prince of Wales, although he had attended Geelong Grammar School in Australia. Dale and Anthony married in 1973, and had four children: Zoe, Charles, and twins Edward and Victoria.
Although married, her friendship with Prince Charles developed—both enjoyed fly fishing
, which they undertook regularly. Through this close friendship, there were continual tabloid rumours of Dale—whom Anthony Tryon nickname
d "Kanga"—was in actual fact Charles's mistress
. This was in part fuelled by Dale's relationship with the press, including the Daily Mail
diarist Nigel Dempster
. However, in all her publicised newspaper and television interviews, Dale never revealed the extent of their friendship; although Prince Charles publicly described Kanga as "the only woman who ever understood me." Prince Charles also had a long term friendship with the also married Camilla Parker Bowles, but Dale and Camilla didn't get on, and this feud continued throughout her ongoing relationship with Prince Charles. Prince Charles was also godfather
to Camilla's son Tom and Dale's son Charlie.
In 1983, Dale started a fashion business called Kanga, located in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge
. Launched through a personal television appearance on the ITV1
show This Morning
hosted by friends Richard and Judy
, Dale persuaded Diana to wear a Kanga dress to the Live Aid
concert. Kanga quickly became a favourite of the Sloane Ranger
set, and resultantly became a successful international business. Dale lived between London and Lord Tryon's family home the 109-room Manor House at Great Durnford, near Salisbury
. From the early 1980s her clothes were sold in shops from England to America to Australia, France and Spain, and her own boutique in Knightsbridge was later joined by branches in Salisbury, Hong Kong and Dublin. Both "Kanga" and her couture line named "The Dale Tryon Collection" were very successful. Tryon also did a great deal of work for a number of charities including SANE
—the mental health charity of which she was the Chairman.
Some reports are quoted as saying that after the birth of her twins, Dale suffered from a recurrent bout of Spina Bifida
, during the treatment for which it was discovered she was suffering from cancer of the uterus in 1993. However Spina Bifida is a physical deformity of the spine - a permanent condition - and is not suffered in 'bouts'. It is more likely that her health suffered from her known diagnosis of Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome. After this point she travelled for a period with a nurse, a physiotherapist, and her daughter who would lie next to her as she slept, rolling her over regularly. During Prince Charles's and Diana's divorce Dale tried to remain friends with both parties; for a while it had become well-founded tabloid speculation that Prince Charles had, since the breakdown of his own marriage, been continuing an affair
with Camilla Parker Bowles, which led to Dale and Charles starting to become distant.
To help her recover from her medical treatments, Tryon became very interested in alternative medicine and a wide variety of spiritual practices; she also decided to undertake a retreat in the Himalayas
. Soon after she received the 'all clear' from cancer, Tryon underwent treatment at Farm Place, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation clinic in Surrey
. She was on a heavy dose of painkillers, and drank excessive quantities of vodka and champagne. While undergoing treatment for addiction at the Farm Place Clinic, she jumped from a first-floor window, broke her back and became paralysed.
Tryon was left a paraplegic from her fall and even after more than a year in a spinal rehab she never walked again. Coupled with recurring depression, and after being told by her husband that he wanted a divorce, she was detained on 17 June 1997 under the Mental Health Act
for 28 days, after leaving the Black Horse Inn in Great Durnford. After release from the spinal injuries unit at Salisbury District Hospital
, she returned home. After her divorce she renounced her title, and moved into The Ritz
hotel, from where she gave her last recorded interview with journalist Christopher Wilson.
On her return from a trip to Australia
and India
, Tryon was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital
, Westminster
, suffering from complications from severe bed sores. Tryon died on 15 November, 1997, a few months after Diana, at King Edward VII Hospital from septicaemia, aged 49. She was buried four days later in England, and in her will
left her £1.3 million estate to her children.
On 4 November 2008, Tryon was the subject of a documentary
, Prince Charles' Other Mistress, aired by Channel 4
television.
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, and a successful businesswoman in the international fashion world, with the fashion label "Kanga" and couture line "The Dale Tryon Collection". Tryon gave her support to a number of charities including SANE
SANE (charity)
SANE is a mental illness charity in the UK. It provides telephone and email support services and has established a research centre. The opinion of SANE's founder and chief executive, Marjorie Wallace, is often quoted in media reports on mental health issues....
—the mental health charity of which she was the Chairman.
Born Dale Elizabeth Harper in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia, she was the eldest of three children of a wealthy publishing magnate. In early childhood Dale was diagnosed with Perthes disease, which affects the hip joint. which she suffered with until the age of nine after being in a children's hospital in irons from feet to chest. On her graduation, she worked in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as a public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
officer for the airline Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
.
A committed socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
described by family and friends as having "tremendous joie de vivre
Joie de vivre
Joie de vivre is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit. Joie de vivre"can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy...
," within two weeks of arriving in England she had met Anthony Tryon, Baron Tryon who was a member of Prince Charles's inner circle. It was through her husband that she first met the Prince of Wales, although he had attended Geelong Grammar School in Australia. Dale and Anthony married in 1973, and had four children: Zoe, Charles, and twins Edward and Victoria.
