Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury
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Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury (22 May 1938 – c. 5 November 2004) styled Lord Ashley between 1947 and 1961, and Earl of Shaftesbury from 1961 until his death, was a British peer from Wimborne St Giles
, Dorset
, located in South West England
on the coast of the English Channel
. Atty, as he was known to his friends and family, was the son of Major Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley
, and Françoise Soulier.
Ashley-Cooper was the grandson of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
. Ashley-Cooper's father was the heir apparent
to the earldom and its subsidiary titles, but he predeceased his father. His death made his son next in the line of succession. When his grandfather died in 1961, Ashley-Cooper became the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury
, Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles and Baron Cooper of Pawlett
.
The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury was a wealthy landowner of over 9000 acres (36.4 km²) in East Dorset
, and received honours and awards for his philanthropic
and conservationist
work, which included planting over a million trees in South West England. He served as president of the Shaftesbury Society
, pursuing the same goals of his second great grandfather, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, who had founded the organization as Ragged Schools in 1840. He also served as the vice president of Sir David Attenborough
's British Butterfly Conservation Society
.
In November 2004, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury went missing while in France
, prompting an international police investigation. His remains were found at the bottom of a remote ravine in the foothills of the French Alps
five months after his death. Investigations revealed that he was murdered by his brother-in-law during an argument regarding a divorce from his wife, Jamila M'Barek, both of whom were convicted of his murder.
Anthony Ashley-Cooper was born on 22 May 1938 in Greater London
, England. He was named after his father, as was tradition for first born sons in the Ashley-Cooper family. His father, Major Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley, was the firstborn son of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury. Notable among his ancestors were his seventh great grandfather, the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
and leader of the Whig party in Parliament; and his second great grandfather, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury and 19th-century evangelical social reformer, who was honoured with the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in London's Piccadilly Circus
.
During World War II, Ashley-Cooper's father served as a British Intelligence Officer
with the Auxiliary Units
, which were highly covert Resistance groups
trained to engage and counteract the expected invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany
. Members of the Auxiliary Unit were stationed in hidden bunkers scattered throughout Great Britain. While Major Lord Ashley was trained at Coleshill House near Highworth
, Wiltshire
, he was responsible for the command of Dorset and Somerset. Specific details regarding his assignments and operations remain classified.
Ashley-Cooper's mother was the French
-born Françoise Soulier, daughter of Georges Soulier of Caudebec-en-Caux
, France. Major Lord Ashley and Françoise remained married until his death in 1947. Anthony's younger sister was Lady Frances Mary Elizabeth Ashley-Cooper (born 9 April 1940).
Ashley-Cooper was educated at Eton
and Christ Church, Oxford
. As a child, his primary pursuits outside of getting an education, included mountain climbing and skiing. He also expressed his love of music, which continued into adulthood with his service as chairman of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
from 1966 to 1980. On 8 March 1947, his father died unexpectedly of a heart disease and Ashley-Cooper became heir to the titles held by his grandfather and acquired the courtesy title
of Lord Ashley.
Lord Ashley's mother decided to move back to her native France with the children. In August 1947, she remarried Col François Goussault and the newly formed family settled in Paris. The children spent the next few years shuttling across the English Channel
to their boarding schools, Eton for Lord Ashley and Heathfield School in Ascot
for his sister, Frances. Holidays were alternately spent in France or with their grandparents at the Manor House in Wimborne St Giles. Lord Ashley was 22 years old when succeeded his grandfather.
The 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, prior to his death, invested and arranged financial matters so that his heirs would avoid death duties
. When his grandfather died, the newly titled 10th Earl of Shaftesbury came into a vast fortune of the Shaftesbury estates and other properties, including the family's 17th-century home and large estate in Dorset, as well as residences in Hove
, London
, Versailles
and the French Riviera
. Shaftesbury also inherited a collection of art, antiques, and other valuables worth over £3m. By the 1990s, the wealth of the family estate remained well worth millions.
The Shaftesbury estate in East Dorset
is the home base and centre of business of the Ashley-Coopers. In addition to St Giles House, the family owns a large estate, including over 9000 acres (36.4 km²), along with property, land, and lough
s, that establishes them as one of the wealthiest families in the United Kingdom.
The Ashleys and Ashley-Coopers have made Wimborne St Giles their home since the 15th century. The small village of Wimborne St Giles rests within the family estate itself. The Ashley family arrived in Dorset, originally from Wiltshire, where they owned the manor of Ashley, since the 11th century. The first ancestor to reside in Wimborne St Giles was Robert Ashley (born c. 1415), fifth great grandfather of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.
Built in 1651, the family seat of St Giles House has fallen into disrepair and has been unoccupied for about 60 years. In 2001, St Giles House was recorded on the Register of Buildings at Risk, as a Grade I listed building, indicating neglect and decay. Buildings recorded on the Grade I list include those of "exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important". The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury's grandfather, the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, was the last earl to live in the home. St Giles House is now largely unoccupied, apart from one wing used as the estate office.
work. He planted more than a million trees on his 9000 acres (36.4 km²) estate at Wimborne St Giles
, Dorset. His generosity extended to the family's property in Ulster
. In 1992, he was the joint winner of the Royal Forestry Society
's National Duke of Cornwall
Award for Forestry and Conservation, presented by Charles, Prince of Wales
. He also served as president of the Hawk and Owl Trust and as vice president of Sir David Attenborough
's British Butterfly Conservation Society
. According to Philip Rymer, manager of the Shaftesbury Estates, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury had also put quite a bit of energy into trying to save an endangered species of bat.
Shaftesbury served as president of the Shaftesbury Society
, which the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury had founded as Ragged Schools in 1840. The charity provides free education, as well as food, clothing, lodging and other home missionary services for those too poor to pay. In 2007, the Shaftesbury Society was merged with John Grooms Crippleage, reorganising under the new name of Livability.
The benevolence of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury also extended to the ownership and use of Lough Neagh
, which is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles and ranks among the 40 largest lakes of Europe. Five of the six counties of Northern Ireland have shores on the lough (only County Fermanagh
does not), and its area is split among them. The lake is the source of 40 percent of Northern Ireland's drinking water. While this ownership could feasibly increase the financial outlook of the family estate, at Shaftesbury's insistence, water continues to be extracted from the lough at no charge to either the citizens or civic government of Northern Ireland.
, until the passage of the House of Lords Act
in 1999, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury rarely attended. His maiden speech
was made on 10 November 1999. At this time, Shaftesbury made an eight-minute presentation in a debate regarding arts and sport, a portion of which is presented below.
