Mary Soames, Baroness Soames
Encyclopedia
Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, (born 15 September 1922) is the youngest of Winston Churchill
and his wife Clementine
's five children and, as of 2011, the sole surviving child. She is the widow of The Lord Soames
.
and educated at the Manor House
at Limpsfield
, she worked for the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941, and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service
with whom she served in London
, Belgium
and Germany
in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander. She also accompanied her father as aide-de-camp
on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-VE
trip to Potsdam
, where he met with Harry S. Truman
and Joseph Stalin
.
She has served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; Church Army
and Churchill House
s; and has chaired the Royal National Theatre
. She is Patron of the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged
.
Lady Soames was honoured with becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia
.
She was appointed a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter
on 23 April 2005, and was invested on 13 June at Windsor Castle
.
One of her more recent public appearances came on 29 April 2002 when she dined with the Queen at Buckingham Palace
as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, alongside the then prime minister Tony Blair
, the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, and several other relatives of other deceased prime ministers.
She is a successful author and she wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, Clementine Churchill, in 1979. She offered insights into the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including Sir Martin Gilbert
, who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, Randolph
, in 1968. Additionally, she published a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal family and historical context.
politician Christopher Soames
(later created Baron Soames) in 1947 and they had five children:
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and his wife Clementine
Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill
Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, GBE, CStJ was the wife of Sir Winston Churchill and a life peeress in her own right.-Early life:...
's five children and, as of 2011, the sole surviving child. She is the widow of The Lord Soames
Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, GCMG, GCVO, CH, CBE, PC was a British politician belonging to the Conservative Party and the son-in-law of Winston Churchill. A European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia, he had previously been the longtime Member of Parliament...
.
Biography
Mary Spencer-Churchill was raised at ChartwellChartwell
Chartwell was the principal adult home of Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill and his wife Clementine bought the property, located two miles south of Westerham, Kent, England, in 1922...
and educated at the Manor House
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at Limpsfield
Limpsfield
Limpsfield is a village and parish in the east of the county of Surrey, England near Oxted at the foot of the North Downs. It lies between the A25 to the south and the M25 motorway to the north, near the Clackett Lane service station...
, she worked for the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941, and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service
Auxiliary Territorial Service
The Auxiliary Territorial Service was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War...
with whom she served in London
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...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander. She also accompanied her father as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-VE
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
trip to Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, where he met with Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
.
She has served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; Church Army
Church Army
Church Army is an evangelistic Church of England organisation operating in many parts of the Anglican Communion.-History:Church Army was founded in England in 1882 by the Revd Wilson Carlile , who banded together in an orderly army of soldiers, officers, and a few working men and women, whom he and...
and Churchill House
Churchill House
Churchill House, London on Red Lion Square in London is the headquarters of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the College of Emergency Medicine.-External links:*...
s; and has chaired the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. She is Patron of the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged
National Benevolent Fund for the Aged
The National Benevolent Fund for the Aged is a registered charity in the United Kingdom which provides support for isolated, marginalised and lonely older people on low incomes.-Description:...
.
Lady Soames was honoured with becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
She was appointed a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
on 23 April 2005, and was invested on 13 June at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.
One of her more recent public appearances came on 29 April 2002 when she dined with the Queen at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, alongside the then prime minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, and several other relatives of other deceased prime ministers.
She is a successful author and she wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, Clementine Churchill, in 1979. She offered insights into the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including Sir Martin Gilbert
Martin Gilbert
Sir Martin John Gilbert, CBE, PC is a British historian and Fellow of Merton College, University of Oxford. He is the author of over eighty books, including works on the Holocaust and Jewish history...
, who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, Randolph
Randolph Churchill
Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill, MBE was the son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston from 1940 to 1945....
, in 1968. Additionally, she published a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal family and historical context.
Family
She married the ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician Christopher Soames
Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, GCMG, GCVO, CH, CBE, PC was a British politician belonging to the Conservative Party and the son-in-law of Winston Churchill. A European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia, he had previously been the longtime Member of Parliament...
(later created Baron Soames) in 1947 and they had five children:
- The Rt. Hon. Arthur Nicholas Winston SoamesNicholas SoamesArthur Nicholas Winston Soames MP , known as Nicholas Soames, is a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the constituency of Mid Sussex....
(known as Nicholas - b. 12 Feb 1948) - prominent Conservative Member of Parliament and former Shadow Secretary of State for DefenceShadow CabinetThe Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government... - The Hon. Emma Mary SoamesEmma SoamesEmma Soames is a British editor. She is the granddaughter of Winston Churchill and the one-time girlfriend of Martin Amis. She was a long-serving editor of the Telegraph magazine. She is now the editor-at-large of Saga magazine...
(b. 6 Sep 1949) - editor of SagaSaga GroupSaga is a British company focused on serving the needs of those aged 50 and over. It has 2.7 million customers. The company has five call centres. All are in the UK, three in Folkestone, Kent at Middelburg Square, Enbrook Park and Cheriton Park; the fourth at the Eurokent Business park in...
magazine - The Hon. Jeremy Bernard Soames (b. 25 May 1952)
- The Rt. Hon. Charlotte Clementine Soames (b. 17 Jul 1954) now Countess Peel - is married to The Earl PeelWilliam Peel, 3rd Earl PeelWilliam James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel GCVO, PC, DL , styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a cross-bench member of the House of Lords and Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household.-Background and education:...
, the Lord ChamberlainLord ChamberlainThe Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State.... - The Hon. Rupert Christopher Soames (b. 18 May 1959)
Titles from birth
A list of the titles Lady Soames held in chronological order from birth:- Miss Mary Spencer-Churchill (15 September 1922-1945)
- Miss Mary Spencer-Churchill, MBE (1945-11 February 1947)
- Mrs. Christopher Soames, MBE (11 February 1947-May 1965)
- The Hon. Mrs. Soames, MBE (May 1965-1972)
- The Hon. Lady Soames, MBE (1972-19 April 1978)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, MBE (19 April 1978-14 June 1980)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, DBE (14 June 1980-23 April 2005)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, LG, DBE (23 April 2005-present)