 |
| Consuelo Vanderbilt with her son by Boldini. Image from Wikimedia Commons |
Consuelo Vanderbilt was born on March 2, 1877 in New York. She was the only child of American heir and railroad millionaire William Kissam Vanderbilt with his first wife, Southern belle Alva Erskine Smith, who later emerged as one of the country’s leading suffragette. Her Spanish name paid homage to her Cuban-American godmother, the socialite Consuelo Yznaga
Younger Years: A Secured Upbringing
Alva, more than anything else, wanted her daughter to marry an aristocrat of a gentleman, so she had Consuelo educated entirely at home by governesses and tutors, and subjected her under stringent rules. At an early age, she had to learn foreign languages, as well as music and other disciplines that would make her a great European hostess. She was whipped with a riding crop whenever she disobeyed.
To improve her posture, Alva would make Consuelo wear a steel rod that ran down her spine and fastened over her shoulders and around her waist. Alva would even decide on what clothes Consuelo should wear. Once, when she objected, her mother told her: "I do the thinking, you do as you are told."
A Great Beauty
Consuelo was considered such a great beauty that Sir James Barrie, the playwright behind Peter Pan, once wrote: "I would stand all day in the street to see Consuelo Marlborough get into her carriage." Also, an Oxford undergraduate named Guy Fortescue once recalled how he and his friends was enchanted by her "piquante oval face perched upon a long slender neck, her enormous dark eyes fringed with curling lashes, her dimples, and her tiny teeth when she smiled”. Apart from her looks, Consuelo was also known for her intelligence. She passed both the Cambridge and Oxford entrance examinations!
Consuelo attracted numerous title-bearing suitors following her European debut in 1894. One of the gentlemen was Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, with whom the American heiress instantly developed an aversion after their first meeting.
Alva yearned for no less than the highest-ranking groom possible for Consuelo, so she arranged a meeting between her daughter and the heavily-indebted Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. Consuelo, however, was secretly engaged to American socialite Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd. When she attempted to elope with her fiancé, her mother locked her in her room and threatened to kill Rutherford. When Consuelo still refused to obey her, Alva claimed that she was suffering from a mysterious illness due to her daughter’s stubbornness. The stunt proved to be successful as Consuelo would later acquiesce with her mother.
Engagement and Marriage
Consuelo’s engagement to Charles was leaked to the press by her mother. Alva would also disclose wedding details, from her daughter’s gown down to her undergarment, in her desire to drum up publicity for the upcoming union. Later in life, Consuelo would write about her unhappiness on the morning of her wedding. “I spent the morning of my wedding day in tears and alone; no one came near me. A footman had been posted at the door of my apartment and not even my governess was admitted,” she said before adding, “Like an automaton I donned the lovely lingerie with its real lace and the white silk stockings and shoes…. I felt cold and numb as I went down to meet my father and the bridesmaids who were waiting for me.”
Consuelo married the 9th Duke of Marlborough on November 6, 1895 at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York, City. With her marriage to the American heiress, Charles collected US$ 2.5 million worth railroad stocks. In fact, as soon as the Vanderbilt money flowed in to the Marlborough coffers, immediate restoration works were carried on at Blenheim Palace, the family's crumbling family seat, which had been in steady decline prior to the their marriage.
During their honeymoon, Charles would confess to Consuelo that he only married her for her fortune, that he would never return to America, and that he “despised anything that was not British”. Despite this, the unhappy couple went on to have two children: John Spencer Churchill, later 10th Duke of Marlborough and Lord Ivor Spencer Churchill.
Duchess of Marlborough
Consuelo was adored by the impoverished tenants on her husband’s estate. She would often visit them and offer assistance. She would also be involved in philanthropic activities concerning mothers and children. During the inter-war period, she and Singer Sewing Machine heiress Winaretta Singer-Polignac founded the 360-bed Foch Hospital, which aimed to provide medical care for middle class workers in Paris.
Charles was not the only one who was unfaithful during their marriage as Consuelo also had her share of illicit exploits. Her first lover was alleged to be French artist Paul Hellue, who sketched the duchess in a number of intimate poses. Consuelo’s second lover was rumored to be her husband’s married cousin and a father of two, Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh. They would have eloped to Paris if not for the intervention of Lord Castlereagh’s mother.
The now estranged Consuelo—the Marlboroughs separated in 1906—would also be romantically involved with one more of her husband’s cousins, Hon. Reginald Fellowes, her last documented lover before her divorce with Charles. Fellowes was seven years younger than the duchess.
The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough was divorced in 1921, and their marriage was officially annulled in 1926. Alva personally testified for the annulment, saying that she coerced her daughter into marrying the Duke of Marlborough. "I forced my daughter to marry the duke. I have always had absolute power over my daughter," she told an investigator.
Mrs. Jacques Balsan
Consuelo married her second husband, Lt. Col. Jacques Balsan, on July 4, 1921. This time, she married for love. He was a record-breaking pioneer French balloon, aircraft, and hydroplane pilot who once worked with the Wright Brothers. On the other hand, in spite of their annulment, she maintained a close relationship with the Churchills, particularly the future Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Consuelo died on December 6, 1964 at Southampton, Long Island, New York. She was 87 years old. She was laid to rest beside her younger son, Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill, St Martin's Church, Bladon, Oxfordshire, England.
Consuelo was one of 19th century’s most prominent American “Dollar Princesses” whose family fortune was brought to the British soil in the form of dowry, saving numerous struggling aristocratic families from complete downfall.
.png)
0 Comments