Arts and Sport
The Earl of Clancarty
rose to ask Her Majesty's Government how they believe the arts and sport relate to the issue of "social exclusion".
7 p.m. The Earl of Shaftesbury
The former Countess of Shaftesbury is still living in Italy, as of July 2010, and uses the name of Bianca Shaftesbury. In 2008, she released her memoirs entitled, A Life on Fire, to be offered by Italian publisher Rosellina Archinto (Rizzoli Distribution).
The second marriage of Shaftesbury was more successful than the first, producing two children. The 1999 death of his mother, however, had a profound effect on Shaftesbury, affecting his relationship with his wife and children. Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper, sister of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury stated the following.
In 2000, Shaftesbury unexpectedly moved out of the Manor House and divorced his wife. He left his former wife in charge and passed the running of the earldom to his 23-year-old son, Anthony. The Countess of Shaftesbury and her sons remained in residence in Wimborne St Giles, while her husband relocated to France, embarking on a string of short-lived and expensive love affairs with younger women distinguished by their exotic looks and equally colorful past histories.
Shaftesbury had an apartment in Versailles, (furnished with £3m worth of antique art and furniture) but spent much of his time on the Cote d'Azur where he enjoyed a social life fueled by drugs and alcohol. His wealth attracted a variety of individuals, willing and ready to take advantage of his generosity. A friend described him as becoming a "philanthropist who specialised in rescuing lap dancers" while his French lawyer, Thierry Bensaude, more diplomatically referred to him as "a philosophical adventurer in society".
In early 2002, an article in the Daily Telegraph described the 63-year-old lord, "dressed in leather trousers and open-necked, pink silk shirts, with a gold chain draped around his neck". Shaftesbury had fallen hard for a 29-year-old French model named Nathalie Lions. In 2006, an article in the Guardian wrote of his relationship with Lions, with whom he would be found "frolicking at Bellini's bar in Kensington
, where he liberally wrote cheques and Lions spent them". He refused to listen to others who warned him that she was taking advantage of him. They toured the party spots of London, Barbados, and the Riviera until a tabloid exposé revealed Lions' past as a "Penthouse Pet" for Penthouse magazine and Shaftesbury called off the relationship. Rather than return to England, he remained on the French Riviera.
At one such establishment on the Riviera, he met Jamila Ben M'Barek
(born c. 1961), a divorcée and the mother of two children from a previous relationship. She was one of seven children born in Paris to a Tunisian mother and Moroccan father. In 1993, M'Barek had posed naked in Playboy, but it did not cause alarm. They were married on 5 November 2002, at Hilversum
in the Netherlands
.
To the disappointment of his family, he became infatuated with M'Barek, buying her a flat in Cannes for £500,000 and transferring other properties into her name after they married. During their marriage, Lord Shaftesbury's wife was styled Lady Shaftesbury, much to the dismay of his family. While the Earl entered into marriage and set the new Countess of Shaftesbury up in expensive properties, it did not appear to interfere with his hectic social life, which continued uninterrupted during their marriage.
By April 2004, the couple were separated when Lord Shaftesbury started a new relationship with a young mother of two named Nadia Orche, who has been described as a "club hostess from Cannes" and a "Moroccan prostitute". The difference in their ages did not bother her. She described him as "an attentive and generous man". According to Orche, Shaftesbury was planning to marry her after getting a divorce from his third wife.
On 3 November 2004, Shaftesbury arrived in Nice, France, scheduled to meet with his estranged wife. On 4 November, he visited with her at her home on Avenue Mareschal Koenig where she lived. He later checked into the £130-a-night, four-star Noga Hilton on the Cannes seafront. The following day, after checking out of the hotel, Shaftesbury vanished without a trace. From that point forward, the whereabouts of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury were unknown until April of the following year.
On 15 November 2004, Shaftesbury's Nice-based lawyer, Thierry Bensaude reported him missing, after being contacted by his girlfriend, Orche. The peer divided his time between the Riviera and a home in Hove, East Sussex. He had been due to return home on 10 November. After not hearing from Shaftesbury in a week, they remained concerned when he failed to return to his rented flat in Adelaide Crescent, Hove. Bensaude and Orche both expressed fears for his safety. Shaftesbury had been taking legal action in relation to the theft of some family antiques and artwork. Some friends and acquaintances mentioned that he had complained of money problems, so they surmised that his disappearance may have had something to do with the theft and financial loss.
On 18 November, the French police publicly appealed for information leading to Shaftesbury's whereabouts and on 22 November, they opened a formal criminal inquiry. Anthony Nils, eldest son of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury was regularly in touch with the police following his father's disappearance, and travelled to Nice to confer with French authorities there. The family in England were deeply worried about the missing peer, believing it to be "totally out of character" for him. The Rev David Paskins of the Wimborne St Giles parish church said, "Everyone is anxious and concerned — it's the unknown that is worrying. Lady Shaftesbury [Christina] is very concerned."
Commander Brunache said, "We took the case very seriously. There were a number of possible explanations for his disappearance.
He could have decided to disappear, a suicide, or he could have been the victim of a crime. There were several possibilities and we were exploring all of them."
Within a month of Shaftesbury's disappearance, Detective Chief Superintendent Graham Cox, head of Sussex Police CID, who had been contacted by Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper, said that they were treating the matter as a murder case. The French police agreed with Cox, due to the lack of ransom demands or signs of fraud. Whether dead or alive, there were still no clues as to the whereabouts of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Shaftesbury and his wife separated in April 2004 and divorce proceedings were set in motion. By that time, he had given her a windmill
in the Gers
region of southwestern France, the €700,000 duplex in a villa in Cannes, which included staff, a 4x4 car, and a monthly allowance, ranging between €7,500 and €10,000. Shaftesbury wanted to end this arrangement and the marriage, so that he could marry his new girlfriend. While Shaftesbury was discussing his desire with his wife, a fight broke out between him and his wife's brother, Mohammed M'Barek. Lord Shaftesbury died during the fight, when Mohammed strangled him, breaking his neck.
According to Jamila M'Barek, her brother placed her husband's body in the trunk of his BMW and dumped it in an unknown place. She was arrested on 25 February 2005 and her brother was arrested by German police the following day at his home in Munich. He was later extradited to France, continuing to deny his involvement and knowledge of the location of Lord Shaftesbury's body.
