Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry

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Alexander Charles Robert Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry (b. 7 September 1937) is a British nobleman.

He is the son of Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902-1955) and his wife, the former Romaine Combe (died 1951).

When his father died in 1955, he became Marquess of Londonderry at the age of 18. He renovated the family estate, Wynyard Park, County Durham, which Nicholas Pevsner has described as "the most splendid 19th century mansion house in the county." Wynyard was sold by Lord Londonderry in 1987 and is now owned by the property developer Sir John Hall.

While he was a student, Lord Londonderry ran a jazz band called the Eton Five. His first wife, whom he married in 1958, was Nicolette Elaine Katherine Harrison, daughter of Michael Harrison, a stockbroker, and his Latvian-born wife Baroness Maria Koskull.[1]

Lady Londonderry gave birth to two daughters, Lady Sophia (b. 23 February 1959) and Lady Cosima (b. 25 December 1961) and a son, James, styled Viscount Castlereagh. However, Lord Londonderry later proved the boy was not his biological child but that of the singer Georgie Fame, and the Londonderrys divorced in 1971. Lady Cosima later claimed that her biological father was actually Robin Douglas-Home, nephew of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the former Prime Minister [2]. Nicolette wed Georgie Fame [3] in 1972, and they had another son together, Tristan. She committed suicide on 13 August 1993 by jumping off Clifton Suspension Bridge.

His second wife was Doreen Patricia Wells, former principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, whom he married in 1972. They had two sons, Frederick Aubrey Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (b. 6 September 1972) and Lord Reginald Alexander Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b. 1977).

Lord Reginald is married to Chloe Guinness, daughter of William Loel Seymour Guinness and niece of Lindy, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, and has issue: Robin Gabriel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (b. 29 May 2004).

[edit] References

ThePeerage.com
Wynyard Hall official site
The Independent newspaper