The less heartwarming part? It was designed as a love nest by Maurice Fatio. To the world outside of that church, though, the marriage still looked like a triumph. American socialite heiress, Duchess of Marlborough. As such, the little heiress heralded a generation of beautiful creatures with pearls on their necks and gold in their veins; she was even named after her mothers childhood best friend, the famous socialite Consuelo Yznaga. Consuelo Vanderbilt had no interest in the duke, being secretly engaged to an American, Winthrop Rutherfurd. She later became involved with other philanthropic projects and was particularly interested in those that affected mothers and children. One writer said he and his friends were enamoured by "her dimples, and her tiny teeth when she smiled." Consuelo was quite a catch, future dowry notwithstanding. The eldest child and only daughter of the main Vanderbilt heir William and his wife Alva, Consuelo was all the hopes of the Gilded Age of America rolled into one. (9 votes) Very easy. Besides basically telling her that she amounted only to a big bank account, Consuelos new husband revealed his real feelings. A product of the 1960's and 70's, he is influenced by the music of the times. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. Three Vanderbilt health care leadersAndr L. Churchwell, C. Buddy Creech and Consuelo H. Wilkinshave been recognized by the "Nashville Business Journal" with 2021 Health Care Innovation Awards. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. "[9] She came to embody the "slim, tight look" that was in vogue during the Edwardian era. A separation was one thing, but Consuelo and the duke wanted to go whole hog and file for divorce. A cartoon in the New York papers satirising the wedding showed Consuelo kneeling next to the Duke in her wedding gown with her hands handcuffed behind her back and attached to a chain being held by her mother. But the Duke of Marlborough was really a snake in the grass. The dream home of 26,000 square feet is called Casa Alva, in honour of her mother. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. She was the only daughter of railroad millionaire William Kissam Vanderbilt and his wife, southern belle and suffragist Alva Erskine Smith. So they carried on a courtship right under Alvas nose, with Rutherfurd even sending Consuelo a single red rose on her 18th birthday. See more ideas about vanderbilt, marlborough, belle epoque. [4] Her mother was abusive and whipped her with a riding crop for minor infractions. In fact, she and Balsan went way back. The son of an impoverished farmer and boatman, Vanderbilt quit school at age 11 to work on the waterfront. Vanderbilt was born to Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880-1925), a railroad heir, and his second wife, Gloria Laura Mercedes Morgan (1904-1965), who was 19 years old when she gave birth. But this American princess and "million dollar duchess" didn't get a happy endingshe got an utter nightmare. November 6, 1895 at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in the most prestigious Gilded Age wedding. In a story with a happy ending, this would be where the heiress got her hearts desire and married the man of her dreams despite her mothers objections. Consuelos marriage to the Duke had been arranged through the machinations of her socially striving mother, Alva, who had long hoped to secure an aristocratic match for her daughter. Consuelo Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family, a family of Dutch origin who gained prominence during the Gilded Age because of her great grandfather Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had great success with shipping and railroads and built an empire. Sure that her daughter would try to make a break for it with Winthrop the minute the opportunity arose, Alva controlled Consuelo in a chilling way. But, her parents had divorced in 1895 when Consuelo was only 18 and this drastically changed her fate. She is a member of famous Actor with the age 87 years old group. In 1898, Consuelo gave birth to another son, Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill, fully completing her duty by providing her husband withas she often wryly quippedan heir and a spare. In truth, Alva had known about his mistress Nellie Neustretter for years. