Helen Azalea "Poppy" Baring (8 November 1901 – 15 October 1979) was one of the Bright Young Things of the 1920s.[1] She had been the prospective bride of two princes, both times judged not suitable to the match.
Biography
editBaring was born on 8 November 1901, the daughter of Sir Godfrey Baring, 1st Baronet of Nubia House, Cowes, Isle of Wight[2] and Eva Hermione Mackintosh.[3] She was the sixth generation in direct descent from United States Senator William Bingham, once America's richest man, and his wife Anne Willing Bingham. Their daughter married Baring in the first great international social match between an American bride and an English groom.[4]
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In 1921 Albert, Duke of York (the future king George VI), fell in love with Baring, but she had the reputation of being "fast" and fun-loving. He proposed marriage, she accepted, but Queen Mary made it clear that the match was impossible.[5] Six years later, Baring had an affair with Prince George, Duke of Kent, but this time it was the King, George V, who objected to their romance because Poppy was not "suitable".[6][7][8] Nevertheless, Poppy Baring was Prince George's mistress for many years.[2]
Her close friend was Lois Sturt.[9] In October 1925, Baring assisted at the small, and apparently secret, wedding ceremony of Francis Hastings, 16th Earl of Huntingdon, to Christina Casati, daughter of Luisa Casati. After the marriage, Baring and Napier Sturt, 3rd Baron Alington (Lois' brother) accompanied the grooms to Dover.[10]
In 1927 Baring established a dress shop named "Poppy's" in Down Street where she sold the latest fashions.[11][12]
On 17 December 1928 she married William Piers "Peter" Thursby, an Eton cricketer,[13] son of Reverend Harvey William Gustavus Thursby and Margaret Emily Mount.[3][4][14]
Raymund de Trafford was also a close friend of Baring, and went to stay with her soon after his release from prison in 1942.[2]
She died in 1979 at her home in Sandwich, Kent.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Amusing Turns Brighten Coming-of-Age Party". The Winnipeg Tribune: 33. 16 July 1927. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Spicer, Paul (2010). The Temptress: The scandalous life of Alice, Countess de Janzé. Simon and Schuster. p. 84. ISBN 9780857200105. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ a b Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
- ^ a b "Girard's Talk of the Day". The Philadelphia Inquirer: 12. 18 January 1929. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ Williams, Susan (2003). The People's King: The True Story of the Abdication. Penguin UK. p. 81. ISBN 9780141906409. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ Greig, Geordie (2011). The King Maker eBook: The Man Who Saved George VI. Hachette UK. p. 192. ISBN 9781444730265. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Fourth Son of British King in Exile With Broken Heart". Chillicothe Gazette: 10. 21 January 1925. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "No More Dance-Mad Daughters for Queen Mary". The Courier-Journal: 105. 15 February 1925. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ Busby, Paul. "Evan's Ladies No. 2". Hush, Hush: The Peculiar Career of Lord Tredegar. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ Hastings, Selina (2014). The Red Earl: The Extraordinary Life of the 16th Earl of Huntingdon. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 9781408187371. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ Horn, Pamela (2013). Country House Society: The Private Lives of England's Upper Class After the First World War. Amberley Publishing Limited. p. 140. ISBN 9781445635385. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Poppy Baring Sells Frocks in Smart Shop". The Winnipeg Tribune: 53. 29 October 1927. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Miss Poppy Baring's Wedding". The Winnipeg Tribune: 52. 8 December 1928. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ ""The Belle of Cowes" A Bride". The Guardian: 10. 18 December 1928. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Deaths". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 18 October 1979. p. 12.