Marita Crawley
Encyclopedia
Marita Georgina Phillips (b. 28 May 1954, London
), a British songwriter and playwright, was born the third daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife, Georgina Wernher
, who was the elder daughter and co-heiress of Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Bt, by his wife Countess Anastasia de Torby
(later Lady Zia Wernher, CBE). She had a brother Nicholas Harold Phillips
(1947–1991), two older sisters including the Duchess of Abercorn, and a younger sister Natalia (the Duchess of Westminster).
Marita is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Through Pushkin, she is descended from his African great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal
(otherwise Ibrahim Hannibal) who was Peter the Great's protégé.
She has written songs for artists such as Peter Skellern
, Demis Roussos
, William Lovelady and Art Garfunkel
. She furthermore wrote the libretto for the opera “The Poet and the Tsar”, based on the lives of her great-great-great-grandfathers, Alexander Pushkin and Tsar Nicholas I of Russia
, which were performed by the Helikon Opera
in Moscow in 2007 as well as a play on Alexander Pushkin, entitled “Song from a Cage.”
Marita Phillips studied acting at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and ballet at the Nesta Brooking School before training as a mime with Adam Darius
, with whom she founded and ran The Mime Centre, London.
and the Duchess of Westminster
are close to the British Royal Family, and are related distantly, via their Russian great-grandfather, to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
.
Their maternal grandmother Lady Wernher was born Countess Anastasia de Torby
(later Lady "Zia" Wernher), younger morganatic daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mihailovich of Russia
(a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
) by his wife Countess Sophie of Merenberg
, morganatic daughter of Prince Nicholas of Nassau (himself brother of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg
by his wife, the younger daughter of Russia's greatest poet Alexander Pushkin. Lady Zia's sister Nadezhda (or "Nada") was wife of the George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven
, elder maternal uncle of Prince Philip. The Torby sisters were third cousins of the prince through their common ancestor Nicholas I. It is through their Russian grand ducal father that Marita is descended from Sophia, Electress of Hanover.
Marita's sister The Duchess of Westminster
is a godmother of The Duke of Cambridge.
Marita's mother, Lady Kennard, was a close friend of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
In 1982, Marita married Randall Crawley (1950–1988), a son of Aidan Crawley
MP and his wife Virginia Cowles. Crawley was killed with his brother Andrew in a private plane crash near Turin in Italy on 10 September 1988, leaving issue two sons and one daughter. The posthumous younger son Galen Crawley is a godson of The Prince of Wales
. In 2006, Marita remarried, her second husband being the journalist, turned media baron, Andrew Knight
(b. 1939).
She is currently 1536th in line for the British throne.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), a British songwriter and playwright, was born the third daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife, Georgina Wernher
Georgina Kennard
Georgina Kennard, Lady Kennard , was the mother of Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, and Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster...
, who was the elder daughter and co-heiress of Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Bt, by his wife Countess Anastasia de Torby
Anastasia de Torby
Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby, CBE , also named Lady Zia Wernher, was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, by Countess Sophie of Merenberg.-Biography:Like her mother, Anastasia was born of a morganatic marriage, and was...
(later Lady Zia Wernher, CBE). She had a brother Nicholas Harold Phillips
Nicholas Harold Phillips
Nicholas Harold Phillips was a British landowner in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire with royal connections. As a descendant of Sophia, Electress of Hanover, he was in the line of succession to the British throne.-Life:...
(1947–1991), two older sisters including the Duchess of Abercorn, and a younger sister Natalia (the Duchess of Westminster).
Marita is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Through Pushkin, she is descended from his African great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal
Abram Petrovich Gannibal
Major-General Abram Petrovich Gannibal, also Hannibal or Ganibal or Ibrahim Hannibal or Abram Petrov , was brought to Russia as a gift for Peter the Great and became major-general, military engineer, governor of Reval and nobleman of the Russian Empire...
(otherwise Ibrahim Hannibal) who was Peter the Great's protégé.
She has written songs for artists such as Peter Skellern
Peter Skellern
Peter Skellern is an English singer-songwriter and pianist.-Career:Skellern attended Derby Grammar School and studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He later joined pop groups called 'Harlem' and 'March Hare'...
, Demis Roussos
Demis Roussos
Artemios Ventouris Roussos is a Greek singer and performer, best known for being the main musical partner of movie soundtrack composer Vangelis and a string of international hit records as a solo performer in the 1960s and 1970s...
