I was back after all those years to hear Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, brother to the late Princess Diana, talk of his ancestral home; Althorp in Northamptonshire and family.
"Ladies," he looked around the room of some 200 ladies seating and continued: "And ladies!"
The Earl explained how the Spencer family's wealth derived from their profitable sheep farming in the Tudor era. He demonstrated through a slide show, how a family room with a pink and gold theme was changed into a calm blue and cream colour scheme with stylish furniture around the room and paintings of ancestors hanging proportionately on the walls. The designer was his stepmother at the time; the Raine Countess of Dartmouth. She was the daughter of the late, colourful romance storyteller; Barbara Cartland who by the mid-1990s was named the top-selling author by the Guinness Book of Records, having sold over a billion books as she got titled 'The True Queen of Romance' by Vogue.
Earl Spencer was tall, with salt and pepper hair and very much reminded me of a younger Bill Clinton. Somewhat charismatic and engaging, with a certain 'je ne sais quoi' aristocratic detached way about him.
It was impressive to hear him talk of his appreciation of the strong line of women in his family.
A few notes from the talk...
Sara, the anti-monarchist, falls out with Queen Ann due to her bad temper.
To Lady Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, a gambler; known to have a bible on the table and a pack of cards in her hands.
'I do understand as my grandmother loved playing cards and it is a great past-time for my mama and her friends too. Then again, there is gambling and there is gambling.' Oops, sorry I interrupted the Earl's talk...
To Charlotte, the Fairy Queen with elegance, charm and beauty who was one of the first feminists of her time. 'We like that.'
Sissy, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, unhappily married, had a captain lover in England. Sissy was a skilled rider and travelled with her gym, keeping fit at the time. She was killed on Lake Geneva by an anarchist for no particular reason but for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. 'For someone who seemed cold-hearted, she wrote with so many feelings.' He added about this ancestor.
Throughout there was mention of many of the male ancestors being very much in love with their wives and showing their affection to them in public (One never knows what goes on behind closed doors though).
His grandmother Lady Cynthia Hamilton; 'a special lady', daughter of an Irish Duke, confidante to the late Queen Mother, looked after the sick and was involved in many charities.
And there was of course the painting of the late 'Princess Diana' by Nelson Shanks when separating from Prince Charles, there was such sadness in her eyes. I have, as it happens, written about this Special Lady previously in my blog.
'Good taste is authenticity... And authenticity is good taste', The Earl quoted and finished by saying: "My role is being the manager, curator of keeping the house going. I'm by essence a historian."
Cynthia, the lady in charge of organising these informative talks, stepped on the platform with a microphone to thank her friend, the Earl and direct the ladies to where his books were being sold at the back of the lavish room with grand chandeliers, followed by a signing in the front of the room where Earl Spencer would be seated at a desk.
'Perfect,' I thought and took my time to admire the magnificence of the architecture that surrounded me, went on to take some photos of the massive paintings on each side of the columned hallway.
Photography session over... I returned to the room, to purchase my copy of 'Althorp' and queued to watch the ladies ahead of me, very well-mannerly, approach the Earl, get their copies signed, take a photo standing at an appropriate distance and have their photos taken leaning somewhat towards their 'man of the hour'. Well, he was. I happen to be the last in the long queue of some hundred and fifty ladies. Of course, I had forgotten to write my name so I spelt it out to Earl Spencer.
"It's Haldita," I said, only slightly flirtatiously.
As he almost finished signing, I said: "I was going to ask if you would kindly put 'To My Darling Haldita'!" What the hell, I thought a little smile could perhaps brighten up his monotonous routine.
He looked at me at a second glance and asked: "Where are you from?"
The photo session was next, so I handed my camera to the first lady across the desk and crossed one hand around the arm of the Earl who was standing by now and we both smiled at the photo.
When I joined Sue who was smiling all along from across the room, she said: "Haldita, only you!"
Haha...