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. As for Consuelos feelings on the matter? They simply didnt believe Alva would have given up her hard-won position for Oliver Belmont or anyone else. When Consuelo woke up the next morning, it was to gut-wrenching news. Via/ Wiki Commons. In certain echelons of New York societythe upper onesthe birth of Consuelo Vanderbilt in 1877 was akin to the coming of a messiah. Nonetheless, there was one cousin of her husbands that Consuelo really got along with. And that was just what was going on in public. As plans for the massive, extravagant, and expensive wedding coalesced, Consuelo and her mother held a rehearsal to make sure everyone in the wedding party knew exactly what to do on the big day. Once, while Marlborough was away fighting in the Boer War, Consuelo took up with his cousin Freddie Guestwho was, in fact, staying at Blenheim as a guest. A rich American Vanderbilt who became Duchess of Marlborough in a marriage of convenience and then, in a marriage for love, became French, tells of her life of privilege as one who saw it as an anachronism. It was only much later that she found out the chilling truth. [2] It was only a matter of time before it spiraled. It all started, perhaps, with a high society invitation. As it turned out, Consuelo nailed it: She arrived in England as the toast of the town, and commoners and aristocrats alike fell in love with her. Consuelo is just one of nine American girls who make such a marriage in 1895. Over the years, the bankrupted dynasty had had to sell off masses of furnishings and possessions, so that now the stately home was only a husk. But this is no fairy tale. . No, she died on 12/06/1964, 58 years ago. Without apparent embarrassment she states: I forced my daughter to marry the Duke. And then there were Consuelos unpleasant duties. He reportedly accumulated a $100 million fortune by the. Consuelo Vanderbilt & the Duke of Marlborough It perhaps all started with Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the Duke of Marlborough in 1895. In fact, she continued to feed information to the papers about everything from Consuelos gown to the gold fastenings on her undergarments in order to build public excitement in the lead up to the wedding. And the hands of fate had even more cruelties to dish out. John Singer Sargents portrait of the 9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons, painted in 1905. Consuelo and the Duke had a second son in 1898 and she is said to have coined the phrase an heir and a spare. He and Consuelo manage to find time with each other, despite Alvas fixation on a European crown for her daughter, and during a bicycle excursion on Riverside Drive, Winthrop proposes and Consuelo accepts. Consuelo viewed her upcoming nuptials like a funeral marchbut the preparations themselves were just as nightmarish. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. As if that humiliation werent enough, the Dukes true feelings soon became obvious. Consuelo Vanderbilt was born on March 2, 1877 in New York City, New York, USA. Why was this beauty unfortunate? This wedding attracted widespread attention not simply because through it "American royalty" and old stock European royalty combined, but also because so much money was involved on the part of the bride. Later, Consuelos summers are spent at Newport in the colossal Marble House, a grandiose mansion, also designed by William Morris Hunt, and completed in 1892. While this was more than a little ironic given her childhood owning slaves and her motherhood controlling her daughter, it did seem to provoke twinges of feminist guilt in the matriarch, and she showed it by testifying in Consuelos divorce. Consuelo found the Duke cold, snobbish and image-obsessed. Moving in the same circles as the dashing Jacques Balsan, over the years, Consuelo has often been in the presence of the man who first fell in love with her when she was the unattainable pawn in her mothers marital maneuvers. Consuelo Vanderbilt Earl, a great-great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt and an heiress to the family's tremendous railroad fortune who became a notable breeder of Skye and Silky terriers . Eventually, the duke evicted Gladys from the premises and passed in 1934, utterly estranged from his second wife. His nickname, Sunny, was not given because it reflected his personality. That is their last meeting. While she was with the Duke for just over a decade, she is best known for their loveless but socially advantageous marriage. Mrs. Balsan, widow of Lieut. Consuelo Vanderbilt was the richest American heiress to marry into British aristocracy. It is only a matter of time before Consuelo and the Duke have a marriage in name only. CONSUELO VANDERBILT BALSAN (1877-1964) - THE PAWN Consuelo Vanderbilt was a willowy beauty of 17 when the 26-year-old Frenchman and future aviation pioneer, Jacques Balsan, first saw her and fell in love. That was far from all. Other images of Vanderbilt by artist Paul Csar Helleu: Reginald Fellowes is possibly Hon. Thanks for your help! Just months before their daughters wedding in 1895, Alva and William are officially divorced and a year later Alva becomes Mrs. O.H.P. