The duke decided he didnt need to attend the rehearsal, especially since he thought the American custom was vulgar. The Duke is said to have collected $2.5 million (more than $25 million today), delivered in valuable railroad stock. But before Consuelo could get a word out, disaster struck. That was far from all. Before joining the team, she worked as a course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature. A reasonable enough goalexcept Alva was something of a true brute. This leads to the uncomfortable truth: The true urgency for the divorce was a betrayal of the first order. It was designed as a love nest by Maurice Fatio. [17], The new duchess was adored by the poor and less fortunate tenants on her husband's estate, whom she visited and to whom she provided assistance. Within a month, she had received five marriage proposals from various European suitors. 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. John Singer Sargents portrait of the 9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons, painted in 1905. When I issued an order nobody discussed it. A separation was one thing, but Consuelo and the duke wanted to go whole hog and file for divorce. Inside, the cream of New York society (minus most of the Vanderbilts) watches the weeping bride approach the altar like a lamb to the slaughter. [18] She was also a social success with royalty and the aristocracy of Britain. Consuelo Vanderbilt & the Duke of Marlborough It perhaps all started with Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the Duke of Marlborough in 1895. When they were married the duke was 23. 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. When the day arrives, 300 policemen line the street in front of St. Thomas Church where thousands of spectators have gathered. This work is offered in the 19th-Century European Art sale on 26 October at Christies in New York. Her defiance of her mother had caused Alva to have a heart attack, and the matriarch was currently clinging to life in her bedroom. Travel is her escape, Paris her favorite destination, and there she is often able to enjoy the company of her exuberant father. The entire time that they were in Europe, Alva had one man on her mind: Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, the ninth Duke of Marlborough. She refers to it as her fathers house, the place where she spends the early summers and autumn months of her childhood crabbing, fishing in the Connetquot River, and learning to sail. The Glitter and the Gold serves as a compelling and fascinating account of turn-of-the-century aristocratic life from the intimate and candid memoirs of one of America's most famous heiresses, Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, the former Duchess of Marlborough and wealthy daughter of the American Vanderbilt legacy.I decided to read this book after the enthusiastic advise of one of those English blue . Nonetheless, there was one cousin of her husbands that Consuelo really got along with. She lends her support to causes relating to child welfare and womens higher education, and comes out strongly for womens suffrage. And soon, the power-tripping Alva turned her gaze on her daughter. 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 . This was the very definition of a mercenary marriage both Consuelo and the Duke were in love with other people. American socialite heiress, Duchess of Marlborough. In fact, she kept it with her for the remainder of her life, and it has remained with the family since her death. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. And after all that, Alva still had her cruelest card up her sleeveand she was about to play it. Estimate: $300,000-500,000. Guilt-stricken, Consuelo made a fateful decision. Consuelos course of instruction, supervised by her mother, has always bordered on cruelty. 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. But she soon realized something had gone terribly wrong. At first, Consuelos announcement to Marlborough seemed to be successful, and the dukeindifferent to the bitter endeven allowed her to visit Rutherfurd again to decide what she really wanted to do. Mrs. Balsan, widow of Lieut. The church was covered with flowers, and the bride wore a magical gown of cream satin with a five-foot-long train. Stock#48098. She was named for Consuelo Vanderbilt - this part is important later, Consuelo has carved out a life for herself separate from her family's heavy legacy as a singer and entrepreneur. But Consuelo hadnt managed to fool her mother Alva, who cottoned on to what was going on and refused to admit Winthrop that day or any other. 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. 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. She allows Consuelo and her siblings to take over an old bowling alley on the property as a playhouse, but insists the children do all the housework themselves, even the cooking. "[8] Oxford undergraduate Guy Fortescue later described how he and his friends were captivated by her "piquante oval face perched upon a long slender neck, her enormous dark eyes fringed with curling lashes, her dimples, and her tiny teeth when she smiled. And then there were Consuelos unpleasant duties. Even Consuelos arrival at her new home was an enormous disappointment. A Confederate loyalist, Alva was infamous in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama for being a spoiled little girl who enjoyed mistreating the slaves she and her family owned. In Alva Vanderbilts defence, her expectation was that the position of Duchess would be fulfilling for Consuelo because of the influence and prestige that came with it, the like of which she could never have in America. But it also put her in incredibly horrible positions. CONSUELO VANDERBILT BALSAN (1877-1964) - THE PAWN 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. As it turned out, Consuelo nailed it: She arrived in England as the toast of the town, and commoners and aristocrats alike fell in love with her. One of the naughty Spencer-Churchill cousins was Charles, Viscount Castlereagh, and he was more of a piece of work than the Duke of Marlborough himself. 161 likes. [1] The Duke obtained a large dowry by the marriage, and reportedly told her just after the marriage that he married her in order to "save Blenheim Palace", his ancestral home.