Doris Castlerosse

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Doris Castlerosse
Born
Doris Delevingne

(1900-09-25)25 September 1900
London, England
DiedDecember 12, 1942(1942-12-12) (aged 42)
London, England
OccupationSocialite
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1928; div. 1938)​
RelativesPoppy Delevingne, Cara Delevingne

Doris Browne, Viscountess Castlerosse (née Delevingne; 25 September 1900 – 12 December 1942) was an English socialite and the first wife of Valentine Browne, 6th Earl of Kenmare.[1]

Biography[]

She was born Jessie Doris Delevingne in Streatham, within the south London borough of Lambeth, the eldest child and only daughter of British-born haberdasher of French origin Edward Charles Delevingne and Jessie Marian (née Homan).[2]

She entered the family business as a saleswoman of second-hand dresses, serving theatres in London, and as a result met the actress Gertrude Lawrence, who introduced her into London society.[1] Her lovers, prior to her marriage, included Tom Mitford and American millionaire Stephen "Laddie" Sanford.[3]

She met Browne, then Viscount Castlerosse, when he was working in London, and married him mainly for his social position. They were married on 16 May 1928, and she was thereafter styled Viscountess Castlerosse, becoming familiarly known in society as Doris Castlerosse. Soon afterwards she embarked on an affair with Randolph Churchill, son of the future prime minister.[4]

The viscount and viscountess were childless, and divorced in 1938, with Robert Heber-Percy, a well-known homosexual whom she was allegedly trying to "cure", named as co-respondent.[3] Her other lovers included society photographer Cecil Beaton, and possibly Winston Churchill himself.[4] Churchill had met Doris on holidays in the South of France at the Château de l’Horizon, a villa owned by actress Maxine Elliott. Doris was one of many women whose portraits were painted by Churchill.[5] Churchill's former private secretary, Jock Colville, claimed that the rumours were true in a 1985 interview with Correlli Barnett, however Colville did not become Churchill’s private secretary until 1940, several years after it supposedly took place.[6] Churchill's biographer Andrew Roberts has rejected the likelihood that they had an affair.[7]

In 1940, Doris went to the United States, where she found it difficult to resume her earlier career as a courtesan. In 1942, she obtained Winston Churchill's assistance to return to the UK.[3] On her return she was met by her ex-husband, who, according to some sources, hoped to make a fresh start in their relationship.[5] In debt, no longer socially in demand and under police investigation for illegally selling diamonds,[6] she died of an overdose of sleeping pills at the Dorchester Hotel, in London’s Park Lane.[8]

Through her brother Edward Dudley Delevingne, Doris was the great-aunt of models Poppy Delevingne and Cara Delevingne.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Spence, Lyndsy, "Doris Delevingne : The Mistress of Mayfair". The History Press. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  2. ^ Spence, L. (2016). The Mistress of Mayfair: Men, Money and the Marriage of Doris Delevingne. History Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7509-6965-9.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Doris Delevingne: The Constant Courtesan". The Mitford Society. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Benji Wilson (4 March 2018). "Secret History: Churchill's Secret Affair, review – a good documentary undermined by its own scoop". The Telegraph.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Adam Lusher (26 February 2018). "Did Churchill really fall for Cara Delevingne's great aunt in the villa of Edward VII's former mistress?". The Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Roberts, A. (2018). Churchill: Walking with Destiny. Penguin Books Limited. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-241-20564-8.
  7. ^ Andrew Roberts (26 February 2018). "Don't fall for it: Churchill had no affair with Lady Castlerosse". The Churchill Project. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. ^ Patrick Sawer (25 February 2018). "Revealed: Churchill's secret affair and the painting that could have damaged his reputation". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  9. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. Page 1656.
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