Samantha Cameron
Encyclopedia
Samantha Gwendoline Cameron (née Sheffield; born 18 April 1971), often known simply as "Sam Cam", is a British
business executive and wife of David Cameron
, the current Conservative Party
leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
.
Until 13 May 2010 she was the creative director of Smythson
of Bond Street
, a stationery firm
. She took on a part time consultancy role within the firm after David Cameron became Prime Minister
.
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Samantha is the elder daughter of Sir Reginald Adrian Berkeley Sheffield, 8th Baronet
(a landowner and a thrice descendant of King Charles II of England
) and his first wife Annabel Lucy Veronica Jones
. Sir Reginald and Annabel married on 11 November 1969; Samantha was born in 1971, Emily in 1973; the couple divorced in 1974. Annabel has been married to William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
, a Minister in John Major
's government and a member of the prominent Astor family
, since 14 January 1976, and is now styled as Viscountess Astor. The couple's children are The Hon. Flora Katherine (born 1976), The Hon. William Waldorf (born 1979), and The Hon. James Jacob (born 1981).
Samantha grew up on the 300-acre (121-hectare) estate of Normanby Hall
, five miles (8 km) north of Scunthorpe
in North Lincolnshire
. Her family also owns a large Yorkshire
estate called Sutton Park
.
, an independent school
for girls in the market town
of Abingdon
in Oxfordshire
and then took her A levels at Marlborough College
, a co-educational independent school in Wiltshire
. She did an art foundation course at Camberwell College of Arts
and then went on to study Fine Art at the School of Creative Arts, part of the University of the West of England
. It was while she was a student there that she met David Cameron
through her acquaintance with his sister Clare.
, Oxfordshire
, five years before Cameron became an MP.
The couple have had four children: Ivan Reginald Ian (8 April 2002 Hammersmith and Fulham
, London – 25 February 2009, Paddington
, London); Nancy Gwen Beatrice (born 19 January 2004, Westminster
, London), Arthur Elwen (born 14 February 2006, Westminster) and Florence Rose Endellion (born 24 August 2010, Cornwall
). Ivan was born with a rare combination of cerebral palsy
and severe epilepsy
and died at the age of six at St Mary's Hospital, London. Florence Cameron's third given name, Endellion, is taken from the Cornish village of St Endellion
. The couple's fourth child was born early while the Camerons were on holiday in Cornwall.
of Bond Street has recently won her a British Glamour Magazine Award for Best Accessory Designer. She has been noted as turning the company around and establishing it as a fashionable and popular brand. She also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen
. Two days after her husband became Prime Minister, she announced she was stepping down from her full time role to take on a consultancy role within Smythson's for two days a week. She said that choice was hers alone and had been made after she discovered she was pregnant again and after what she described as an "understandably difficult year." The decision was also in part attributed to the death of her first child, Ivan, the previous year.
During March 2010, the Daily Mail
reported that Samantha Cameron may have voted for Tony Blair
's Labour party
, and that she might vote for Gordon Brown
in the 2010 general election, following comments made by Shadow Arts Minister
, Ed Vaizey to Andrew Rawnsley
during the making of a documentary for Channel 4
. However, a Conservative spokesman issued a statement to blogger Iain Dale
, stating that "The Mail on Sunday story is not true. Sam has never voted Labour and never will. She took five weeks off work to campaign for the Tories in Stafford
in the 97 election
". Samantha Cameron then issued her own statement: "I did not vote for Tony Blair in 1997 and I have never voted Labour".
Cameron caused controversy in May 2010 when it was reported that she had refused to use the regular Prime Ministerial chauffeur and instead insisted on having a woman driver. The main reason given for the change was that she felt more comfortable if the children were taken to school by a woman rather than a man.
She is credited with coining the phrase "There is such a thing as society, it's just not the same thing as the state", which has been said several times by David Cameron, including in his victory speech following his victory in the Conservative party leadership election in 2005
. This is a reference to Margaret Thatcher
's often misquoted phrase "There is no such thing as society".
) and the novelist Enid Bagnold
. Her maternal grandmother, Pandora Clifford, was the second wife of The Hon. Michael Astor
. Her stepfather is William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
. Her grandfather, Sir William Mount, was MP for South shire, which he inherited from his father, also William Mount. Her cousin is Sir Ferdinand Mount
who was head of Margaret Thatcher
's policy unit in the 1980s. On her maternal grandmother's side she is a great-great-granddaughter of John Murton Gundry, president of the Cleveland Trust Company.
