Lady Mary Whitley

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Lady Mary Ilona Margaret Whitley, née Cambridge (24 September 1924 - 13 December 1999) was a descendant of the British Royal Family. She was the only child of the 2nd Marquess of Cambridge.

1 Early life
2 Life During The War
3 Marriage & Family
4 Personal Information
5 References

[edit] Early life

Lady Mary was born in London to the Earl and Countess of Eltham, later the 2nd Marquess and Marchioness of Cambridge. She was a great-great-great-granddaughter of King George III, as well as being related to the Dukes of Westminster, Earl of Athlone, and the Royal Family. Her father was nephew to Queen Mary, the consort to King George V, making her a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II.

Lord and Lady Eltham lived on the edge of Hyde Park, London, near Lord Eltham's cousin and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of York. The young Lady Mary was educated at home under the supervision of her grandmother, nanny, and governess. During her free time, Lady Mary would play with her friends. Often Mary would be invited to play with her second cousins, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret of York, who lived near her by Hyde Park. She would also play with The Hon. George and Gerald Lascelles, the children of the Princess Royal, and therefore also her second cousins, when they were in London.

When not in London, Mary would stay with her maternal grandparents in Berkshire.

[edit] Life During The War

For the duration of the London Blitz the Cambridges sent Lady Mary to stay with her maternal grandparents at Hodcott House, near West Ilsley in Berkshire. Near her were her cousins the Yorks and Harewoods, who were staying at Windsor Castle. Her parents remained in London, as her father was a director of Coutts & Company, a banking firm, in the City of London. When Lady Mary was older, toward the end of the war, she became a volunteer nurse in the blitzed area of London.

[edit] Marriage & Family

On 9 November 1951, Lady Mary married Peter Whitley (22 October 1923-25 January 2003) in Kirtling, Newmarket, Suffolk, England. After marriage, the couple were given the Lord Cambridge's London townhome in St. James' Square, where Lady Mary's daughter still lives. Peter gained a job at the same bank as his father-in-law, Coutts & Company, and also made director before his retirement in 1985. The couple had two children:

Sarah Elizabeth Whitley {born 30 November 1954), who married Timothy Felton (born 8 March 1954} on 18 September 1982 and has two children: Emily Ilona Felton (born 21 July 1985) and Chloë Amanda Felton (born 17 June 1987).
Charles Francis Peter Whitley (born 10 September 1961), who married Diana Hewitt (born 8 November 1953) on 25 May 1991. They have no children.

[edit] Personal Information

Lady Mary regularly attended major royal occasions, but like her father she did not carry out royal duties. Lady Mary participated in the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, and attended the Trooping of the Colour every year between 1950 and 1999 (excluding 1955 when it was cancelled due to a rail strike). She attended the following royal marriages: the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer (1981); Princess Anne to Captain Mark Phillips (1972) and to Commander Timothy Laurence (1992); Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson (1986); and Prince Edward to Sophie Rhys-Jones (1999).