The Honourable David Alexander Reginald Herbert (3 October 1908 – 3 April 1995) was a British socialite and writer.

Early life and education

He was the second son of

Reginald Herbert, 15th Earl of Pembroke Lt.-Col. Reginald Herbert, 15th Earl of Pembroke and 12th Earl of Montgomery (8 September 1880 – 13 January 1960), styled Lord Herbert from 1895 to 1913, was a British Army officer and peer from the Herbert family. Early life and education Her ...

. He spent his first few years in Castletown, Ireland. At the age of four, he moved to the family home of Wilton, near

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. Attending Wixenford Preparatory School, he was later sent on to

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

Performing career

David had brief stints as both a film actor, appearing in 1930's ''Knowing Men'', and as a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

performer. He briefly shared an apartment with

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

in the East End, and was satirized by

Lord Berners Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners (18 September 188319 April 1950), also known as Gerald Tyrwhitt, was a British composer, novelist, painter, and aesthete. He was also known as Lord Berners. Biography Early life and education B ...

as the character Daisy Montgomery in his 1936 satiric novel, ''The Girls of Radcliff Hall''. He was also scathingly satirized as "Peter Barclay" in

William Bayer William Bayer (pronounced “byer”) is an American novelist, the author of twenty-one books including ''The New York Times'' best-sellers ''Switch'' and ''Pattern Crimes.'' Bayer has written a series of novels featuring fictional New York Polic ...

's novel ''Tangier''.

Writing career

David's books recall his years in the company of such figures as

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as costume designer and set designer for stage and screen. His accolades ...

Lady Diana Cooper Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English silent film actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she ...

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

and

Jane Bowles Jane Bowles (; born Jane Sydney Auer; February 22, 1917 – May 4, 1973) was an American writer and playwright. Early life Born into a Jewish family in New York City on February 22, 1917, to Sydney Auer (father) and Claire Stajer (mother), Jan ...

Cyril Connolly Cyril Vernon Connolly CBE (10 September 1903 – 26 November 1974) was an English literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine ''Horizon (British magazine), Horizon'' (1940–49) and wrote ''Enemies of Pro ...

, Brian Howard,

Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American debutante, socialite, heiress and philanthropist. She was dubbed the "Poor Little Rich Girl"—first when she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball in 1930 ...

Osbert Sitwell Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet CH CBE (6 December 1892 – 4 May 1969) was an English writer. His elder sister was Edith Sitwell and his younger brother was Sacheverell Sitwell. Like them, he devoted his life to art and l ...

and

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

. These include ''Second Son: An Autobiography'' (1972), which included a foreword by Paul Bowles and photographs by Cecil Beaton, ''Engaging Eccentrics: Recollections'' (1990), his second volume of autobiography, and ''Relations and Revelations: Advice to Jemima'' (1992), a book of memories and opinions written in the form of advice to his great-niece Jemima.

Personal life

David spent almost fifty years in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

, Morocco where he was known for his vibrant personality, frequent lavish parties, good taste, and ruthless

snobbery ''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who feels superior due to their social class, education level, or social status in general;De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton it is sometimes used especially when they pr ...

. He was referred to by

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

as 'the Queen Mother of Tangier'. He was labeled as the 'most terrible snob' by author Patrick Thursfield, who regularly enjoyed attending his famous parties.

Death

David died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

in 1995 and was buried in the cemetery at Saint Andrew's Church. He had been a devout

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. On his tombstone was engraved, "He loved Morocco". File:III Church of St. Andrew's, Tangier, Morocco (2).jpg, Church of St. Andrew's, Tangier, Morocco File:Grave of david herbert tangier.jpg, tomb of David Herbert

References

External links

A Biography of David Herbert by Kenneth Lisenbee
*
Information on Wilton House, home of the Earl of Pembroke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, David 1908 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Anglicans 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English memoirists English socialites Younger sons of earls People educated at Eton College People educated at Wixenford School English people of Russian descent English interior designers British expatriates in Morocco Deaths from kidney failure English Anglicans British cabaret performers

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...