Although married, her friendship with Prince Charles developed—both enjoyed fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
, which they undertook regularly. Through this close friendship, there were continual tabloid rumours of Dale—whom Anthony Tryon nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "Kanga"—was in actual fact Charles's mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
. This was in part fuelled by Dale's relationship with the press, including the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
diarist Nigel Dempster
Nigel Dempster
Nigel Richard Patton Dempster was a British journalist, author, broadcaster and diarist. Best known for his celebrity gossip columns in newspapers, his work appeared in the Daily Express and Daily Mail and also in Private Eye magazine...
. However, in all her publicised newspaper and television interviews, Dale never revealed the extent of their friendship; although Prince Charles publicly described Kanga as "the only woman who ever understood me." Prince Charles also had a long term friendship with the also married Camilla Parker Bowles, but Dale and Camilla didn't get on, and this feud continued throughout her ongoing relationship with Prince Charles. Prince Charles was also godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to Camilla's son Tom and Dale's son Charlie.
In 1983, Dale started a fashion business called Kanga, located in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. Launched through a personal television appearance on the ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
show This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
hosted by friends Richard and Judy
Richard and Judy
Richard and Judy is the name informally given to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a married couple who are both British television presenters and columnists. Since their marriage, their television appearances have been largely made as a couple. They are best known for presenting This Morning and...
, Dale persuaded Diana to wear a Kanga dress to the Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
concert. Kanga quickly became a favourite of the Sloane Ranger
Sloane Ranger
The term Sloane Ranger refers to a stereotype in the UK of young, upper class or upper-middle-class women, or men who share distinctive and common lifestyle traits...
set, and resultantly became a successful international business. Dale lived between London and Lord Tryon's family home the 109-room Manor House at Great Durnford, near Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. From the early 1980s her clothes were sold in shops from England to America to Australia, France and Spain, and her own boutique in Knightsbridge was later joined by branches in Salisbury, Hong Kong and Dublin. Both "Kanga" and her couture line named "The Dale Tryon Collection" were very successful. Tryon also did a great deal of work for a number of charities including SANE
SANE (charity)
SANE is a mental illness charity in the UK. It provides telephone and email support services and has established a research centre. The opinion of SANE's founder and chief executive, Marjorie Wallace, is often quoted in media reports on mental health issues....
—the mental health charity of which she was the Chairman.
Some reports are quoted as saying that after the birth of her twins, Dale suffered from a recurrent bout of Spina Bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
, during the treatment for which it was discovered she was suffering from cancer of the uterus in 1993. However Spina Bifida is a physical deformity of the spine - a permanent condition - and is not suffered in 'bouts'. It is more likely that her health suffered from her known diagnosis of Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome. After this point she travelled for a period with a nurse, a physiotherapist, and her daughter who would lie next to her as she slept, rolling her over regularly. During Prince Charles's and Diana's divorce Dale tried to remain friends with both parties; for a while it had become well-founded tabloid speculation that Prince Charles had, since the breakdown of his own marriage, been continuing an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with Camilla Parker Bowles, which led to Dale and Charles starting to become distant.
To help her recover from her medical treatments, Tryon became very interested in alternative medicine and a wide variety of spiritual practices; she also decided to undertake a retreat in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. Soon after she received the 'all clear' from cancer, Tryon underwent treatment at Farm Place, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation clinic in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. She was on a heavy dose of painkillers, and drank excessive quantities of vodka and champagne. While undergoing treatment for addiction at the Farm Place Clinic, she jumped from a first-floor window, broke her back and became paralysed.
Tryon was left a paraplegic from her fall and even after more than a year in a spinal rehab she never walked again. Coupled with recurring depression, and after being told by her husband that he wanted a divorce, she was detained on 17 June 1997 under the Mental Health Act
Mental Health Act 1983
The Mental Health Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which applies to people in England and Wales. It covers the reception, care and treatment of mentally disordered persons, the management of their property and other related matters...
for 28 days, after leaving the Black Horse Inn in Great Durnford. After release from the spinal injuries unit at Salisbury District Hospital
Salisbury District Hospital
Salisbury District Hospital is a hospital located in the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.Previously Salisbury Hospitals comprised three units...
, she returned home. After her divorce she renounced her title, and moved into The Ritz
Ritz Hotel
The Ritz London is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Swiss hotelier César Ritz, former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 24 May 1906...
hotel, from where she gave her last recorded interview with journalist Christopher Wilson.
On her return from a trip to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Tryon was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital
King Edward VII Hospital
-England:*King Edward VII Orthopaedic Hospital, Sheffield *King Edward VII Hospital, London*King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst *King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor-Bermuda:*King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Bermuda...
, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, suffering from complications from severe bed sores. Tryon died on 15 November, 1997, a few months after Diana, at King Edward VII Hospital from septicaemia, aged 49. She was buried four days later in England, and in her will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
left her £1.3 million estate to her children.
On 4 November 2008, Tryon was the subject of a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Prince Charles' Other Mistress, aired by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television.