Sue kindly asked me to join her and her dear friend, Dr Marie-Claude Ergener, an admirable, knowledgeable therapist, to lunch at 'Fortnum & Mason' which has been the quintessential English store since 1707.
The three of us sat at lunch in this warm surround and got into deep conversation of most of all how blessed we are to be able to be at peace with ourselves, despite every situation of ups and downs we each have had to deal with.
The words that came out of this beautiful Dr MC were soothing to the soul, she said: "The feeling that comes with spirituality is faster healing."
They brought tears to my eyes.
She then continued on...
EACH MOMENT HOLDS A PROMISE. Each moment holds a promise.
Sara, the anti-monarchist, falls out with Queen Ann due to her bad temper.
To Lady Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, a gambler; known to have a bible on the table and a pack of cards in her hands.
'I do understand as my grandmother loved playing cards and it is a great past-time for my mama and her friends too. Then again, there is gambling and there is gambling.' Oops, sorry I interrupted the Earl's talk...
To Charlotte, the Fairy Queen with elegance, charm and beauty who was one of the first feminists of her time. 'We like that.'
Sissy, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, unhappily married, had a captain lover in England. Sissy was a skilled rider and travelled with her gym, keeping fit at the time. She was killed on Lake Geneva by an anarchist for no particular reason but for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. 'For someone who seemed cold-hearted, she wrote with so many feelings.' He added about this ancestor.
Throughout there was mention of many of the male ancestors being very much in love with their wives and showing their affection to them in public (One never knows what goes on behind closed doors though).
His grandmother Lady Cynthia Hamilton; 'a special lady', daughter of an Irish Duke, confidante to the late Queen Mother, looked after the sick and was involved in many charities.
And there was of course the painting of the late 'Princess Diana' by Nelson Shanks when separating from Prince Charles, there was such sadness in her eyes. I have, as it happens, written about this Special Lady previously in my blog.
'Good taste is authenticity... And authenticity is good taste', The Earl quoted and finished by saying: "My role is being the manager, curator of keeping the house going. I'm by essence a historian."
Cynthia, the lady in charge of organising these informative talks, stepped on the platform with a microphone to thank her friend, the Earl and direct the ladies to where his books were being sold at the back of the lavish room with grand chandeliers, followed by a signing in the front of the room where Earl Spencer would be seated at a desk.
'Perfect,' I thought and took my time to admire the magnificence of the architecture that surrounded me, went on to take some photos of the massive paintings on each side of the columned hallway.
Photography session over... I returned to the room, to purchase my copy of 'Althorp' and queued to watch the ladies ahead of me, very well-mannerly, approach the Earl, get their copies signed, take a photo standing at an appropriate distance and have their photos taken leaning somewhat towards their 'man of the hour'. Well, he was. I happen to be the last in the long queue of some hundred and fifty ladies. Of course, I had forgotten to write my name so I spelt it out to Earl Spencer.
"It's Haldita," I said, only slightly flirtatiously.
As he almost finished signing, I said: "I was going to ask if you would kindly put 'To My Darling Haldita'!" What the hell, I thought a little smile could perhaps brighten up his monotonous routine.
He looked at me at a second glance and asked: "Where are you from?"
The photo session was next, so I handed my camera to the first lady across the desk and crossed one hand around the arm of the Earl who was standing by now and we both smiled at the photo.
When I joined Sue who was smiling all along from across the room, she said: "Haldita, only you!"
Haha...
Sue kindly asked me to join her and her dear friend, Dr Marie-Claude Ergener, an admirable, knowledgeable therapist, to lunch at 'Fortnum & Mason' which has been the quintessential English store since 1707.
The three of us sat at lunch in this warm surround and got into deep conversation of most of all how blessed we are to be able to be at peace with ourselves, despite every situation of ups and downs we each have had to deal with.
The words that came out of this beautiful Dr MC were soothing to the soul, she said: "The feeling that comes with spirituality is faster healing."
They brought tears to my eyes.
She then continued on...
EACH MOMENT HOLDS A PROMISE. Each moment holds a promise.
No comments:
Post a Comment