Lady Helen Taylor
Encyclopedia
The Lady Helen Taylor (Helen Marina Lucy Taylor, née Windsor; born 28 April 1964) A first cousin
once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, she is a great-granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom
and is in the line of succession to the British throne
.
, a country house in Iver
, Buckinghamshire
, Lady Helen is the only daughter of the Duke
and Duchess of Kent. She was educated at St Mary's School, Wantage
and Gordonstoun
. Between 1987 and 1991, Lady Helen worked with the art dealer Karsten Schubert
and confessed in a television interview that she had turned down representing artist Damien Hirst
.
In her youth, she was tagged with the nickname of Melons owing to her large breasts and was often referred to as the wild child of the Windsors as a result of her active social life and choice of friends. One of her friends, Olivia Channon, the daughter of Paul Channon, Baron Kelvedon, died of a drug overdose while at Oxford. Lady Helen has been quoted as saying that this death and that of another friend served as a wake-up call concerning her own lifestyle choices.
and Susan G. Percy. They married at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
. She is the only one of the Duke of Kent
's children that remains in the line of succession to the British throne
given that both of her brothers married Catholic women.
Lady Helen is now styled The Lady Helen Taylor. She and her husband have four children, who immediately follow Lady Helen in the line of succession:
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, she is a great-granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and is in the line of succession to the British throne
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
.
Early life and youth
Born at CoppinsCoppins
Coppins is a country house north of the village of Iver in Buckinghamshire, England, formerly a home of members of the British Royal Family, including Princess Victoria, Prince George, 1st Duke of Kent, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and Prince Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent .-History:The house was...
, a country house in Iver
Iver
Iver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.Iver railway station is in Richings Park.-Etymology:...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, Lady Helen is the only daughter of the Duke
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
and Duchess of Kent. She was educated at St Mary's School, Wantage
St Mary's School, Wantage
St Mary's School was an Anglican private girls' school located in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England, between 1873 and 2007, when it merged with Heathfield School to become Heathfield St Mary's. The school was popular with the British aristocracy.-History:...
and Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray in North East Scotland. Named after the estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 1600s, the school now uses this estate as its campus...
. Between 1987 and 1991, Lady Helen worked with the art dealer Karsten Schubert
Karsten Schubert
Karsten Schubert is an artists' representative and gallery proprietor working in England.-Karsten Schubert Limited:Karsten Schubert ran Karsten Schubert Limited, initially in collaboration, and with the backing of, Richard Salmon, from 1986 to 1991...
and confessed in a television interview that she had turned down representing artist Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
.
In her youth, she was tagged with the nickname of Melons owing to her large breasts and was often referred to as the wild child of the Windsors as a result of her active social life and choice of friends. One of her friends, Olivia Channon, the daughter of Paul Channon, Baron Kelvedon, died of a drug overdose while at Oxford. Lady Helen has been quoted as saying that this death and that of another friend served as a wake-up call concerning her own lifestyle choices.
Marriage and children
She was styled The Lady Helen Windsor until her marriage, on 18 July 1992, to Timothy Verner Taylor (b.8 august 1963), an art dealer and the eldest son of Commander Michael Verner Taylor, RNRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Susan G. Percy. They married at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St George's Chapel is the place of worship at Windsor Castle in England, United Kingdom. It is both a royal peculiar and the chapel of the Order of the Garter...
. She is the only one of the Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
's children that remains in the line of succession to the British throne
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
given that both of her brothers married Catholic women.
Lady Helen is now styled The Lady Helen Taylor. She and her husband have four children, who immediately follow Lady Helen in the line of succession:
- Columbus George Donald Taylor (born 6 August 1994)
- Cassius Edward Taylor (born 26 December 1996)
- Lady Eloise Olivia Katherine Taylor (born 2 March 2003)
- Lady Estella Olga Elizabeth Taylor (born 21 December 2004)