On 7 April 2005, a body in an advanced state of decomposition was discovered by the French authorities in a valley at Théoule-sur-Mer
, Alpes-Maritimes
on the outskirts of Cannes. The police were led to the area by examining the last-known signal from Lord Shaftesbury's cellphone records. After a two-day search, they found a decomposed body that had been partly eaten by animals, hidden in the undergrowth next to the riverbed. A French police spokesman announced, "As far as we are concerned, there is absolutely no doubt it is him." This belief was confirmed through DNA testing on 18 April 2005.
In June 2006, pre-trial proceedings began in Grasse
, before the investigating Magistrate
, Catherine Bonnici. The proceedings were part of the French investigate process that is used to determine whether the prosecutors had enough evidence to send the case to trial. During the first week of June, the court travelled to the site where the peer's body was found. Mohamed M'Barek was transported in leg chains for the one-day reenactment. Once they arrived, M'Barek demonstrated that he had enough strength to have acted alone. He managed to lift a 182 lb (82.6 kg). dummy — the same weight as Shaftesbury's body — out of the trunk of a car and dump it down a ravine.
Jamila M'Barek told the court that she was not with her brother when he disposed of the body, and in fact, she stated that she had never been to the site. She claimed that she had no role in the killing other than helping her brother, under duress
, load the body into his car. She told investigators, "I did not want him to die. I just wanted my brother to intimidate him so that he would continue to pay me my allowance. But he didn't want to have anything to do with it, so a violent quarrel broke out. I left the room because I could not stand to see what was happening".
in Nice, two-and-a-half years after the death of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. The presiding judge of the jury trial was Nicole Besset, with Jean-Louis Moreau, serving as the state prosecutor. Shaftesbury's widow was represented by attorney, Franck De Vita, while her brother was represented by Melanie Juginger. The Ashley-Cooper family was represented by attorney, Philippe Soussi.
A forensic examination of the skeletal remains revealed injuries, including a broken ankle and a double fracture to the larynx, which indicated strangulation as the cause of death. At times, both Mme M'Barek and her brother admitted their involvement in the death of Lord Shaftesbury and the French authorities decided to charge both her and her brother with the crime of premeditated murder.
Testimony was presented that in October 2002, Mme M'Barek had convinced the peer that she was pregnant with his child, and as a result, Shaftesbury married her on 5 November 2002. Shaftesbury made out a new will leaving his new wife properties in Ireland and France. Two years later, with no child forthcoming, he began looking elsewhere for affection. When Shaftesbury initiated divorce proceedings, his wife feared losing her valuable inheritance and began to take steps to secure her financial future. Refusing to be dissuaded from her desired inheritance, she continued to maintain her belief throughout the trial, that she was entitled to a share of her late husband’s £6 million fortune, including the family estate at Wimborne St Giles.
Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper testified. "When my brother said he would divorce her, she would not accept". She stated that before the separation, Shaftesbury was convinced by his wife to sell the Versailles flat. Testimony continued, regarding the disappearance of antique furniture and family artifacts.
She further admitted that after her husband was dead, she helped her brother load his body into the trunk of his black BMW. She prefaced this admission with additional claims.
Her brother Mohammed M'Barek presented a similar defence.
According to Monsieur M'Barek's account of events, he had been drinking heavily and smoking cannabis
when he was confronted with the "excited and aggressive" 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. A fight then broke out during which he "accidentally" strangled his brother-in-law while attempting to restrain him. Although M'Barek was rather hazy on the details, he testified, "I don't know how it happened. It happened in a minute". He further stated that he had done everything he could to save the Earl, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
and heart massage, but it "was too late. He had left us".
Mohammed M'Barek expressed frustration with the French authorities that had kept him "in prison for two-and-a-half years for nothing". He thought it was an outrage that the French regarded the dumping of an inconveniently dead body in a ravine as a crime. He even went so far as to appeal to the new French president Nicolas Sarkozy
for justice. On the third day of the trial, the courtroom descended into chaos as Monsieur M'Barek burst into tears then jumped to his feet pointing at Shaftesbury's family. He attempted to blame the Ashley-Cooper family for the peer's death, claiming that they were the guilty ones. "You're the guilty ones, you the rich, who want to take his inheritance!" he shouted as police wrestled with him in the dock. After refusing requests from his lawyer and the judge to sit down and be quiet, M'Barek was taken down to the cells and the hearing temporarily adjourned.
The French authorities suspected that there was a conspiracy to murder Shaftesbury, when they discovered that Mme M'Barek transferred €150,000 into her brother's bank account the week following her husband's disappearance. The prosecution viewed this as payment for services rendered, although Mme M'Barek testified that she had given her brother the money in order for him to buy a house for their ailing mother.
In her defence, Mme M'Barek denied any financial motive in wishing her husband dead and claimed that she had no need of his fortune, stating that she had "always been prosperous". She testified that the source of her prosperity was the generosity of wealthy individuals who were prepared to pay for her company. She named both the actors George Clooney
and Bruce Willis
and the former tennis player Björn Borg
as two of her former clients. All three individuals denied ever meeting Jamila M'Barek and declined to attend court to comment on her allegations or serve as character witnesses. She vowed revenge, additionally stating, "I was always loyal to the men who were close to me, but they did not want to know me when I was facing the biggest trial of my life. Most were too scared too appear because they are married or have steady girlfriends but with their help I could have been cleared".
Mme M'Barek further stated that the arguments she had with her husband had nothing to do with money, but rather arose as a result of Lord Shaftesbury's excessive sexual demands brought on by his seemingly endless injections of testosterone
. Throughout the trial, her lawyer, Franck De Vita, continued to declare her innocence. "I am convinced Jamila will walk free".
paid to her brother. She additionally recounted precisely how she was going to blame her brother for her husband's death.
The wire tap also uncovered the truth about Mme M'Barek's visit to the remote spot where her husband's body was found. This was supported when downloaded records from the GPS tracking device in her cellphone provided details that she (or at least her cellphone) had been there two days prior to Shaftesbury's death.
On 25 May 2007, after deliberating for two hours, the jury returned guilty verdicts against both brother and sister. Mme M'Barek and her brother were each sentenced to 25 years in prison. Under French law, they each have an automatic right to appeal their conviction, which results in a retrial of the case.
After the trial, Mohammed M'Barek was admitted to a psychiatric ward. His initial plans to appeal have been dropped. On appeal by his sister, the court was informed that he was in an "incoherent and mostly delirious state" and would be unable to testify on either his behalf or on the behalf of his sister.
On 4 February 2009, Mme M'Barek appeared in a court in southern France to appeal her conviction. After the jury deliberated for four hours, her sentence was reduced from 25 to 20 years at a court of appeal in the French city of Aix-en-Provence
.
