Alva, having satisfied her own social ambitions as a Vanderbilt, is able now to turn her laser focus on marrying Consuelo into the highest European society. According to canon law, being married against ones will is the only valid claim for annulment and it falls on Alva to offer testimony in her daughters support. . In a flurry, he told Consuelo he still loved her and wanted to elope. But this is no fairy tale. This wedding attracted widespread attention not simply because through it "American royalty" and old stock European royalty combined, but also because so much money was involved on the part of the bride. Later in her life, Consuelo wrote (with the help of a ghostwriter) her autobiography The Glitter and the Gold, where her life with the Duke of Marlborough was the glitter, with all its hollow opulence, and her time with Balsan was the true gold. Estimate: $300,000-500,000. Charles was such a rake that he would often send Consuelo love letters with missives to his other girlfriends attached, along with a request that she kindly forward them along. 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. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. On November 6, 1895, Consuelo Vanderbilt married Charles Spencer-Churchill, aka the 9th Duke of Marlborough, at St. Thomas's Episcopal Church at 5th Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan. Apparently, he felt too attached to her to elope. But before Consuelo could get a word out, disaster struck. At the time Consuelo Vanderbilt married the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1895, she was worth an estimated $4 billion in today's money. Consuelos love Winthrop Rutherfurd had followed her to Europe, and had even called on where she was staying in Paris. As for Consuelos feelings on the matter? Her father soon started to spend the family fortune, enthusiastically supported by Consuelo's mother, Alva, who was determined to take the family to the top of New York societyforcing a heartbroken Consuelo into a marriage she did not want with the underfunded . Her first marriage produced two sons, John Spencer-Churchill, the 10th duke, and Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill. We will update Consuelo Vanderbilt's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. Consuelos marriage to the Duke had been arranged through the machinations of her socially striving mother, Alva, who had long hoped to secure an aristocratic match for her daughter. 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. By the time Consuelo and her second husband Jacques Balsan were happily entering middle age, the duke and Gladys were doing nothing but tormenting each other. 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. William Vanderbilt finds another beneficiary for his indulgences early in the 1890s, when the newspapers reportthat he is in a scandalous liaisonwith another woman.At about the same time, Alva is observed flirting with Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, usually called O.H.P. And soon, the power-tripping Alva turned her gaze on her daughter. The duke proposed to her in her family cottage, but he was more like a dutiful cadet than a passionate lover. The crowds outside the church were testament to the success of her strategy, although when Consuelo and her father arrived late for the ceremony, it was obvious that the bride had been crying. With her went some of the last living memories of the Gilded Age of America. Paid Notice: Deaths EARL, CONSUELO VANDERBILT Published: February 27, 2011 EARL--Consuelo Vanderbilt, a great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, died on February 21, 2011, at the age of 107. In the span of two months, Consuelo had lost two of the people she loved the most, and she was well and truly alone for the first time in her life. He did, however, make sure to show up to the settlement meeting the very next day, where he finalized Consuelos 3-million-dollar dowry. The days of her notoriety are behind her but she has apparently not lost her aristocratic tastes. When they got home from the ball that night, Alva demanded Consuelo see her in her private chambers, ready to give her daughter a piece of her mind. The duchess eventually was smitten with her husband's cousin, the Hon. [30], During World War I, Consuelo Vanderbilt worked as the chair of the Economic Relief Committee for the American Women's War Relief Fund.[31]. SOUTHAMPTON, L. I., Dec, 6Mrs. But Consuelos fianc dealt her a cruel snub. As such, the birth of Consuelos first son helped free Winston to go into politicssomething he was apparently very grateful for, and the pair became fast friends. The dream home of 26,000 square feet is called Casa Alva, in honor of her mother. 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. 1956 was a horrific year for Consuelo. When the duke arrived home from the conflict, she coolly informed him that she had been sleeping with his cousin, and that she never wanted to see him in her bedroom ever again. And the hands of fate had even more cruelties to dish out. Mrs. Earl was a long-time resident of Ridgefie It would be nearly another 26 years before the two would finally marry in 1921 and Consuelo would find happiness with Jacques in France, and later in Southampton. The very next day, Consuelo rushed to the arms of her lover, hopeful that her whole future was before her. In her newfound freedom, she is also able to take activist stands on issues important to her. C.Z. 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. Over the years, the bankrupted dynasty had had to sell off masses of furnishings and possessions, so that now the stately home was only a husk. Eventually, karma came for him. The Duke is said to have collected $2.5 million (more than $25 million today), delivered in valuable railroad stock. While Consuelo had been no saint throughout the course of her marriage, the Duke of Marlborough certainly hadnt treated her properly, either. The Vanderbilt family fortune was once equal to $185 billion. 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. She quickly swooped in to separate the pair as soon as possible, foiling any plans they might have made. Helleu was cultured, sophisticated and witty, and was a friend to Consuelo during a lonely time in her life. Mrs. Balsan, widow of Lieut. 1. 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. their appropriation quickly dissipated when it turned out that by the time william k. vanderbilt inherited the family fortune (his share enlarged considerably thanks to alva's clever manipulation of her father-in-law), willie ended up with 50 per cent of his father's residuary estate ($65 million) instead of the meagre $10 million earmarked for Consuelo Vanderbilt was the richest American heiress to marry into British aristocracy. The argument carried on for hours, and Consuelo left, depleted and exhausted, with no clear path forward. It worked: In 1921, Consuelo became a free womanand she wasted no time enjoying that freedom. Catching Up With Morgan Englund. The dream home of 26,000 square feet is called Casa Alva, in honour of her mother. The matchmaker was a minor American heiress turned major English hostess, Lady Paget, the wife of Sir Arthur Paget. But the Duke had a dark side he was hiding from Consuelo. . 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. Stock#48098. She did, however, get one last tragic chance with him. When he inherited his title two years before they met, he found out he was practically bankrupt. She is a member of famous Actor with the age 87 years old group. From the day of Consuelos birth, Alva harbors the highest social goals for her only daughter, but as long as Consuelo remains a young girl, she is allowed some freedom to enjoy her very privileged surroundings. Although the teenage Consuelo was opposed to the marriage arranged by her mother, she became a popular and influential Duchess. Three Vanderbilt health care leadersAndr L. Churchwell, C. Buddy Creech and Consuelo H. Wilkinshave been recognized by the "Nashville Business Journal" with 2021 Health Care Innovation Awards. Growing up a Vanderbilt was a hugely privileged position for Consuelo. Except her mother was just getting started. As they traveled out for their vacation to Europe, Consuelo watched her new husband preen at all the congratulatory letters he was getting from other members of the nobility, including from Queen Victoria herself. Consuelo bears two treasured sons and forges a deep friendship with the young Winston Churchill, her husbands cousin, who would, in fact, have succeeded her husband as the next duke, had she failed to produce a son. It was a total nightmare. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. 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