Frances Shand Kydd
Encyclopedia
Frances Ruth Shand Kydd (20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the first wife of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer and the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales
. After two failed marriages and the deaths of two children, she devoted her later years to Roman Catholic charity work.
, Norfolk
. Her father was Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, a friend of King George VI
and the elder son of the American heiress Frances Work
and her first husband, the 3rd Baron Fermoy
. Her mother Ruth, Lady Fermoy
DCVO was a confidante and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth
(later the Queen Mother).
) at Westminster Abbey
. She was then known as Viscountess Althorp (the name is pronounced Altrup).
The Althorps had five children:
The British media made comparisons between Lady Althorp's and Diana's lives, because both were inexperienced young women who were thrust into the spotlight by marriage to much older men in higher stations. As with the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the marriage between Lord and Lady Althorp was not a happy one.
In 1967, Lady Althorp left to be with Peter Shand Kydd
, an heir to a wallpaper fortune, whom she had met the year before. Subsequently, she was named "the other woman" in Janet Shand Kydd's divorce action against her husband. The Althorps were divorced in April 1969, and Lady Althorp was now known as Frances, Viscountess Althorp.
. (Deeply unpopular with her stepchildren, she was nicknamed "Acid Raine".) He eventually won a bitter custody battle over the children. Lady Althorp married Peter Shand Kydd on 2 May 1969 and was then known as The Honourable Mrs Shand Kydd. They lived on the remote Scottish
island of Seil
. Much against her wishes, she was forced into public view following the marriage of Diana to the Prince of Wales
in 1981.
Shand Kydd and her husband separated in June 1988 after he left her for a younger woman. They were later divorced. Shand Kydd blamed the pressure of media attention for the breakdown of the marriage. She was well respected on the island and was known for taking long walks and for her love of fishing
. Peter Shand Kydd died in 2006.
In 1996, Shand Kydd was banned from driving after being convicted of drunk-driving, but denied she had a problem with alcohol. She and Diana quarrelled in May 1997 after she told Hello!
magazine that Diana was happy to lose her title of "Her Royal Highness" following her divorce from the Prince of Wales. They were reportedly not on speaking terms at the time of Diana's death.
, the driver of the Mercedes
which Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed were in when it crashed in a Paris
tunnel, killing all three of them. In her eulogy, she stated, "Strange though it may seem, my daughter's funeral was probably the proudest day of my life. Proud of her, proud of my elder daughters who were rock steady in their readings, and my only son who gave the ultimate tribute of brotherly love for her."
, where she was forced to admit that she and Diana had been estranged for several months before Diana's death. She spent her later years in solitude on Seil
. She converted to Roman Catholicism and devoted herself to Catholic Charities
.
and brain cancer
, aged 68.
on 10 June was attended by many of her children and grandchildren, including Princes William (who gave a reading) and Harry
. Their father, her former son-in-law, Prince Charles
, did not attend because he was en route to another funeral—going to Washington to lead the British delegation at the state funeral of former US President Ronald Reagan
the following day.
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...
. After two failed marriages and the deaths of two children, she devoted her later years to Roman Catholic charity work.
Early life
Frances Ruth Roche was born in Park House, on the royal estate at SandringhamSandringham House
Sandringham House is a country house on of land near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England. The house is privately owned by the British Royal Family and is located on the royal Sandringham Estate, which lies within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History and current...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Her father was Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, a friend of King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and the elder son of the American heiress Frances Work
Frances Work
Frances Ellen Work was an American heiress and socialite. She was a great-grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her great-great-grandchildren include The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, and the American actor Oliver Platt.-Biography:Born in New York City, she was a daughter of Franklin H...
and her first husband, the 3rd Baron Fermoy
James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy
James Boothby Burke Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy was an Irish peer and a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons. He was the great-grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Biography:...
. Her mother Ruth, Lady Fermoy
Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy
Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, DCVO, OBE, was a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the maternal grandmother of Lady Diana Spencer, later Princess of Wales....
DCVO was a confidante and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
(later the Queen Mother).
Marriage to John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer
On 1 June 1954, aged 18, Roche married John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 8th Earl SpencerEarl Spencer
Earl Spencer is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created on 1 November 1765, along with the title Viscount Althorp, of Althorp in the County of Northamptonshire, for John Spencer, 1st Viscount Spencer, a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
) at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. She was then known as Viscountess Althorp (the name is pronounced Altrup).
The Althorps had five children:
- Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia SpencerLady Sarah McCorquodaleThe Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale is the older sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Early life:Sarah was born The Honourable Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer; she acquired the courtesy title The Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became...
(19 March 1955), who married Neil Edmund McCorquodale, a nephew of Raine, Countess Spencer - Cynthia Jane SpencerJane Fellowes, Baroness FellowesCynthia Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes is the older sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Early life:Lady Fellowes was born The Honourable Cynthia Jane Spencer. Her title changed to The Lady Cynthia Jane Spencer in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer...
later Baroness Fellowes (11 February 1957), who married Sir Robert FellowesRobert Fellowes, Baron FellowesRobert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes, GCB, GCVO, QSO, PC is a former Private Secretary to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1990–1999, and is also known as a brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Family background:...
