Georgina Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk

Georgina Susan Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (born 30 January 1962), is the ex-wife of Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk.

Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk
Born
Georgina Susan Gore

(1962-01-30) 30 January 1962 (age 62)
OccupationPaint specialist (formerly)
Spouse
(m. 1987; div. 2022)
Children
Parent(s)John Gore
Serena Mounsey

Early life and family

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She was born Georgina Susan Gore, the younger daughter of John Temple ("Jack") Gore (1931-2018) and his first wife, Serena Margaret Mounsey. Her parents divorced in 1969.

Jack Gore was very distantly connected to the Earls Temple of Stowe[1] and was descended from Sir John Gore, Lord Mayor of London.

Her paternal grandmother, Lady Barbara Montgomerie (23 August 1909 – 1992), was the eldest daughter of Archibald Montgomerie, 16th Earl of Eglinton, by his former wife Lady Beatrice Dalrymple, daughter of the 11th Earl of Stair.[2]

Georgina's elder sister Charlotte Gore married Major Sir Hervey James Hugh Bruce-Clifton, 7th Bt. and her elder brother Christopher Gore (d. 2015) was remarried to Catherine Dickens, a descendant of the novelist Charles Dickens, and lived in Hungary.[3]

Personal life

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Georgina worked as a paint specialist at Colefax & Fowler before her marriage.[4]

She married Edward Fitzalan-Howard, then Earl of Arundel and Surrey, son of Miles Stapleton-Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk, and his wife, Anne Mary Teresa Constable-Maxwell, on 27 June 1987 at Arundel Cathedral; the wedding had 800 guests including, the Princess of Wales (a personal friend of the groom). The couple moved into the East wing of Arundel Castle after marriage.[5]

They have five children (three sons and two daughters):

  • Henry Miles Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel (born 3 December 1987); he is heir apparent to his father's titles.
  • Lady Rachel Rose Fitzalan-Howard (born 10 June 1989)
  • Lord Thomas Jack Fitzalan-Howard (born 14 March 1992)
  • Lady Isabel Serena Fitzalan-Howard (born 7 February 1994)
  • Lord Philip Fitzalan-Howard (born 14 July 1996)

Lord Arundel succeeded to the Dukedom of Norfolk in 2002, and Lady Arundel then became the Duchess of Norfolk. As duchess, she stood in for Queen Elizabeth II in rehearsals for the State Opening of Parliament.

The Duke and Duchess separated in 2011, but were reconciled by 2016, only to split up again; their divorce became final in 2022.[6] Since her divorce, she has been styled Georgina, Duchess of Norfolk.

Charitable work

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The Duchess is patron of a number of charities, including:

  • DePaul International[7]
  • Ferring Country Centre[8]
  • NSPCC South and Mid Sussex branch
  • Arun Choral Society
  • Arun Young Musicians
  • Home-Start Hampshire.

Honours

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She is a Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex.

References

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  1. ^ Jack Gore was very distantly connected to the Earls Temple of Stowe, sharing common ancestry through Edward Gore (d. April 1801) and his wife Barbara Browne, a descendant matrilineally of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. Edward Gore was descended from Sir John Gore (d. 1636), Lord Mayor of London in 1624 (The common ancestry with the Gore baronets and the other two peerages held by the family goes back further to Sir John Gore's elder brother Sir Paul Gore (1567-1629), who received a baronetcy in 1622. Paul was an ancestor of the Earls of Arran via his second son Arthur, the barons Harlech via the third son of this same second son, and the Gore-Booth baronets via his fourth son Francis). However, John Temple Gore is not in remainder to any of these titles.
  2. ^ The 16th Earl of Eglinton and his Countess were married in 1908 and divorced in 1922 after producing five children, after which the Earl remarried and had further children. Lady Barbara's grandparents, the 11th Earl of Stair and his wife Susan Harriet Grant-Suttie, also divorced in 1905; they were married in 1878, producing two children.
  3. ^ Foster, Nick (23 February 2012), The Allure of Lakeside Hungary, The New York Times, archived from the original on 29 December 2017, retrieved 3 December 2012
  4. ^ Helen Harrison. "Out of the ruins" Daily Telegraph, 7 April 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  5. ^ Harrison
  6. ^ Davies, Caroline (10 September 2022). "Earl marshal: the duke coordinating the Queen's funeral and King's coronation". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Duchess of Norfolk at launch". Classic Chicago. 14 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Meet the team". Ferring Country Centre. 5 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Duke of Calabria honours the Duchess of Norfolk with the Constantinian Order in recognition of her service to the St Thomas Fund - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George". 16 November 2002.
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  • Helen Harrison. "Out of the ruins" Daily Telegraph, 7 April 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2012. Discusses Arundel Castle's kitchen garden and other improvements.