Through her Barons Clifford of Chudleigh ancestors, who are descendants of Mary Boleyn
, sister of Anne Boleyn
, second wife of King Henry VIII of England
, she is also a descendant of the Barons Arundell of Wardour and of Margaret Howard, sister of Catherine Howard
, fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England
. She is also a four-times descendant of King Charles II of England
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
business executive and wife of David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, the current Conservative Party
Conservative 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...
leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
.
Until 13 May 2010 she was the creative director of Smythson
Smythson
Frank Smythson Ltd., more simply known as Smythson, of Bond Street is a British manufacturer of luxury stationery, leather goods, diaries, and fashion products based in London, England. Smythson opened his first shop on 29 September 1887 at 133, New Bond Street, London. The current flagship store...
of Bond Street
Bond Street
Bond Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London that runs north-south through Mayfair between Oxford Street and Piccadilly. It has been a fashionable shopping street since the 18th century and is currently the home of many high price fashion shops...
, a stationery firm
Stationery
Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...
. She took on a part time consultancy role within the firm after David Cameron became Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
.
Early life
Sheffield Baronets
The Sheffield Baronetcy, of Normanby in the County of Lincoln, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 1 March 1755 for Charles Herbert Sheffield, the illegitimate son of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby....
(a landowner and a thrice descendant of King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
) and his first wife Annabel Lucy Veronica Jones
Annabel Astor, Viscountess Astor
Annabel Lucy Veronica Astor, Viscountess Astor is an English businesswoman who is the CEO of OKA Direct, a home furnishings design company...
. Sir Reginald and Annabel married on 11 November 1969; Samantha was born in 1971, Emily in 1973; the couple divorced in 1974. Annabel has been married to William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
William Waldorf Astor, 4th Viscount Astor is a British businessman and politician who sits as an elected hereditary peer in the House of Lords.-Biography:...
, a Minister in John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
's government and a member of the prominent Astor family
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
, since 14 January 1976, and is now styled as Viscountess Astor. The couple's children are The Hon. Flora Katherine (born 1976), The Hon. William Waldorf (born 1979), and The Hon. James Jacob (born 1981).
Samantha grew up on the 300-acre (121-hectare) estate of Normanby Hall
Normanby Hall
Normanby Hall is a classic English mansion, located near the village of Burton-upon-Stather, north of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.The present Hall was built in 1825–30 to the designs of Robert Smirke for Sir Robert Sheffield , whose family had lived on the site since 1539. It replaced a...
, five miles (8 km) north of Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
in North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
. Her family also owns a large Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
estate called Sutton Park
Sutton Park, Yorkshire
Sutton Park is an 18th century Georgian country house situated on the edge of the village of Sutton-on-the-Forest, North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately 10 miles north of York, in the ancient Forest of Galtres...
.
Education
Samantha Cameron was educated at the School of St Helen and St KatharineSchool of St Helen and St Katharine
The School of St Helen & St Katharine is an English independent girls' school, located in Abingdon.- History :The School of St Helen & St Katharine was originally two separate girls' schools, St Helen's School and St Katharine's School, founded in the early years of the twentieth century...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
for girls in the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and then took her A levels at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, a co-educational independent school in 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...
. She did an art foundation course at Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
and then went on to study Fine Art at the School of Creative Arts, part of the University of the West of England
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
. It was while she was a student there that she met David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
through her acquaintance with his sister Clare.
Family
Samantha Sheffield and David Cameron married on 1 June 1996 at the Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury, East HendredEast Hendred
East Hendred is a village and civil parish in the English county of Oxfordshire, about east of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse and a similar distance west of Didcot. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, five years before Cameron became an MP.
The couple have had four children: Ivan Reginald Ian (8 April 2002 Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
, London – 25 February 2009, Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, London); Nancy Gwen Beatrice (born 19 January 2004, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London), Arthur Elwen (born 14 February 2006, Westminster) and Florence Rose Endellion (born 24 August 2010, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
). Ivan was born with a rare combination of cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
and severe epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and died at the age of six at St Mary's Hospital, London. Florence Cameron's third given name, Endellion, is taken from the Cornish village of St Endellion
St Endellion
St Endellion is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village and parish church are situated four miles north of Wadebridge....
. The couple's fourth child was born early while the Camerons were on holiday in Cornwall.
