Georgina, Lady Kennard (née Wernher; formerly Phillips; 17 October 1919 – 28 April 2011) was a British aristocrat who was considered "one of the best connected women in the country."[1] She was connected to many prominent families such as the royal family and the Mountbattens, Grosvenors, Hamiltons and Burnetts and the Russian imperial family.
Lady Kennard | |
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| Born | Georgina Wernher 17 October 1919 |
| Died | 28 April 2011 (aged 91) |
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Early life
editGeorgina Wernher was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 17 October 1919, the second child and elder daughter of Sir Harold Augustus Wernher, 3rd Bt, and Countess Anastasia de Torby.
She was a maternal granddaughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia (grandson of Tsar Nicholas I and first cousin of Tsar Alexander III), and also claimed direct descent from the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin and the Afro-Russian military officer Abram Petrovich Hannibal. The family's country home was Luton Hoo.[2] Gina "came out" as a debutante in the 1937 "coronation" season, aged only 17 but already having completed her education with studies in domestic science.[3]
On 10 October 1944, Gina Wernher married Lt.-Col. Harold "Bunny" Phillips (1909–1980), a former lover of Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. They had five children:
- Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn known as 'Sacha' and was god-daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten (27 February 1946 – 9 December 2018)
- Nicholas Harold Phillips (23 August 1947 – 1 March 1991)
- Fiona Mercedes Burnett (born 30 March 1951), mother of Alexander Burnett
- Marita Georgina Crawley (born 28 May 1954)
- Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster (born 8 May 1959), mother of Lady Edwina Snow and Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster
Lady Kennard's first husband, Harold Phillips, died in 1980. She was remarried in 1992 to Sir George Arnold Ford Kennard, 3rd Bt. (1915–1999).
Lady Kennard died at her home in London on 28 April 2011 aged 91 years old.
Ancestry
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References
edit- ^ Allen, Richard (1 May 2002). "Confidante who lived next door". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Trevelyan, Raleigh (2012). Grand Dukes and Diamonds: The Wernhers of Luton Hoo. Faber and Faber. passim. ISBN 9780571290307.
- ^ "Brainy Debutantes". The West Australian. 20 April 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
A debutante of only 17 is Miss Georgina Wernher, elder daughter of Sir Harold and Lady Zia Wernher and granddaughter of the Grand Duke Michael of Russia. Although fond of hunting and travelling, Miss Wernher has been sensible enough to complete her education with a course of domestic science.