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. Consuelo couldnt bear the thought of causing fatal stress to her mother, not even if it allowed her to keep Winthrop Rutherfurd. W.K. By the time John Singer Sargent painted his famous portrait of their family in 1905 (below), the cracks had already long begun to show. For her part, Consuelo was given little opportunity to express her own opinion on the matter. His portrait is particularly important among the many that exist of Consuelo, because it is the most personal of them all. Consuelo Vanderbilt Earl, the last surviving child of William K. Vanderbilt II, builder of the Eagle's Nest estate in Centerport where she spent summers growing up, has died. Mrs. Earl was a long-time resident of Ridgefield, CT. Commodore Vanderbilt was an American financier who. This work is offered in the 19th-Century European Art sale on 26 October at Christies in New York. But all that glitters is very much not gold. They were blissfully happy together, with Balsan doting on his wife. Consuelo lived in Greenwich, Connecticut 06836, USA. In her newfound freedom, she is also able to take activist stands on issues important to her. The Duke needs all the money he can get. She quickly swooped in to separate the pair as soon as possible, foiling any plans they might have made. Nor had he written, or called, or done anything to hold onto the promise they had made each other that day. His lyrics speak to the heart through Consuelo had, in fact, been secretly engaged to someone else before accepting the Dukes proposal she was persuaded to break the engagement by her mother, who claimed it had caused her to suffer a near-fatal heart attack. Though largely embarked upon as a way to facilitate the Anglican duke's desire to convert to Roman Catholicism, the annulment, to the surprise of many, also was fully supported by the former duchess's mother, who testified that the VanderbiltMarlborough marriage had been an act of unmistakable coercion. Difficult. Dancy Mason is the Editor-in-Chief at Factinate. "[29], Consuelo Balsan died at Southampton, Long Island, New York, on December 6, 1964. Consuelo Vanderbilt was a willowy beauty of 17 when the 26-year-old Frenchman and future aviation pioneer, Jacques Balsan, first saw her and fell in love. A reasonable enough goalexcept Alva was something of a true brute. Except her mother was just getting started. Churchill commiserates with Consuelos marital unhappiness and as Consuelo and the Duke grow further and further apart, Churchill is her ally in negotiating an official separation in 1906. The duke decided he didnt need to attend the rehearsal, especially since he thought the American custom was vulgar. When it finally came, it was a high-society tragedy. It is managed by the Fondation mdicale Franco-amricaine du Mont-Valrien, commonly called Foundation Foch. To the ambitious Alva, only a prince or a duke was good enough to marry her daughter and lift up the Vanderbilt dynastywhether Consuelo liked them or not. Two governesses, one German, one French, have her reading both languages by the age of eight. The artists daughter believes that the Helleu and Consuelo probably had an affair between 1900 and 1901, which began around the same time as this portrait was created and continued after his return to Paris, where she visited him and sat for him again. With no alternative, Consuelo masters the difficulties of managing a household with scores of servants, dinners for royalty, elaborate hunting parties and balls. It was a grueling battle that required years in and out of courtrooms, even with both parties very sure they were doing what was best for them. She Was A Golden Child Advertisement After learning of the proposal, Alva watches Consuelo like a hawk, intercepts her mail and refuses to allow Rutherfurd into the house.She sweeps Consuelo off to Europe and when Rutherfurd follows, Consuelo is forbidden to see him. She went on to marry the wealthy French aviator Jacques Balsan and continued her charitable endeavours. Even Consuelos arrival at her new home was an enormous disappointment. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. Consuelo actually had affairs with no fewer than three of the Duke of Marlboroughs cousins over the course of her marriage, to the shock and horror of the respectable Spencer-Churchill family. She actually locked her up in her room, like a princess in a tower, and told any friends who visited that Consuelo wasnt at home. After Consuelos Europe trip wrapped up, she might have thought she would finally be free to exhale. In fact, Churchill had been heir to the Duke of Marlborough until Consuelo and the Duke had their first son in 1897, and freed him to pursue a career in politics. The wedding, set for November 6, 1895, precipitates weeks of excited anticipation for nearly everyone but the heartbroken bride-to-be. Browse 868 consuelo vanderbilt stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. She did, however, get one last tragic chance with him. For one, William had long kept a mistress, Nellie Neustretter, and Alva was fed up. He was a frequent visitor at her chteau, in Saint-Georges-Motel, a small commune near Dreux about 50 miles from Paris, in the 1920s and 1930s, where he completed his last painting before the war. Since Consuelos separation from the duke, her domineering mother Alva had made a strange, late-in-life pivot. Instead, Alva invited the Duke of Marlborough back to America to visit just a couple of months later. Nonetheless, she was the Duchess of Marlborough now, and she laid back and thought of America. 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