Consuelo Vanderbilt was a willowy beauty of 17 when the 26-year-old Frenchman and future aviation pioneer, Jacques Balsan, first saw her and fell in love. Consuelo was reasonably successful in English society and in her duties as a Duchess, but the simple truth was that she and the Duke were poorly matched in terms of temperament. "I forced my daughter to marry the duke", Alva Belmont told an investigator, adding: "I have always had absolute power over my daughter. The Duke was away fighting in the Boer War and this touching portrait illustrates an intimacy between Helleuand his sitter. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. It is often said that the Dukes nickname, Sunny, was not given because it reflected his personality, but was simply taken from his first courtesy title, the Earl of Sunderland. Before marrying the duke, Consuelo knew she didnt and probably couldnt love him. Paul Csar Helleu (French, 1859-1927), Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough, circa 1900. My mom never told me how her best friend died. It is only a matter of time before Consuelo and the Duke have a marriage in name only. Those in the throng had come to witness the arrival of the bride and groom in the ultimate celebrity wedding: Consuelo Vanderbilt young, beautiful, and one of the two wealthiest young women in the United States at the time, reputedly worth around $4 billion in todays money and Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough and the most eligible peer in Great Britain. Soon, Consuelo was going everywhere with the duke, with Alva giving lavish balls to show her daughter off to both him and society. [9], Determined to secure the highest-ranking mate possible for her only daughter, a union that would emphasize the preeminence of the Vanderbilt family in New York society, Alva Vanderbilt engineered a meeting between Consuelo and the indebted, titled Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, chatelain of Blenheim Palace. The argument carried on for hours, and Consuelo left, depleted and exhausted, with no clear path forward. Mrs. Earl was a long-time resident of Ridgefie Her mother leaked the news to the press right away. The church was covered with flowers, and the bride wore a magical gown of cream satin with a five-foot-long train. And the worst was yet to come. The Duke of Marlborough hadnt been kidding when he said Blenheim needed saving. It was at one of these events that Consuelo happened to run into Winthrop at long last, and they shared a single dance together. If Consuelo said one word out of line, the matriarch was liable to whip the girl with a riding crop. [25], After the annulment of her marriage to the Duke of Marlborough, she still maintained ties with favorite Churchill relatives, particularly Winston Churchill. Though largely embarked upon as a way to facilitate the Anglican duke's desire to convert to Roman Catholicism, the annulment, to the surprise of many, also was fully supported by the former duchess's mother, who testified that the VanderbiltMarlborough marriage had been an act of unmistakable coercion. In 1810 he purchased his first . Almost as soon as she heard about her daughters broken engagement, Alva miraculously recovered from her deathbed, though not enough to treat Consuelo with any warmth in the coming weeks. Vanderbilt inherited a boatload of family money and took control of the Vanderbilt railroad empire. This leads to the uncomfortable truth: The true urgency for the divorce was a betrayal of the first order. On the stand, Alva confessed that I have always had absolute power over my daughter and she admitted she forced Consuelo into the union, begging the judge to grant the divorce for a marriage that had so obviously happened under duress. See more ideas about vanderbilt, marlborough, belle epoque. It was a grueling battle that required years in and out of courtrooms, even with both parties very sure they were doing what was best for them. The day that Winthrop Rutherfurd made Consuelo Vanderbilt his fiance, the young girl was on the edge of heading out on a long European sojourn with her mother, ostensibly to broaden her horizons but really to catch her a husband with a title. She lived in France before World War II, when she and Balsan returned to live in New York. In a flurry, he told Consuelo he still loved her and wanted to elope. Many believed Ivor was actually Winthrop Rutherfurds son, given that the boy had very little resemblance to either the duke or his older brother. Consuelo Vanderbilt Earl, a great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, died on Monday, February 21, 2011 at her home at the age of 107. She was 87 years old when she died. The only daughter of railroad millionaire William Vanderbilt and his formidable wife Alva, Consuelo was pre-destined to marry into the British aristocracy like her godmother Consuleo Yznaga who had married the heir to the 7 th Duke of Manchester. English: Consuelo Vanderbilt, aka Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan and Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, (March 2, 1877 - December 6, 1964), was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt Family, as well as an English aristocrat.She was seen as the ultimate marital prize of the Victorian age. She lends her support to causes relating to child welfare and womens higher education, and comes out strongly for womens suffrage. Other images of Vanderbilt by artist Paul Csar Helleu: Reginald Fellowes is possibly Hon. Consuelo Vanderbilt was one of the most famous heiresses in U.S. history. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Guilt-stricken, Consuelo made a fateful decision. Blenheim Palace, his monumental 300-year-old residence in Oxfordshire, is in terrible shape, ready to devour Consuelos dowry in restoration expenses. Lets just, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Sensational Facts About Louella Parsons, The Queen Of Hollywood Gossip, Swoon-Worthy Facts About Madame Manos, The Unrecognized Royal, Scandalous Facts About Catherine The Great, The Scarlet Empress, Lovestruck Facts About Elisabeth of Romania, The Boy Crazy Princess. On a trip to London in 1894, Alva arranged a meeting for Consuelo, 17, and the duke, 23 . Instead, some said that the real problem was Alvas own infidelity; she had started up an affair with her husbands best friend, Oliver Belmont, and was now openly courting him. Consuelo Vanderbilt was largely dominated by her mother, who was determined that her daughter would make a great marriage like that of her famous namesake. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. With her went some of the last living memories of the Gilded Age of America. Family Her mother is Alva Belmont and her father is William Kissam Vanderbilt I . So instead of holding her ground, the still-teenaged girl asked the emissary to inform Winthrop that she couldnt marry him, and that shed canceled their engagement. The artists daughter believes that the Helleu and Consuelo probably had an affair between 1900 and 1901, which began around the same time as this portrait was created and continued after his return to Paris, where she visited him and sat for him again. We want our readers to trust us. Churchill frequently visited Consuelo in her chateau near Paris into the 1930s. [24] Jacques Balsan died in 1956 at the age of 88. Privacy Policy, The former director of the Fricks personal collection is to be offered as a highlight of the Old Masters sale in New York, The legends of the sky god who lost an eye, the unborn child who was sewn into his fathers thigh, and more, The story of American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilts celebrity wedding in 1895 and a very personal portrait that she kept until her death, Paul Csar Helleu (French, 1859-1927), Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough, circa 1900. 161 likes. [28], Consuelo Balsan published her insightful but not entirely candid autobiography, The Glitter and the Gold, in 1953. Consuelo is only too happy to move into the charming 15h-century Tudor manor house, Crowhurst. 3 /5. Lady Paget, always short of money, soon became a sort of international marital agent, introducing eligible American heiresses to British noblemen.[10]. Sure that her daughter would try to make a break for it with Winthrop the minute the opportunity arose, Alva controlled Consuelo in a chilling way. And when the duke finally got home from battle, Consuelo had another nasty surprise in store. When he inherited his title two years before they met, he found out he was practically bankrupt. It must have been heartbreaking. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. While this was more than a little ironic given her childhood owning slaves and her motherhood controlling her daughter, it did seem to provoke twinges of feminist guilt in the matriarch, and she showed it by testifying in Consuelos divorce. Under no circumstances would the intelligent and sensitive Consuelo ever have been impressed by the dandyish duke but, in fact, she is in love with another man. Two governesses, one German, one French, have her reading both languages by the age of eight. After learning of the proposal, Alva watches Consuelo like a hawk, intercepts her mail and refuses to allow Rutherfurd into the house.She sweeps Consuelo off to Europe and when Rutherfurd follows, Consuelo is forbidden to see him. John Singer Sargents portrait of the 9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons, painted in 1905. Doctors werent able to operate on it, so Consuelo had to watch as her baby deteriorated and then passed that September at just 57 years old. Instead, Rutherfurd dealt her a heartless betrayal. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. He and Consuelo manage to find time with each other, despite Alvas fixation on a European crown for her daughter, and during a bicycle excursion on Riverside Drive, Winthrop proposes and Consuelo accepts. If it sounds like the lovers were in a hurry, its because they were. That was far from all. In fact, she continued to feed information to the papers about everything from Consuelos gown to the gold fastenings on her undergarments in order to build public excitement in the lead up to the wedding. The hospital also includes a school of nursing and is one of the top ranked hospitals in France, especially for renal transplants. NEW YORK Sir Winston Churchill's mother was one of the liveliest and most controversial women of her time. eugeniagaravani. In 1954, they begin summering in Southampton in the shingled cottage on Ox Pasture Road variously known as Gardenside and Cara Mia. Yet like so many of Consuelos romances, her dalliance with her old lover was going to go up in flames. Consuelos mother Alva was one of the great battle-axes in history, and she was determined to force old money New York families like the Astors to accept the Vanderbilt name into their ranks, despite its brutish nouveau riche associations. (9 votes) Very easy. Consuelo shied away from the world of debutante balls to carve her own path through her ventures in music and business, and has been featured in . Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. But that was just the polite interpretation. When Consuelo Vanderbilt's grandfather died, he was the richest man in America. During the inter-war period, she and Winaretta Singer-Polignac (the Princess de Polignac and Singer Sewing Machine heiress) worked together in the construction of a 360-bed hospital destined to provide medical care to middle class workers. In her autobiography, Consuelo Vanderbilt described how she was required to wear a steel rod, which ran down her spine and fastened around her waist and over her shoulders, to improve her posture. To the ambitious Alva, only a prince or a duke was good enough to marry her daughter and lift up the Vanderbilt dynastywhether Consuelo liked them or not. On 6 November 1895 huge crowds gathered outside St. Thomass Episcopal Church at 5th Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan. It was only much later that she found out the chilling truth. The fallout was unimaginable. Consuelo and the Duke had a second son in 1898 and she is said to have coined the phrase an heir and a spare. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Pronunciation of consuelo with 2 audio pronunciations. She went on to marry the wealthy French aviator Jacques Balsan and continued her charitable endeavours. In fact, it was in one of those courtrooms that Consuelos mother Alva made a heartbreaking confession. History, Literature, mathematics, Latin and science are taught in special Perhaps most harsh, Alva orders creation of a steel brace to run from Consuelos forehead to her waist to ensure correct posture, and, indeed, Consuelo is often praised for her regal carriage. A reasonable enough goalexcept Alva was something of a true brute. Something terrifying was looming. Home page of Morgan Englund Music, an indie artist from Los Angeles. Consuelo Vanderbilt Earl, the last surviving child of William K. Vanderbilt II, builder of the Eagle's Nest estate in Centerport where she spent summers growing up, has died. When he wrote frantic letters, she intercepted and destroyed them. She married Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871-1934) 6 November 1896 in St . Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, Extravagant Facts About Barbara Hutton, The Poor Little Rich Girl, These Stories Of Unforgettable Close Calls Made Our Jaws Drop, Grandiose Facts About Marie Antoinette, The Doomed Queen, Bloody Facts About Ivan the Terrible, The Mad Tsar Of Russia, These Eerie Supernatural Experiences Sent A Chill Down Our Spines, Catherine The Great Was a Mighty EmpressUntil Her Brutal Downfall. The result of this effort is the Foch Hospital, located in Suresnes, a suburb of Paris, France. In fact, such transactions occur with such frequency in the Gilded Age that the New York Times periodically prints a list of the sums changing hands. And the hands of fate had even more cruelties to dish out. Her marriage to the ninth Duke of Marlborough was an international emblem for . She rushed to her husband and confessed everything, hoping now she could finally be free. Nevertheless, by all accounts, Consuelo acquits herself well as the Duchess of Marlborough. For one, William had long kept a mistress, Nellie Neustretter, and Alva was fed up. Reginald Fellowes[20] (the liaison did not last, to the relief of Fellowes's parents),[21] while the duke fell under the spell of Gladys Marie Deacon, an eccentric American of little money but, like Consuelo, dazzling to look at and of considerable intellect. Perfect for readers of Jennifer Robson and lovers of Downton Abbey. Behind the scenes, everything was falling apart. Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, or the rebel heiress as Page 6 as the society rags love to label her, is the 7th descendent of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Passing through Paris on the way home from India in the spring of 1894, Consuelo made her European debut at a ball thrown by the Duc and Duchesse de Gramont. Scattered foxing. Thanks for your help! In 1921, when the Duke marries Gladys there is finally a divorce and that same year, 27 years after that first encounter, Consuelo and Balsan are married--finally a marriage of love. July 5, 2017 11:41AM. Consuelo lived in Greenwich, Connecticut 06836, USA. Gladys and Consuelo may have been friends, but that didnt stop the socialite from stabbing Consuelo right in the back. 1. When the infamous Vanderbilt divorce officially went through, high society couldnt help gossiping about what was going on. 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