Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick
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Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick [1] [2] [3] (10 December 1861–26 July 1938) was a society beauty, and mistress to King Edward VII. [4]
[edit] Royal marriage, affairs
Born Frances Evelyn Maynard, she was the daughter of The Hon. Charles Maynard, the eldest son and heir of Henry Maynard, 3rd Viscount Maynard, whose estates she inherited in 1865, her father having died earlier. At one stage she was considered as a possible wife for Prince Leopold (later Duke of Albany), a younger son of Queen Victoria.
Instead, she married Francis Greville, Lord Brooke, the eldest son and heir of George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick, in 1881. He succeeded to the Earldom in 1893, and they moved into Warwick Castle. They were members of the Marlborough House Set, headed by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.
Following her marriage, she became a socialite, often attending lavish parties and gatherings. She became involved in affairs occasionally with several powerful men, most notably Edward VII. It was not uncommon in the Victorian era for married women of social prominence to become romantically involved with a man higher on the social ladder than her husband. This was often with the husband's knowledge, as it could also assist in his advancing socially or politically, and was considered normal for the times.
Although she was involved in affairs with both men, Lady Warwick's affair with Edward VII is thought to have been mainly a cover for her actual heart-felt relationship with Lord Charles Beresford (later 1st Baron Beresford), for whom she actually had genuine feelings. Being a mistress to Edward VII would not raise eyebrows, nor cause problems, since no one would question him or cause her any grief over the affair, even her husband. However, this was without the knowledge of Edward VII, and when he discovered that she also was involved with Lord Beresford, Edward VII tried to recover an alleged compromising letter that Lady Brooke (Daisy Greville) had written to Beresford, and which was supposedly in the hands of Lady Beresford. The quarrel lasted until Prime Minister Lord Salisbury interfered and both parties reached an agreement. Nevertheless, the relations between Edward VII and Lord Beresford remained weak for the remainder of their lives. [5]
Her main flaw when acting as a courtesan for powerful men was that she rarely kept her affairs private, and when involved with a man of wealth and power, she had a distinct habit of divulging it to others. For her indiscretions and this habit, she earned the nickname "The Babbling Brooke", and she was the inspiration for the popular music hall song "Daisy, Daisy".
Following the Death of Edward VII, and having large debts, she tried to blackmail his son, the new King George V. She threatened to make public a series of love letters written by Edward VII. It was the cunning expertise of Lord Stamfordham that managed to stop publication by arguing that copyright belonged to the King. Daisy found herself outmaneuvered and died virtually penniless.
[edit] Life aside from courtesan
Lady Warwick founded a needlework school at Easton in Essex and Studley Agricultural College for Women. She dabbled with socialism and hosted meetings of trade unionists at Easton Lodge, which she retained as a private residence after moving to Warwick Castle. She created lavish gardens at Easton Lodge, and also kept a small private zoo. The novelist H. G. Wells was a resident of her Easton estate, letting Easton Glebe from 1910 to 1928.
During the 1890s, Lady Warwick became acquainted with the novelist Elinor Glyn, whom she introduced into British society.