Work and politics
Her work as the head of SmythsonSmythson
Frank Smythson Ltd., more simply known as Smythson, of Bond Street is a British manufacturer of luxury stationery, leather goods, diaries, and fashion products based in London, England. Smythson opened his first shop on 29 September 1887 at 133, New Bond Street, London. The current flagship store...
of Bond Street has recently won her a British Glamour Magazine Award for Best Accessory Designer. She has been noted as turning the company around and establishing it as a fashionable and popular brand. She also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen
Shiatzy Chen
Shiatzy Chen is a Taiwanese fashion house, whose founder and brand innovator Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia is often referred to as the Chanel of Taiwan,and is the eponym of her luxury goods brand. She was born in 1951 in Changhua, Taiwan and founded the company in 1978...
. Two days after her husband became Prime Minister, she announced she was stepping down from her full time role to take on a consultancy role within Smythson's for two days a week. She said that choice was hers alone and had been made after she discovered she was pregnant again and after what she described as an "understandably difficult year." The decision was also in part attributed to the death of her first child, Ivan, the previous year.
During March 2010, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
reported that Samantha Cameron may have voted for 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...
's Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and that she might vote for Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
in the 2010 general election, following comments made by Shadow Arts Minister
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
, Ed Vaizey to Andrew Rawnsley
Andrew Rawnsley
Andrew Nicholas James Rawnsley is a British political journalist, notably for The Observer, and broadcaster.-Early life:...
during the making of a documentary for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. However, a Conservative spokesman issued a statement to blogger Iain Dale
Iain Dale
Iain Campbell Dale is best known for his conservative-minded British political blog Iain Dale's Diary and for his frequent appearances on UK news channels as a political commentator. He is also a publisher, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician...
, stating that "The Mail on Sunday story is not true. Sam has never voted Labour and never will. She took five weeks off work to campaign for the Tories in Stafford
Stafford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stafford is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The sitting MP is the Conservative Jeremy Lefroy....
in the 97 election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
". Samantha Cameron then issued her own statement: "I did not vote for Tony Blair in 1997 and I have never voted Labour".
Cameron caused controversy in May 2010 when it was reported that she had refused to use the regular Prime Ministerial chauffeur and instead insisted on having a woman driver. The main reason given for the change was that she felt more comfortable if the children were taken to school by a woman rather than a man.
She is credited with coining the phrase "There is such a thing as society, it's just not the same thing as the state", which has been said several times by David Cameron, including in his victory speech following his victory in the Conservative party leadership election in 2005
Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2005
The 2005 Conservative leadership election was called by party leader Michael Howard on 6 May 2005, when he announced that he would be stepping down as leader in the near future. However, he stated that he would not depart until a review of the rules for the leadership election had been conducted,...
. This is a reference to Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's often misquoted phrase "There is no such thing as society".
Ancestry
Cameron's maternal great-grandparents were Sir Roderick Jones (a Chairman of ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
) and the novelist Enid Bagnold
Enid Bagnold
Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, CBE , known by her maiden name as Enid Bagnold, was a British author and playwright, best known for the 1935 story National Velvet which was filmed in 1944 with Elizabeth Taylor....
. Her maternal grandmother, Pandora Clifford, was the second wife of The Hon. Michael Astor
Michael Langhorne Astor
The Hon. Michael Langhorne Astor was a British Conservative Party politician and fourth child of Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor and Nancy Witcher Langhorne, both Members of Parliament....
. Her stepfather is William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
William Waldorf Astor, 4th Viscount Astor is a British businessman and politician who sits as an elected hereditary peer in the House of Lords.-Biography:...
. Her grandfather, Sir William Mount, was MP for South shire, which he inherited from his father, also William Mount. Her cousin is Sir Ferdinand Mount
Ferdinand Mount
Sir William Robert Ferdinand Mount, 3rd Baronet , usually known as Ferdinand Mount, is a British writer and novelist, columnist for The Sunday Times and commentator on politics, and Conservative Party politician...
who was head of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's policy unit in the 1980s. On her maternal grandmother's side she is a great-great-granddaughter of John Murton Gundry, president of the Cleveland Trust Company.
Through her Barons Clifford of Chudleigh ancestors, who are descendants of Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn , was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn and a member of the Boleyn family, which enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England...
, sister of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, second wife of King Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, she is also a descendant of the Barons Arundell of Wardour and of Margaret Howard, sister of Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
, fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. She is also a four-times descendant of King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.