With all appeals exhausted, the late peer's son, Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, expressed his relief at the verdict and said he could now get on with his life after closing a "very painful chapter".
Charles Palmer-Tomkinson read from Khalil Gibran
's The Prophet
, while Shaftesbury's sister read from For These Once Mine, by George Santayana
. "The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
" was read by Shaftesbury's son, Nicholas, who inherited the title of 12th Earl of Shaftesbury in 2005.
After the 45-minute service, Shaftesbury's ashes were taken to the church and placed in the family crypt in Wimborne St Giles. He was buried next to his eldest son, Anthony Nils Christian Ashley-Cooper, 11th Earl of Shaftesbury, who died on 15 May 2005, six months after his father. Reverend David Paskins, parish priest said after the ceremony, "It was a very inspiring occasion. They have had a very difficult time and have borne it with great dignity and fortitude".
Wimborne St Giles
Wimborne St Giles is a village in east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase seven miles north of Wimborne Minster which is north of Poole. The village has a population of 366 ....
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, located in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
on the coast of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. Atty, as he was known to his friends and family, was the son of Major Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley was an English nobleman, descended from the Earls of Shaftesbury. He was the eldest son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Constance Sibell Grosvenor. His courtesy title "Lord Ashley", was used as the eldest son of the Earl of...
, and Françoise Soulier.
Ashley-Cooper was the grandson of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, KP, PC, GCVO, CBE, was the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester , the daughter of George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall and Lady Harriet Anne Butler.-Family life:On 15 July...
. Ashley-Cooper's father was the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the earldom and its subsidiary titles, but he predeceased his father. His death made his son next in the line of succession. When his grandfather died in 1961, Ashley-Cooper became the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
, Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles and Baron Cooper of Pawlett
Cooper Baronets
There have been nine Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Cooper, one in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Ireland and seven in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom....
.
The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury was a wealthy landowner of over 9000 acres (36.4 km²) in East Dorset
East Dorset
East Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Furzehill, near Wimborne Minster.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Wimborne Minster Urban District with part of the Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District and the Wimborne and Cranborne...
, and received honours and awards for his philanthropic
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
and conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
work, which included planting over a million trees in South West England. He served as president of the Shaftesbury Society
Ragged school
Ragged Schools were charitable schools dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th century England. The schools were developed in working class districts of the rapidly expanding industrial towns...
, pursuing the same goals of his second great grandfather, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, who had founded the organization as Ragged Schools in 1840. He also served as the vice president of Sir David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
's British Butterfly Conservation Society
Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation is an insect conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest insect conservation organisations in the world.-History of the Organisation:...
.
In November 2004, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury went missing while in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, prompting an international police investigation. His remains were found at the bottom of a remote ravine in the foothills of the French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
five months after his death. Investigations revealed that he was murdered by his brother-in-law during an argument regarding a divorce from his wife, Jamila M'Barek, both of whom were convicted of his murder.
Education and early years
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, England. He was named after his father, as was tradition for first born sons in the Ashley-Cooper family. His father, Major Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley, was the firstborn son of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury. Notable among his ancestors were his seventh great grandfather, the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles...
and leader of the Whig party in Parliament; and his second great grandfather, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury and 19th-century evangelical social reformer, who was honoured with the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in London's Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
.
During World War II, Ashley-Cooper's father served as a British Intelligence Officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
with the Auxiliary Units
Auxiliary Units
The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially trained, highly secret units created by the United Kingdom government during the Second World War, with the aim of resisting the expected occupation of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany, after a planned invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion...
, which were highly covert Resistance groups
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
trained to engage and counteract the expected invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Members of the Auxiliary Unit were stationed in hidden bunkers scattered throughout Great Britain. While Major Lord Ashley was trained at Coleshill House near Highworth
Highworth
Highworth is a market town in the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, located about north-east of Swindon town centre. At the 2001 census it had a population of 7,996...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, he was responsible for the command of Dorset and Somerset. Specific details regarding his assignments and operations remain classified.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born Françoise Soulier, daughter of Georges Soulier of Caudebec-en-Caux
Caudebec-en-Caux
Caudebec-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Caudebec-en-Caux is located W.N.W. of Rouen, on the right bank of the River Seine. The tidal bore in the estuary of the Seine which is known as the mascaret in French, but...
, France. Major Lord Ashley and Françoise remained married until his death in 1947. Anthony's younger sister was Lady Frances Mary Elizabeth Ashley-Cooper (born 9 April 1940).
Ashley-Cooper was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. As a child, his primary pursuits outside of getting an education, included mountain climbing and skiing. He also expressed his love of music, which continued into adulthood with his service as chairman of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
from 1966 to 1980. On 8 March 1947, his father died unexpectedly of a heart disease and Ashley-Cooper became heir to the titles held by his grandfather and acquired the courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
of Lord Ashley.
Lord Ashley's mother decided to move back to her native France with the children. In August 1947, she remarried Col François Goussault and the newly formed family settled in Paris. The children spent the next few years shuttling across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
to their boarding schools, Eton for Lord Ashley and Heathfield School in Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
for his sister, Frances. Holidays were alternately spent in France or with their grandparents at the Manor House in Wimborne St Giles. Lord Ashley was 22 years old when succeeded his grandfather.
The 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, prior to his death, invested and arranged financial matters so that his heirs would avoid death duties
Inheritance tax
An inheritance tax or estate tax is a levy paid by a person who inherits money or property or a tax on the estate of a person who has died...
. When his grandfather died, the newly titled 10th Earl of Shaftesbury came into a vast fortune of the Shaftesbury estates and other properties, including the family's 17th-century home and large estate in Dorset, as well as residences in Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
and the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. Shaftesbury also inherited a collection of art, antiques, and other valuables worth over £3m. By the 1990s, the wealth of the family estate remained well worth millions.
St Giles House
The Shaftesbury estate in East Dorset
East Dorset
East Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Furzehill, near Wimborne Minster.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Wimborne Minster Urban District with part of the Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District and the Wimborne and Cranborne...
is the home base and centre of business of the Ashley-Coopers. In addition to St Giles House, the family owns a large estate, including over 9000 acres (36.4 km²), along with property, land, and lough
Lough
A lough is a body of water and is either:* A lake* A sea lough, which may be a fjord, estuary, bay, or sea inlet.It can also be used as a surname, with various pronunciations: law, loch, low, lowe, loth, loff....
s, that establishes them as one of the wealthiest families in the United Kingdom.
