Mary Soames, Baroness Soames
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Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, LG, DBE (born 15 September 1922) is the widow of the Lord Soames.
She was born Mary Spencer-Churchill, the youngest of Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine's five children. As of 2006, she is their last surviving child. She was raised at Chartwell and educated at the Manor House at Limpsfield.
She worked for the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service between 1939 and 1941 and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service with whom she served in London, Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander. She also accompanied her father as aide-de-camp on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-VE trip to Potsdam, where he met with Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin.
She has served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; Church Army and Churchill Houses; and has chaired the Royal National Theatre.
She married the politician Christopher Soames (later created Baron Soames) in 1947 and they had five children: Nicholas (a prominent Tory Member of Parliament and former Shadow Secretary of State for Defence), Emma, Jeremy, Charlotte (now Countess Peel) and Rupert Soames.
Lady Soames was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia.
Lord Soames died in 1987.
She was appointed a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter on 23 April 2005, and was invested on 13 June that year at Windsor Castle.
She is a successful author and she wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, Clementine Churchill, in 1979. She has also offered much insight about the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including Sir Martin Gilbert, who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, Randolph, in 1968. Additionally, she was responsible for a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal family and historical context. Her latest effort is a television series on the many travels of Sir Winston Churchill, which will shortly be shown on American television.
[edit] Titles from birth
A list of the titles Lady Soames held in chronological order from birth:
- Miss Mary Churchill (15 September 1922-1945)
- Miss Mary Churchill, MBE (1945-11 February 1947)
- Mrs Christopher Soames, MBE (11 February 1947-17 May 1965)
- The Hon. Mrs Soames MBE (17 May 1965-19 April 1978)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, MBE (19 April 1978-14 June 1980)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, DBE (14 June 1980-23 April 2005)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, LG, DBE (23 April 2005-Present)