[2]. She later became involved with other philanthropic projects and was particularly interested in those that affected mothers and children. The dream home of 26,000 square feet is called Casa Alva, in honor of her mother. Thats because before she had an heir with the Duke of Marlborough, none other than his cousin Winston Churchill was next in line to inherit Blenheim. She rushed to her husband and confessed everything, hoping now she could finally be free. And Winthrop Rutherfurd, a young man with an impeccable pedigree and considered the handsomest bachelor in New York society, is in love with her. With no alternative, Consuelo masters the difficulties of managing a household with scores of servants, dinners for royalty, elaborate hunting parties and balls. The Balsans build a villa on the French Riviera but when the Nazis invade France, they are forced to make a daring escape through Spain to Portugal and eventually to the United States where they live the rest of their lives. Consuelo Vanderbilt around 1910. 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. But for all her mid-life happiness, the next decades brought final tragedies to Consuelos story. 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. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. While Consuelos tycoon father William was no saint in the boardroom or the bedroom, there was a much naughtier secret at play. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. 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. The duke proposed to her in her family cottage, but he was more like a dutiful cadet than a passionate lover. [1] She was educated entirely at home by governesses and tutors, and learned foreign languages at an early age. small-scale classes for girls. Instead, Rutherfurd dealt her a heartless betrayal. Alva invites Marlborough to visit Marble House, expecting him to propose to Consuelo. When it finally came, it was a high-society tragedy. Like many of her guests, Alva is photographed in costume beforehand in the studio of photographer Jose Maria Mora, known for his profusion of backdrops and props--including stuffed doves for Alva. Now she went in for the kill. The sweet, stunning Consuelo was barely in her teen years when she began getting offers of marriage from almost every man who met her. They were blissfully happy together, with Balsan doting on his wife. A product of the 1960's and 70's, he is influenced by the music of the times. 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. [19] However, given the ill-fitting match between the duke and his wife, it was only a matter of time before their marriage was in name only. Eventually, karma came for him. In certain echelons of New York societythe upper onesthe birth of Consuelo Vanderbilt in 1877 was akin to the coming of a messiah. Two governesses, one German, one French, have her reading both languages by the age of eight. On 6 November 1895 huge crowds gathered outside St. Thomass Episcopal Church at 5th Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan. It was ghostwritten by Stuart Preston, an American writer who was an art critic for The New York Times. History, Literature, mathematics, Latin and science are taught in special But this is no fairy tale. When they saw her, some of them must have started whispering. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? Just months before the duke proposed, Consuelos mother Alva had filed for divorce from her father William Vanderbiltand the reasons were utterly scandalous. In fact, it was in one of those courtrooms that Consuelos mother Alva made a heartbreaking confession. [24] Jacques Balsan died in 1956 at the age of 88. Her marriage to the ninth Duke of Marlborough was an international emblem for . November 28, 2009 at 2:48 AM . She died on December 6, 1964 in Southampton, Long Island, New York, USA. It is a busy and happy time, though its carefree nature ends with the advent of the Great War. But, her parents had divorced in 1895 when Consuelo was only 18 and this drastically changed her fate. 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. The Duke, who has set a high price on himself and his title, has arrived late for the ceremony after last-minute negotiations to squeeze more from the Vanderbilt fortune. Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan (formerly Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; born Consuelo Vanderbilt; March 2, 1877 December 6, 1964) was a socialite and a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. 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. She was also in love with an American suitor when her mother chose instead for her to marry an English Duke. Another of Alva's friends, Minnie Paget, introduced Consuelo to the eligible Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. 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. When Consuelo Vanderbilt did her duty and produced the required "heir and a spare" for the 9th Duke of Marlborough, she rocked her boys in a regal cradle, which is still on view at Blenheim Palace. During the course of her debutante season, shed met and fallen in love with the handsome Winthrop Rutherfurd, a young man of similaror even greaterNew York social standing as the Vanderbilts. Consuelo Vanderbilt Height, Weight & Measurements At 87 years old, Consuelo Vanderbilt height not available right now. Consuelo Vanderbilt was considered a great beauty, with a face compelling enough to cause the playwright Sir James Barrie, author of Peter Pan, to write, "I would stand all day in the street to see Consuelo Marlborough get into her carriage. Her mothers reaction was chilling. It was only a matter of time before it spiraled. Consuelos mother, Alva, had married William Kissam Vanderbilt, the richest of the very rich Vanderbilts, in 1875. Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan Vanderbilt and his daughter, Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough, at the races in Paris. Feb 11, 2018 - Explore Kathy B Gainey's board "Consuelo Vanderbilt" on Pinterest. 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. Alva Vanderbilt got her wish, and Consuelo and the Duke became engaged in September of 1895. 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