The Ashleys and Ashley-Coopers have made Wimborne St Giles their home since the 15th century. The small village of Wimborne St Giles rests within the family estate itself. The Ashley family arrived in Dorset, originally from Wiltshire, where they owned the manor of Ashley, since the 11th century. The first ancestor to reside in Wimborne St Giles was Robert Ashley (born c. 1415), fifth great grandfather of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.
Built in 1651, the family seat of St Giles House has fallen into disrepair and has been unoccupied for about 60 years. In 2001, St Giles House was recorded on the Register of Buildings at Risk, as a Grade I listed building, indicating neglect and decay. Buildings recorded on the Grade I list include those of "exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important". The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury's grandfather, the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, was the last earl to live in the home. St Giles House is now largely unoccupied, apart from one wing used as the estate office.
Conservation and philanthropy
Shaftesbury received honours and awards for his conservationistConservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
work. He planted more than a million trees on his 9000 acres (36.4 km²) estate at Wimborne St Giles
Wimborne St Giles
Wimborne St Giles is a village in east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase seven miles north of Wimborne Minster which is north of Poole. The village has a population of 366 ....
, Dorset. His generosity extended to the family's property in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
. In 1992, he was the joint winner of the Royal Forestry Society
Royal Forestry Society
The Royal Forestry Society is a charitable organisation that was established in 1882 in Northumberland, England...
's National Duke of Cornwall
Duke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
Award for Forestry and Conservation, presented by Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. He also served as president of the Hawk and Owl Trust and as vice president of Sir David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
's British Butterfly Conservation Society
Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation is an insect conservation organisation in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest insect conservation organisations in the world.-History of the Organisation:...
. According to Philip Rymer, manager of the Shaftesbury Estates, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury had also put quite a bit of energy into trying to save an endangered species of bat.
Shaftesbury served as president of the Shaftesbury Society
Ragged school
Ragged Schools were charitable schools dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th century England. The schools were developed in working class districts of the rapidly expanding industrial towns...
, which the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury had founded as Ragged Schools in 1840. The charity provides free education, as well as food, clothing, lodging and other home missionary services for those too poor to pay. In 2007, the Shaftesbury Society was merged with John Grooms Crippleage, reorganising under the new name of Livability.
The benevolence of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury also extended to the ownership and use of Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
, which is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles and ranks among the 40 largest lakes of Europe. Five of the six counties of Northern Ireland have shores on the lough (only County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
does not), and its area is split among them. The lake is the source of 40 percent of Northern Ireland's drinking water. While this ownership could feasibly increase the financial outlook of the family estate, at Shaftesbury's insistence, water continues to be extracted from the lough at no charge to either the citizens or civic government of Northern Ireland.
House of Lords speech
Although a member of the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, until the passage of the House of Lords Act
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
in 1999, the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury rarely attended. His maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
was made on 10 November 1999. At this time, Shaftesbury made an eight-minute presentation in a debate regarding arts and sport, a portion of which is presented below.
Arts and Sport
The Earl of Clancarty
Nicholas Le Poer Trench, 9th Earl of Clancarty
Nicholas Le Poer Trench, 9th Earl of Clancarty, 8th Marquess of Heusden is an Irish peer, as well a nobleman in the Dutch nobility. He serves as an elected Crossbench member of the British House of Lords....
rose to ask Her Majesty's Government how they believe the arts and sport relate to the issue of "social exclusion".
7 p.m. The Earl of Shaftesbury
- My Lords, I apologise to noble Lords for this dramatic last-minute but not opportunistic maiden speech. Although I inherited my title 30 years ago and have attended spasmodically, particularly during the early 1970s when we rigorously debated the Industrial Relations BillIndustrial Relations Act 1971The Industrial Relations Act 1971 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since repealed. It was largely based on proposals outlined in the governing Conservative Party's manifesto for the 1970 general election...
and the European Community Bill of Accession, both in Committee and on Report until extremely late at night, my heart has not entirely been in the thrust and cut of politics, unlike my more distinguished ancestors.
- In fact, building a society the Shaftesbury way is not a matter of imprisoning a presumed evil spirit of mankind. It is a matter of beauty and truth. Both GoetheJohann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
and VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
were influenced by the 3rd Lord Shaftesbury. The former particularly reminded us that we must cultivate our garden. We all know about large prize-winning marrows, but are not succulent baby courgettes more perfect? Small is beautiful too...
- One of the best sermons I have ever been privileged to hear was by the late Bishop of WinchesterFalkner Allison-Life:He was Bishop of Chelmsford from 1951, and Bishop of Winchester in 1961, retiring in 1974.-Notes:...
. Social exclusion? He said virtually that if one sheep from a flock of 100 goes missing, the good shepherd worries frantically about that single sheep until it is safely found. There are too many sheep, men, women and children, being marginalised. John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
had the answer: why do we not? I remain concerned in these turbulent times, but thank you for your patience. It has been my privilege to be able to speak in your Lordships' House.
Marriages and children
Shaftesbury was married three times. He expressed his attraction to foreign women. At Eton, he wrote an article for the college magazine in which he described English debutantes as "round-shouldered, unsophisticated garglers of pink champagne". His three marriages and scattered relationships with foreign women throughout his life reflected his earlier opinions of English women.Bianca Maria de Paolis
Shaftesbury met his Italian-born first wife, Bianca de Paolis, during a skiing holiday. They married in July 1966. Bianca Maria de Paolis (born c. 1926), was the daughter of Gino de Paolis, a Roman banker. She had previously been married to the American film producer, Jack Le Vien. Shaftesbury and de Paolis were declared husband and wife at the Westminster Registry Office in front of a few friends, with none of his family in attendance. They divorced 10 years later, on grounds of his adultery with an unnamed woman. The couple had no children.The former Countess of Shaftesbury is still living in Italy, as of July 2010, and uses the name of Bianca Shaftesbury. In 2008, she released her memoirs entitled, A Life on Fire, to be offered by Italian publisher Rosellina Archinto (Rizzoli Distribution).
Christina Eva Montan
In December 1976, Shaftesbury married the Swedish-born, Christina Eva Montan (born c. 1940). Styled Countess of Shaftesbury since their marriage, she was the daughter of Nils Montan, the former Swedish Ambassador to Germany. Lady Shaftesbury was also a divorcée with a son and daughter from her first marriage, the half siblings of the 11th and 12th Earls of Shaftesbury. Frederic Casella is a television producer and director in Great Britain, while his sister, Cecilia is an attorney living in New York City. Shaftesbury and his second wife had two sons:- Anthony Nils Christian Ashley-Cooper, 11th Earl of Shaftesbury (24 June 1977 – 15 May 2005), first-born son of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury and his wife. He died of a heart attack in Manhattan, New York while visiting his younger brother, Nicholas and older half-siblings Frederic and Cecilia.
