THE CHRONICLES OF
HER GRACE THE DUCHESS
Duchess
That Face – Frank Sinatra Jr (1944-2016) – recorded in 2006 and
written by Alan Bergman (1925) and Lew Spence (1920-2008)
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In popular usage, the noun Dowager may refer to any elderly widow, especially one of wealth and dignity or aristocratic manner – Wikipedia
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Allow me to illustrate an example of bad behaviour by some with an aristocratic demeanor. In New York City during the 1950s and 1960s, there was a group of elegant, wealthy and influential women who were part of the City’s High Society. They were, at one time, friends with Truman Capote (1924-1984) and had the habit of luncheoning often at La Côte Basque, a restaurant (open from the mid-1950s until 2004) on the northern edge of Midtown Manhattan. He collectively referred to these women as The Swans. Without doubt, these elegant women possessed an aristocratic demeanour and enjoyed the privileges of their position and standing in society. Unfortunately for Mr. Capote, after he wrote an article for a magazine in which he apparently including confidences confided by some of The Swans. The Swans were greatly annoyed by the contents of the article and resulted in a Feud between some of them and Mr. Capote. As a result, he found himself frozen out of New York City’s High Society and those of other places frequented by the ladies.
Truman Capote’s Swans included those shown here: Babe Paley (1915-1978) , Lee Radziwill (1933-2019), Joanne Carson (1931-2015) & Ann Woodward (1915-1975);
also included in the group (not shown here) were Slim Keith (1917-1990),
Gloria Guinness (1912-1980), Marella Agnelli (1927-2019) & C.Z. Guest (1920-2003)
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It needs to be remembered that: Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn! Something, perhaps, all men need to remember!
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Elaine Strich (1925-2014) – The Ladies Who Lunch (1970) from the musical, Company,
written by Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) with the Book by George Furth (1932-2008)
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Now, please allow me to illustrate an example of Her Grace’s aristocratic demeanour: whenever I request that she does something that does not suite her mood and humour at that precise moment, Her Grace will stand erect and looks straight at me and remain motionless, as if miffed that I have dared to interfere with a task that she is enjoying! Should I insist that she has to comply with my wish, I have to make the request again!
Sauntering Back To The House Upon Request
This behaviour is clearly illustrated when I call her back into the house from the garden, her compliance, after a second request, is somewhat amusing. Her Grace will respond by slowly sauntering her way towards the open door, stopping on the way to examine something that has seemingly taken her fancy, and then once satisfied, continues on until she eventually arrives at the open door where I am expected to be in attendance with the door open for her to make her entrance! Here she will remain until asked again to enter! It seems that Her Grace has to be asked TWICE unless the request is food related!
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Her Grace’s demure and graceful behaviour reminds me of the former Duchess of Kent, who was born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She was a much loved member of the Royal Family and deserved the affection given to her. She was the epitome of the word, Lady!
The Duchess of Kent
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Princess Marina was born in 1906 and died from a brain tumour in 1968. She married Prince George (1902-1942) in 1934 who was killed in a plane crash in 1942 while on a mission for the Royal Air Force (RAF).
The Duke & Duchess of Kent
Following her husband death, the Duchess of Kent continued with her work for the Royal Family. She made numerous Royal Trips including and extensive one in 1964 to Australia where she officially opened Gladesville Bridge in Sydney. I mention this since during my travels to Australia, I walked and rode across this bridge many times.
Gladesville Bridge
The Duchess of Kent held high-ranking positions with many organisations including the Presidency of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1943 until her death. However, I think that her Presidency of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (i.e., Wimbledon) was the one for which she is most remembered. It is the tradition for the President of the Club to come onto Centre Court to present the winner of the Gentlemen’s Singles at The Championships with a gold trophy in the form of a cup and the winner of the Ladies Singles with the Venus Rosewater Dish, which is a silver salver.
It is the tradition at Wimbledon for the Ball Boys & Girls to form a line either side of the route followed by the President of the Club to meet the players and officials and make the presentations. The Duchess of Kent upon arriving on Centre Court would meander along her path, often stopping to talk to one of the Ball Boys (there were no Ball Girls during her time) and then move on to talk to one or two more youths. Meanwhile the dignities and players waited patiently for the Duchess to arrive. Apparently no one complained and this act endeared the Duchess of Kent to the public.
The Duchess of Kent talking with the Ball Boys at Wimbledon
At this time, all Ball Boys were from Dr. Barnardo’s Homes.
Ball Girls were introduced in 1977.
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And it is just this walk onto Centre Court that comes to mind whenever Her Grace is asked to comply with one of my requests!
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The Duchess of Kent was given a place in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1960. She was a perfect and ideal example of Style, especially in terms of fashion and manner and set a number of fashion trends during her lifetime. And as I said earlier, she was the epitome of the word LADY. (Alas, her type is rarely seen today.)
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As I have described myself as Her Grace’s Aide-de-Camp in the earlier Fairy Story, I feel duty bound to inform everyone we meet during our walks to explain her behaviour for she barks at them and wants to chase them away. Her Grace is decidedly xenophobic and friendly to the stranger ……….. and, should truth be told, also to those that she knows! The fact that such a small creature is not friendly appears to amuse her admirers who generally want to stroke her which she will graciously allow! Of course, once they pay court to her, she ceases to bark, and they soon realise that Her Grace’s bark is worse than her bite.
However, what Her Grace’s bark is actually meant to imply is to let fellow travelers know that she must be treated in a REGAL manner and that they are obliged to pay court to her!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Mrs Kathy (Katrina) Morkrid for allowing her photograph of Her Grace to appear here.
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Ooh, I just loved reading about Truman Capote’s socialite friends (thanks for all the Wikipedia links). Such juicy stories! I remember reading that Slim Keith was known for having “discovered” Lauren Bacall and for prompting her director husband to cast Bacall opposite Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not. And we all know where that led!
Her Grace’s regal demeanor and independent will strike me as more catlike than doglike. In any case, she’s a great role model for those who lack self-esteem and are too eager to please others. The Duchess rules! I can’t wait for the continuation of her adventures.