, William Lovelady and Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
. She furthermore wrote the libretto for the opera “The Poet and the Tsar”, based on the lives of her great-great-great-grandfathers, Alexander Pushkin and Tsar Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, which were performed by the Helikon Opera
Helikon Opera
Helikon Opera is a Russian opera company based in Moscow, specializing in unconventional productions. Their main performing base is the 250 seat Mayakovsky Theater, the former ballroom in the palace of the Shakhovskoi-Glebov-Streshneva family who were patrons of the arts in 19th century Moscow...
in Moscow in 2007 as well as a play on Alexander Pushkin, entitled “Song from a Cage.”
Marita Phillips studied acting at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and ballet at the Nesta Brooking School before training as a mime with Adam Darius
Adam Darius
Adam Darius is an American dancer, mime artist, writer and choreographer. As a performer, he has appeared in over 85 countries across six continents...
, with whom she founded and ran The Mime Centre, London.
Royal ancestry
Marita and her three other sisters, including the Duchess of AbercornAlexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
Alexandra Anastasia "Sacha" Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn OBE is the wife of James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn....
and the Duchess of Westminster
Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster is the wife of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster.The Duchess of Westminster is the younger daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife, Georgina Wernher. Her elder sister is Alexandra, Duchess of Abercorn...
are close to the British Royal Family, and are related distantly, via their Russian great-grandfather, to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
.
Their maternal grandmother Lady Wernher was born Countess Anastasia de Torby
Anastasia de Torby
Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby, CBE , also named Lady Zia Wernher, was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, by Countess Sophie of Merenberg.-Biography:Like her mother, Anastasia was born of a morganatic marriage, and was...
(later Lady "Zia" Wernher), younger morganatic daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mihailovich of Russia
Grand Duke Michael Mihailovich of Russia
Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia and a first cousin of Alexander III of Russia. He followed a military career, but was banished from living in Russia when in 1891 he contracted a morganatic marriage with Countess Sophie of Merenberg...
(a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
) by his wife Countess Sophie of Merenberg
Count of Merenberg
Count of Merenberg is the title bestowed in 1868 by the reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, George Victor, upon the morganatic wife and male-line descendants of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau , who married Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina , former wife of Russian General Mikhail Leontievich...
, morganatic daughter of Prince Nicholas of Nassau (himself brother of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
by his wife, the younger daughter of Russia's greatest poet Alexander Pushkin. Lady Zia's sister Nadezhda (or "Nada") was wife of the George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven
George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven
Captain George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven , styled Earl of Medina between 1917 and 1921, was born the son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine at Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany...
, elder maternal uncle of Prince Philip. The Torby sisters were third cousins of the prince through their common ancestor Nicholas I. It is through their Russian grand ducal father that Marita is descended from Sophia, Electress of Hanover.
Marita's sister The Duchess of Westminster
Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster is the wife of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster.The Duchess of Westminster is the younger daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife, Georgina Wernher. Her elder sister is Alexandra, Duchess of Abercorn...
is a godmother of The Duke of Cambridge.
Marita's mother, Lady Kennard, was a close friend of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
In 1982, Marita married Randall Crawley (1950–1988), a son of Aidan Crawley
Aidan Crawley
Aidan Merivale Crawley, MBE was a British journalist, television executive and editor, and politician...
MP and his wife Virginia Cowles. Crawley was killed with his brother Andrew in a private plane crash near Turin in Italy on 10 September 1988, leaving issue two sons and one daughter. The posthumous younger son Galen Crawley is a godson of The 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...
. In 2006, Marita remarried, her second husband being the journalist, turned media baron, Andrew Knight
Andrew Knight
Andrew Stephen Bower Knight is a journalist, editor, and director of News Corporation.-Career:He joined The Economist Magazine in 1966 on the international business and investment sections...
(b. 1939).
She is currently 1536th in line for the British throne.
Siblings
- Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of AbercornAlexandra Hamilton, Duchess of AbercornAlexandra Anastasia "Sacha" Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn OBE is the wife of James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn....
(born 27 February 1946) - Nicholas Harold PhillipsNicholas Harold PhillipsNicholas Harold Phillips was a British landowner in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire with royal connections. As a descendant of Sophia, Electress of Hanover, he was in the line of succession to the British throne.-Life:...
(23 August 1947–1 March 1991) - Fiona Mercedes Phillips (born 30 March 1951)
- Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of WestminsterNatalia Grosvenor, Duchess of WestminsterNatalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster is the wife of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster.The Duchess of Westminster is the younger daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife, Georgina Wernher. Her elder sister is Alexandra, Duchess of Abercorn...
(born 8 May 1959)