- Nicholas Edmund Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of ShaftesburyNicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of ShaftesburyNicholas Edmund Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, also known as Nick Ashley-Cooper, succeeded his brother as Earl of Shaftesbury...
(born 3 June 1979), a former DJ and house music promoter in New York and PrivilegePrivilege IbizaPrivilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
in Ibiza, SpainIbizaIbiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
. A short time following his brother's death, Nicholas relocated to the family seat at Wimborne St Giles, returned to business school for a couple of years, and assumed the responsibilities of the earldom. He has shown an interest in supporting charitable organisations, primarily those addressing the needs of children with disabilities. In December 2009, Nicholas suffered serious spinal injuries in a horse riding accident. He crushed his vertebrae in the fall. While he experienced initial paralysis necessitating the use of a wheelchair, physical therapy has helped restore his health to the point where he is able to walk, with limitations. With continued rehabilitation, doctors expect a full recovery.
The second marriage of Shaftesbury was more successful than the first, producing two children. The 1999 death of his mother, however, had a profound effect on Shaftesbury, affecting his relationship with his wife and children. Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper, sister of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury stated the following.
In August 1999, our mother had died of cancer in tragic circumstances while we were all enjoying ourselves at my eldest son's wedding. For my brother, her death was a catastrophe. He adored her. She had been his protector and greatest admirer since the death of our father in 1947, when Anthony was eight and I was six. When our mother died, it was as though my brother had become an orphan at age 61. Without her, he felt emotionally bereft. He lost his grip on reality. At one point, he had bought a flat in Versailles, and had entirely recreated two rooms from our late mother's house. He had used all the furniture, books and knick-knacks of our childhood in Paris. It was a bit much.
—Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper
In 2000, Shaftesbury unexpectedly moved out of the Manor House and divorced his wife. He left his former wife in charge and passed the running of the earldom to his 23-year-old son, Anthony. The Countess of Shaftesbury and her sons remained in residence in Wimborne St Giles, while her husband relocated to France, embarking on a string of short-lived and expensive love affairs with younger women distinguished by their exotic looks and equally colorful past histories.
Shaftesbury had an apartment in Versailles, (furnished with £3m worth of antique art and furniture) but spent much of his time on the Cote d'Azur where he enjoyed a social life fueled by drugs and alcohol. His wealth attracted a variety of individuals, willing and ready to take advantage of his generosity. A friend described him as becoming a "philanthropist who specialised in rescuing lap dancers" while his French lawyer, Thierry Bensaude, more diplomatically referred to him as "a philosophical adventurer in society".
In early 2002, an article in the Daily Telegraph described the 63-year-old lord, "dressed in leather trousers and open-necked, pink silk shirts, with a gold chain draped around his neck". Shaftesbury had fallen hard for a 29-year-old French model named Nathalie Lions. In 2006, an article in the Guardian wrote of his relationship with Lions, with whom he would be found "frolicking at Bellini's bar in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, where he liberally wrote cheques and Lions spent them". He refused to listen to others who warned him that she was taking advantage of him. They toured the party spots of London, Barbados, and the Riviera until a tabloid exposé revealed Lions' past as a "Penthouse Pet" for Penthouse magazine and Shaftesbury called off the relationship. Rather than return to England, he remained on the French Riviera.
Jamila Ben M'Barek
The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury became a familiar figure in some of the nightspots on the French Riviera. He was known for his black leather trousers, pink shirts, and large red and black eyeglasses. He had a habit of flashing his money around as he bought drinks for a wide variety of female companions.At one such establishment on the Riviera, he met Jamila Ben M'Barek
Jamila M'Barek
Jamila, Countess of Shaftesbury, Baroness Ashley of Wimborne St Giles and Baroness Cooper of Pawlett is the widow of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, and is imprisoned for having been an accomplice to the murder of her husband by her brother.-Background:Born circa 1961, she was one...
(born c. 1961), a divorcée and the mother of two children from a previous relationship. She was one of seven children born in Paris to a Tunisian mother and Moroccan father. In 1993, M'Barek had posed naked in Playboy, but it did not cause alarm. They were married on 5 November 2002, at Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
To the disappointment of his family, he became infatuated with M'Barek, buying her a flat in Cannes for £500,000 and transferring other properties into her name after they married. During their marriage, Lord Shaftesbury's wife was styled Lady Shaftesbury, much to the dismay of his family. While the Earl entered into marriage and set the new Countess of Shaftesbury up in expensive properties, it did not appear to interfere with his hectic social life, which continued uninterrupted during their marriage.
By April 2004, the couple were separated when Lord Shaftesbury started a new relationship with a young mother of two named Nadia Orche, who has been described as a "club hostess from Cannes" and a "Moroccan prostitute". The difference in their ages did not bother her. She described him as "an attentive and generous man". According to Orche, Shaftesbury was planning to marry her after getting a divorce from his third wife.
Disappearance and murder
Friends and family become concerned
It was normal for Shaftesbury to occasionally disappear for a few days from time to time, so no one, other than his girlfriend was initially concerned with his disappearance. "Anthony didn’t answer his telephone anymore. I was worried," she says, "I called again. I called England. This wasn’t like him. I was sure that something bad had happened."On 15 November 2004, Shaftesbury's Nice-based lawyer, Thierry Bensaude reported him missing, after being contacted by his girlfriend, Orche. The peer divided his time between the Riviera and a home in Hove, East Sussex. He had been due to return home on 10 November. After not hearing from Shaftesbury in a week, they remained concerned when he failed to return to his rented flat in Adelaide Crescent, Hove. Bensaude and Orche both expressed fears for his safety. Shaftesbury had been taking legal action in relation to the theft of some family antiques and artwork. Some friends and acquaintances mentioned that he had complained of money problems, so they surmised that his disappearance may have had something to do with the theft and financial loss.
On 18 November, the French police publicly appealed for information leading to Shaftesbury's whereabouts and on 22 November, they opened a formal criminal inquiry. Anthony Nils, eldest son of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury was regularly in touch with the police following his father's disappearance, and travelled to Nice to confer with French authorities there. The family in England were deeply worried about the missing peer, believing it to be "totally out of character" for him. The Rev David Paskins of the Wimborne St Giles parish church said, "Everyone is anxious and concerned — it's the unknown that is worrying. Lady Shaftesbury [Christina] is very concerned."
