Anne Abel Smith

Last updated

Anne Abel Smith
Anne Liddell-Grainger 19003.jpg
Born
Anne Mary Sibylla Abel Smith

(1932-07-28) July 28, 1932 (age 91)
Other namesAnne Liddell-Grainger
Spouse David Liddell-Grainger (1957-1996)
Children
  • Ian Liddell-Grainger
  • Charles Montagu Liddell-Grainger
  • Simon Rupert Liddell-Grainger
  • Alice Mary Liddell-Grainger
  • Malcolm Henry Liddell-Grainger
Parents

Anne Abel Smith (born 28 July 1932), formerly known as AnneLiddell-Grainger, is a British aristocrat and Christian charity worker. A great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, she was married for 25 years to Scottish politician David Liddell-Grainger and is the mother of Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger. In her sixties, she attended gospel meetings in Kennington, did missionary work in Africa, and was often invited to Royal Ascot and other functions by the queen. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Anne was born Lady Anne Mary Sibylla Abel Smith to Lady May Abel Smith and Sir Henry Abel Smith in 1932. [2] [3] [4] She was the eldest of their three children and older sister to Richard Abel Smith and Elizabeth. [2] She is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria; her mother was the eldest daughter of the Princess Alice of Albany, who was the eldest daughter of Victoria's youngest son, Prince Leopold. [3] Her grandparents were Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone and Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone. [5]

She attended King's Hall Compton in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, when she was twelve. [6]

Personal life

Anne married David Liddell-Grainger, a Scottish politician, on 14 December 1957. [4] Their wedding ceremony was held in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. [5] [4] Anne was attended by eight bridesmaids, among them Beatrix and Irene of the Netherlands, and Christina of Sweden, [7] and wore a veil made for Queen Mary's wedding [8] and a diamond tiara which was loaned to her by a cousin. [9]

The couple had five children, [1] including Ian Liddell-Grainger, who became the first direct descendant of Queen Victoria to be elected to the House of Commons in 2001. [3]

In 1963, Anne and her husband took ownership of two Pharaoh hounds while vacationing in Malta. In the following years, they made an effort to try to introduce the breed to the United Kingdom; in 1966, only ten Pharaoh hounds were recorded in the United Kingdom, with the couple owning five at Ayton Castle in Scotland. [10]

She divorced David after 25 years of marriage. [1]

Charity work

In a rare interview in 1998, Abel Smith told The Mirror that she was a frequent passenger on board the hospital ship MV Anastasis, paying her own way to join Christian missions to Third World countries as a volunteer. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sayid, Ruki (22 October 1998). "Meet Anne...she's a Brixton charity worker and the Queen's secret cousin". The Mirror. ProQuest   338059072 . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy. Vol. 2. Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co. 1973. p. 513. ISBN   0812902807.
  3. 1 2 3 "Victoria's secret MP". Daily Telegraph. 15 June 2001. Retrieved 15 April 2024 via Gale General OneFile.
  4. 1 2 3 "History of royal weddings at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle". Telegraph Online. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2024 via Gale General OneFile.
  5. 1 2 "Royal wedding 2018: 16th royal wedding in Windsor Castle". Asian News International. New Delhi. 19 May 2018. ProQuest   2041111775 . Retrieved 15 April 2024 via ProQuest.
  6. "Princess Alice in Sherbrooke Today". Sherbrooke Daily Record. 10 March 1945. Retrieved 15 April 2024 via BAnQ numérique.
  7. "Three princesses". The Bulletin. 21 April 1959. p. 11. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  8. "Three Queens, nine princesses, two duchesses at Windsor Wedding". The Bulletin. 16 December 1957. p. 8. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  9. "Was this the most glamorous high-society, white winter wedding ever?". Tatler. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  10. Hunter, Samuel (28 March 1966). "Something New Out of Africa". The Glasgow Herald. p. 8. Retrieved 15 April 2024.