Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Hamilton, DBE

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...

(February 26, 1869 — January 18, 1958), the Duchess of Abercorn, was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 aristocrat

Aristocracy

Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...

. She was a great-grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...

.

Biography

She was born on February 26, 1869 to Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan

Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan

Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan KP , styled Lord Bingham from 1839 to 1888, was the eldest son of George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan and Lady Anne Brudenell. His maternal grandparents were Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan and Penelope Anne Cooke.He married Lady Cecilia Catherine...

 and Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox.

She married, James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton

James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn

James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn KG, KP, PC , styled Marquess of Hamilton between 1885 and 1913, was a British peer and Unionist politician. He was the first Governor of Northern Ireland, a post he held between 1922 and 1945...

, eldest son of James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn KG, CB, PC , styled Viscount Hamilton until 1868 and Marquess of Hamilton from 1868 to 1885, was a British nobleman and diplomat...

, on November 1, 1894 at St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...

.

They had five children:

• Lady Mary Cecilia Rhodesia Hamilton (1896–1984), who married twice, firstly in 1917 Capt/Maj. Robert Orlando Rudolph Kenyon-Slaney (1892–1965), with whom she divorced in 1930, and secondly, in 1930, to Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet. With her first husband she had two sons and a daughter, and with her second husband one son.
• Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton
  Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer
  Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Spencer, Countess Spencer, DCVO, OBE , known as Lady Cynthia Hamilton until her marriage, and from then as Viscountess Althorp until 1922 when her husband inherited his father's title of Earl Spencer, was a British peeress and the paternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of...
  
   (1897–1972), who married in 1919 to Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975). They had a son and two daughters. By their son they became grandparents of Diana, Princess of Wales
  Diana, Princess of Wales
  Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
  
  .
• Lady Katherine Hamilton (1900–1985), who married in 1930 Lt-Col. Sir Reginald Henry Seymour (1878–1938), a descendant of the 1st Marquess of Hertford
  Marquess of Hertford
  The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerages of England and Great Britain.The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour, who was simultaneously created Baron Beauchamp of Hache...
  
  .
• Sir James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn (1904–1979)
• Lord Claud David Hamilton (1907–1968), who worked as a barrister in the Inner Temple, and who in 1946 married Genesta Mary Heath; he was her third husband and the union was childless.

Rosalind, Duchess of Abercorn was invested as 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...

 in 1936. She was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by Queen's University, Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, in 1944. She died in 1958, aged 88.

Titles

• The Honourable Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (1869 – 1888)
• Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (1888 – 1894)
• Marchioness of Hamilton (1894 – 1913)
• Her Grace The Duchess of Abercorn (1913 – 1953)
• Her Grace The Dowager Duchess of Abercorn (1953 – 1958)