Theories on Shaftesbury's whereabouts
Family and concerned individuals initially feared that the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury had been kidnapped by Russian or North African gangsters who were plotting to steal his fortune. Thierry Bensaude stated that Shaftesbury is "extremely generous to his friends and may have been taken advantage of". His wife claimed that she had warned her husband about the company he was keeping. The theory was that some of his more disreputable acquaintances had decided to kidnap the peer and were now engaged in some scheme to force him into signing away part of his inherited wealth.Commander Brunache said, "We took the case very seriously. There were a number of possible explanations for his disappearance.
He could have decided to disappear, a suicide, or he could have been the victim of a crime. There were several possibilities and we were exploring all of them."
Within a month of Shaftesbury's disappearance, Detective Chief Superintendent Graham Cox, head of Sussex Police CID, who had been contacted by Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper, said that they were treating the matter as a murder case. The French police agreed with Cox, due to the lack of ransom demands or signs of fraud. Whether dead or alive, there were still no clues as to the whereabouts of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Confession and arrest
In February 2005, his wife Jamila M'Barek was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where she had an emotional breakdown and began confessing to her involvement in her husband's death. When interviewed by police, she claimed that Shaftesbury had been beaten to death by her brother during a fight at her flat in Cannes.Shaftesbury and his wife separated in April 2004 and divorce proceedings were set in motion. By that time, he had given her a windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
in the Gers
Gers
The Gers is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers River.Inhabitants are called les Gersois or Gersoises.-History:...
region of southwestern France, the €700,000 duplex in a villa in Cannes, which included staff, a 4x4 car, and a monthly allowance, ranging between €7,500 and €10,000. Shaftesbury wanted to end this arrangement and the marriage, so that he could marry his new girlfriend. While Shaftesbury was discussing his desire with his wife, a fight broke out between him and his wife's brother, Mohammed M'Barek. Lord Shaftesbury died during the fight, when Mohammed strangled him, breaking his neck.
According to Jamila M'Barek, her brother placed her husband's body in the trunk of his BMW and dumped it in an unknown place. She was arrested on 25 February 2005 and her brother was arrested by German police the following day at his home in Munich. He was later extradited to France, continuing to deny his involvement and knowledge of the location of Lord Shaftesbury's body.
On 7 April 2005, a body in an advanced state of decomposition was discovered by the French authorities in a valley at Théoule-sur-Mer
Théoule-sur-Mer
Théoule-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
on the outskirts of Cannes. The police were led to the area by examining the last-known signal from Lord Shaftesbury's cellphone records. After a two-day search, they found a decomposed body that had been partly eaten by animals, hidden in the undergrowth next to the riverbed. A French police spokesman announced, "As far as we are concerned, there is absolutely no doubt it is him." This belief was confirmed through DNA testing on 18 April 2005.
In June 2006, pre-trial proceedings began in Grasse
Grasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
, before the investigating Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, Catherine Bonnici. The proceedings were part of the French investigate process that is used to determine whether the prosecutors had enough evidence to send the case to trial. During the first week of June, the court travelled to the site where the peer's body was found. Mohamed M'Barek was transported in leg chains for the one-day reenactment. Once they arrived, M'Barek demonstrated that he had enough strength to have acted alone. He managed to lift a 182 lb (82.6 kg). dummy — the same weight as Shaftesbury's body — out of the trunk of a car and dump it down a ravine.
Jamila M'Barek told the court that she was not with her brother when he disposed of the body, and in fact, she stated that she had never been to the site. She claimed that she had no role in the killing other than helping her brother, under duress
Duress
In jurisprudence, duress or coercion refers to a situation whereby a person performs an act as a result of violence, threat or other pressure against the person. Black's Law Dictionary defines duress as "any unlawful threat or coercion used... to induce another to act [or not act] in a manner...
, load the body into his car. She told investigators, "I did not want him to die. I just wanted my brother to intimidate him so that he would continue to pay me my allowance. But he didn't want to have anything to do with it, so a violent quarrel broke out. I left the room because I could not stand to see what was happening".
Trial at the Palais de Justice
On 22 May 2007, the trial of Jamila M'Barek and Mohamed M'Barek opened at the Palais de JusticePalais de Justice, Paris
The Palais de Justice , located in the Île de la Cité in central Paris, France, is built on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis, of which the Sainte Chapelle remains. Thus the justice of the state has been dispensed at this site since medieval times...
in Nice, two-and-a-half years after the death of the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. The presiding judge of the jury trial was Nicole Besset, with Jean-Louis Moreau, serving as the state prosecutor. Shaftesbury's widow was represented by attorney, Franck De Vita, while her brother was represented by Melanie Juginger. The Ashley-Cooper family was represented by attorney, Philippe Soussi.
A forensic examination of the skeletal remains revealed injuries, including a broken ankle and a double fracture to the larynx, which indicated strangulation as the cause of death. At times, both Mme M'Barek and her brother admitted their involvement in the death of Lord Shaftesbury and the French authorities decided to charge both her and her brother with the crime of premeditated murder.
Magistrate's investigative report
The trial began with a presentation of the investigative report, which was read to the court by Jean-Louis Moreau, the state prosecutor. The report described Shaftesbury's widow as "an escort girl who loved the high life" who "chose the life of a kept woman, with multiple affairs with men she chose for their bank accounts and their assets". Having struck gold when she married the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, she then faced "looming financial disaster" in the event of a divorce and set out "consciously and without constraint, to accomplish his assassination".Testimony was presented that in October 2002, Mme M'Barek had convinced the peer that she was pregnant with his child, and as a result, Shaftesbury married her on 5 November 2002. Shaftesbury made out a new will leaving his new wife properties in Ireland and France. Two years later, with no child forthcoming, he began looking elsewhere for affection. When Shaftesbury initiated divorce proceedings, his wife feared losing her valuable inheritance and began to take steps to secure her financial future. Refusing to be dissuaded from her desired inheritance, she continued to maintain her belief throughout the trial, that she was entitled to a share of her late husband’s £6 million fortune, including the family estate at Wimborne St Giles.
Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper testified. "When my brother said he would divorce her, she would not accept". She stated that before the separation, Shaftesbury was convinced by his wife to sell the Versailles flat. Testimony continued, regarding the disappearance of antique furniture and family artifacts.
[Jamila] and Mohammed arranged to empty the flat and when my brother asked where his mother's furniture had gone to, she said it was on a boat to Tunisia where it was going to be sold. My brother was distraught. This was cruel emotional blackmail. In fact, the furniture was in storage in Cannes, but my brother never knew that. I have just managed to get hold of the key.
—Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper
Defence statements
Mme M'Barek discounted the investigative report and stated that her marriage to Shaftesbury "was a curse", describing her husband as "a loner" who "had no friends" which is why "he drank a lot". She portrayed him as a "violent, sex-crazed alcoholic, hooked on cocaine". While she freely admitted that her brother had indeed killed her husband, she testified that it was all an accident.
There was blood on the floor. I did not know if it was my brother or my husband's blood. My brother could not believe my husband was dead.
—Jamila M'Barek
She further admitted that after her husband was dead, she helped her brother load his body into the trunk of his black BMW. She prefaced this admission with additional claims.
He forced me to put the body in the boot
Trunk (automobile)The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
of the car. He forced me to follow him as I thought we were going to a hospital. Then he asked me to go away.
—Jamila M'Barek
Her brother Mohammed M'Barek presented a similar defence.
I am innocent, my sister is innocent. It was an accident.
—Mohammed M'Barek
According to Monsieur M'Barek's account of events, he had been drinking heavily and smoking cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
when he was confronted with the "excited and aggressive" 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. A fight then broke out during which he "accidentally" strangled his brother-in-law while attempting to restrain him. Although M'Barek was rather hazy on the details, he testified, "I don't know how it happened. It happened in a minute". He further stated that he had done everything he could to save the Earl, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
and heart massage, but it "was too late. He had left us".
Mohammed M'Barek expressed frustration with the French authorities that had kept him "in prison for two-and-a-half years for nothing". He thought it was an outrage that the French regarded the dumping of an inconveniently dead body in a ravine as a crime. He even went so far as to appeal to the new French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
for justice. On the third day of the trial, the courtroom descended into chaos as Monsieur M'Barek burst into tears then jumped to his feet pointing at Shaftesbury's family. He attempted to blame the Ashley-Cooper family for the peer's death, claiming that they were the guilty ones. "You're the guilty ones, you the rich, who want to take his inheritance!" he shouted as police wrestled with him in the dock. After refusing requests from his lawyer and the judge to sit down and be quiet, M'Barek was taken down to the cells and the hearing temporarily adjourned.
The French authorities suspected that there was a conspiracy to murder Shaftesbury, when they discovered that Mme M'Barek transferred €150,000 into her brother's bank account the week following her husband's disappearance. The prosecution viewed this as payment for services rendered, although Mme M'Barek testified that she had given her brother the money in order for him to buy a house for their ailing mother.
In her defence, Mme M'Barek denied any financial motive in wishing her husband dead and claimed that she had no need of his fortune, stating that she had "always been prosperous". She testified that the source of her prosperity was the generosity of wealthy individuals who were prepared to pay for her company. She named both the actors George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
and Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
and the former tennis player Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
as two of her former clients. All three individuals denied ever meeting Jamila M'Barek and declined to attend court to comment on her allegations or serve as character witnesses. She vowed revenge, additionally stating, "I was always loyal to the men who were close to me, but they did not want to know me when I was facing the biggest trial of my life. Most were too scared too appear because they are married or have steady girlfriends but with their help I could have been cleared".
Mme M'Barek further stated that the arguments she had with her husband had nothing to do with money, but rather arose as a result of Lord Shaftesbury's excessive sexual demands brought on by his seemingly endless injections of testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
. Throughout the trial, her lawyer, Franck De Vita, continued to declare her innocence. "I am convinced Jamila will walk free".
Conviction and sentencing
The strongest piece of evidence presented by the prosecution were details revealed in a secretly recorded telephone conversation between the defendant and her sister, Naima, in which LMme M'Barek discussed £100,000 (€150,000) blood moneyContract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
paid to her brother. She additionally recounted precisely how she was going to blame her brother for her husband's death.
The wire tap also uncovered the truth about Mme M'Barek's visit to the remote spot where her husband's body was found. This was supported when downloaded records from the GPS tracking device in her cellphone provided details that she (or at least her cellphone) had been there two days prior to Shaftesbury's death.
On 25 May 2007, after deliberating for two hours, the jury returned guilty verdicts against both brother and sister. Mme M'Barek and her brother were each sentenced to 25 years in prison. Under French law, they each have an automatic right to appeal their conviction, which results in a retrial of the case.
After the trial, Mohammed M'Barek was admitted to a psychiatric ward. His initial plans to appeal have been dropped. On appeal by his sister, the court was informed that he was in an "incoherent and mostly delirious state" and would be unable to testify on either his behalf or on the behalf of his sister.
On 4 February 2009, Mme M'Barek appeared in a court in southern France to appeal her conviction. After the jury deliberated for four hours, her sentence was reduced from 25 to 20 years at a court of appeal in the French city of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
.
With all appeals exhausted, the late peer's son, Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, expressed his relief at the verdict and said he could now get on with his life after closing a "very painful chapter".
Funeral and burial
On 30 September 2005, funeral services were held for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. Hundreds of mourners were in attendance, held at the parish church in Wimborne St Giles. Those in attendance included Shaftesbury's second wife, Christina, Countess of Shaftesbury; his son, Nicholas Ashley-Cooper; and his sister, Lady Frances Ashley-Cooper.Charles Palmer-Tomkinson read from Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān,Jibrān Khalīl Jibrān, or Jibrān Xalīl Jibrān; Arabic , January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...
's The Prophet
The Prophet (book)
The Prophet is a book of 26 poetic essays written in English by the Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer Kahlil Gibran. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran's best known work...
, while Shaftesbury's sister read from For These Once Mine, by George Santayana
George Santayana
George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters...
. "The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
Prayer of Saint Francis
The Prayer of Saint Francis is a Christian prayer. It is attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi, although the prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912, when it was printed in France in French, in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette as an...
" was read by Shaftesbury's son, Nicholas, who inherited the title of 12th Earl of Shaftesbury in 2005.
After the 45-minute service, Shaftesbury's ashes were taken to the church and placed in the family crypt in Wimborne St Giles. He was buried next to his eldest son, Anthony Nils Christian Ashley-Cooper, 11th Earl of Shaftesbury, who died on 15 May 2005, six months after his father. Reverend David Paskins, parish priest said after the ceremony, "It was a very inspiring occasion. They have had a very difficult time and have borne it with great dignity and fortitude".
Further reading
- Shaftesbury, Bianca. A life on fire, Rome: Archinto, 2008, 198 pages. ISBN 978-8877685117
External links
- Hawk and Owl Trust The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury was president of the Hawk and Owl Trust
- Livability The Shaftesbury Society merged with John Grooms Crippleage and reorganised as Livability
- Curse of the Shaftesburys In-depth history of the Shaftesbury tragedies