, later Baron Fellowes - John Spencer, who died within 10 hours of his birth on 12 January 1960
- Diana Frances SpencerDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, 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...
later Diana, Princess of Wales (1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), first wife of Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince 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... - Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (20 May 1964), who married Victoria Lockwood, then Caroline Freud (néé Hutton) (the latter formerly wife of Matthew FreudMatthew FreudMatthew Freud is head of Freud Communications, an international public relations firm in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
)
The British media made comparisons between Lady Althorp's and Diana's lives, because both were inexperienced young women who were thrust into the spotlight by marriage to much older men in higher stations. As with the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the marriage between Lord and Lady Althorp was not a happy one.
In 1967, Lady Althorp left to be with Peter Shand Kydd
Peter Shand Kydd
Peter Shand Kydd was the former stepfather of Diana, Princess of Wales and an heir to the wallpaper fortune built by his father Norman Shand Kydd. He was half-brother to the former champion amateur jockey William Shand Kydd....
, an heir to a wallpaper fortune, whom she had met the year before. Subsequently, she was named "the other woman" in Janet Shand Kydd's divorce action against her husband. The Althorps were divorced in April 1969, and Lady Althorp was now known as Frances, Viscountess Althorp.
Personal life after divorce
In 1976, Lord Althorp married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the daughter of novelist Barbara CartlandBarbara Cartland
Dame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
. (Deeply unpopular with her stepchildren, she was nicknamed "Acid Raine".) He eventually won a bitter custody battle over the children. Lady Althorp married Peter Shand Kydd on 2 May 1969 and was then known as The Honourable Mrs Shand Kydd. They lived on the remote Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
island of Seil
Seil
One of the Slate Islands, Seil is a small island on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, southwest of Oban, in Scotland.Seil has been linked to the Scottish mainland since 1792 when the Clachan Bridge was built by engineer Robert Mylne...
. Much against her wishes, she was forced into public view following the marriage of Diana to the Prince of Wales
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...
in 1981.
Shand Kydd and her husband separated in June 1988 after he left her for a younger woman. They were later divorced. Shand Kydd blamed the pressure of media attention for the breakdown of the marriage. She was well respected on the island and was known for taking long walks and for her love of fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. Peter Shand Kydd died in 2006.
In 1996, Shand Kydd was banned from driving after being convicted of drunk-driving, but denied she had a problem with alcohol. She and Diana quarrelled in May 1997 after she told Hello!
Hello!
Hello is a weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news and human-interest stories, published in the United Kingdom since 1988. Hello is sister magazine to ¡Hola!, the Spanish weekly magazine launched in Spain in 1944...
magazine that Diana was happy to lose her title of "Her Royal Highness" following her divorce from the Prince of Wales. They were reportedly not on speaking terms at the time of Diana's death.
Diana's death
In the wake of Diana's death, she made a point of visiting the family of Henri PaulHenri Paul
Henri Paul was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He was the driver at the time of the car accident at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed him along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of...
, the driver of the Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
which Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed were in when it crashed in a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
tunnel, killing all three of them. In her eulogy, she stated, "Strange though it may seem, my daughter's funeral was probably the proudest day of my life. Proud of her, proud of my elder daughters who were rock steady in their readings, and my only son who gave the ultimate tribute of brotherly love for her."
Aftermath
In 2002, she testified at the trial of Diana's former butler Paul BurrellPaul Burrell
Paul Burrell, RVM is a former servant of the British Royal Household. He was a footman for Queen Elizabeth II and later butler to Diana, Princess of Wales...
, where she was forced to admit that she and Diana had been estranged for several months before Diana's death. She spent her later years in solitude on Seil
Seil
One of the Slate Islands, Seil is a small island on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, southwest of Oban, in Scotland.Seil has been linked to the Scottish mainland since 1792 when the Clachan Bridge was built by engineer Robert Mylne...
. She converted to Roman Catholicism and devoted herself to Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
.
Death
She died on 3 June 2004 following a long illness that included Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and brain cancer
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, aged 68.
Funeral
Her funeral at the Roman Catholic cathedral in ObanOban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
on 10 June was attended by many of her children and grandchildren, including Princes William (who gave a reading) and Harry
Prince Harry of Wales
Prince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. Their father, her former son-in-law, Prince Charles
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...
, did not attend because he was en route to another funeral—going to Washington to lead the British delegation at the state funeral of former US President Ronald Reagan
Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan
On June 5, 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, died after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade. His seven-day state funeral followed, spanning June 5–11...
the following day.
Titles from birth to death
- The Honourable Frances Roche (20 January 1936 – 1 June 1954)
- Viscountess Althorp (1 June 1954 – 15 April 1969)
- Frances, Viscountess Althorp (15 April 1969 – 2 May 1969)
- The Honourable Mrs. Shand Kydd (2 May 1969 – 3 June 2004)
See also
- Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, 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...
, Frances Shand Kydd's daughter - Maxine RiddingtonMaxine RiddingtonMaxine Riddington is a journalist and co-author of Frances: The Remarkable Story Of Princess Diana's Mother and The Lilac Days. Both books were written in collaboration with Gavan Naden.- Books published :...
, author of the biography Frances