Lady Alexandra Curzon
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Lady Alexandra Naldera Metcalfe (; 20 March 1904 – 7 August 1995) was a British aristocrat. She was the third daughter of
Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...
, Viceroy of India, and his first wife, the American heiress, Mary Victoria Leiter.


Early life

Lady Alexandra Curzon was born in March 1904 in London. She was named after her godmother,
Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
and her place of conception, Naldehra, near
Simla Shimla, also known as Simla (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summe ...
. Her mother died in 1906 when Alexandra was only two years old. Her father's Indian servants called her "''Baba Sahib''", "Baby Master", and she was thereafter best known as "''Baba''". She and her sisters,
Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...
("''Nina''") and
Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek language, Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on the island of Delos. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 17th century. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbrev ...
("''Cimmie''") were brought up at
Hackwood Park Hackwood Park is a large country estate that primarily consists of an 18th-century ornamental woodland and formal lawn garden in addition to a mansion of symmetrical design. It is located within the boundaries of Winslade, a rural parish immedi ...
, Hampshire, and
Montacute Montacute is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 831 (2011 census). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the conically acute St ...
; their London home, 1 Carlton Gardens in
Carlton House Terrace Carlton House Terrace is a street in the St James's district of the City of Westminster in London. Its principal architectural feature is a pair of terraces, the Western and Eastern terraces, of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of ...
, became a centre of elite social life after Curzon's second marriage to Grace Elvina Duggan in 1917. She was dubbed the "prettiest debutante of the 1922 season".CARTER, MIRANDA (2 June 2002) "Poor Little Rich Girls", ''The New York Times'' – Books. Retrieved 4 April 200
"Poor Little Rich Girls"
/ref>


Adulthood

She was the first love of
Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and George ...
. However, on 21 July 1925 she married Major
Edward Dudley Metcalfe Major (United Kingdom), Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe, (16 January 1887 – 18 November 1957) was a British British Indian Army, Indian Army officer and a close friend—aide-de-camp and equerry—of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, King ...
, ADC and
equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...
of
Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
. She was one of a handful of witnesses to Edward's marriage to
Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...
. The Metcalfes had a son, David (1927–2012), who was a noted socialite. Before World War II she earned the
sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...
Baba
Blackshirt The Voluntary Militia for National Security (, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts (, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-vo ...
, and for a while played a murky role as a semiwitting go-between for her brother-in-law
Sir Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980), was a British aristocrat and politician who rose to fame during the 1920s and 1930s when he, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, turned to fascism. ...
and
Dino Grandi Dino Grandi, 1st Conte di Mordano (4 June 1895 – 21 May 1988), was an Italian Fascist politician, minister of justice, minister of foreign affairs and president of Parliament. Early life Born at Mordano, province of Bologna, Grandi was ...
,
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
's ambassador to London, while simultaneously enjoying the romantic devotion of the foreign secretary,
Lord Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as the Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and the Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a British Conservative politician of the 1930s. He h ...
, who was staying at the same
Dorchester Hotel The Dorchester is a five-star hotel located on Park Lane and Deanery Street in London, to the east of Hyde Park. It is one of the world's most prestigious hotels. The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931, and it still retains its 1930s furnis ...
as Alexandra and her sister. The Metcalfes divorced in 1955 but remained close, with Alexandra reportedly resenting any "denigration of her former husband."


Later life

The main thrust of Baba's later life was her tireless efforts for the
Save the Children Fund The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...
, a commitment that lasted for more than 40 years. Lady Alexandra joined the Save the Children Fund in 1950 and was very active in fund-raising in London. In 1955, she and her husband divorced and she became a member of the fund's governing council. Later she would become chairman of the Overseas Relief and Welfare Committee, which controls all overseas work of the fund. In 1974 she was elected vice-president.


Honours

She was appointed
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for those efforts in 1975.Gilmour, David (28 October 2000) "Washing one's mother's linen" a review of THE VICEROY'S DAUGHTERS: THE LIVES OF THE CURZON SISTERS by Anne de Courcy, The Spectator. Retrieved 4 September 200
a review of THE VICEROY'S DAUGHTERS


Death

She died on 7 August 1995 at age 91 at
John Radcliffe Hospital John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR or the John Radcliffe) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe (physician) ...
,
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
. She was the last surviving witness to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.


In popular culture

Alexandra was portrayed by Caroline Simmons in the 1980 seven-episode television mini-series, '' Edward and Mrs. Simpson'', which won the 1980 Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. She was portrayed by
Flora Montgomery Flora Anne Selina Montgomery (born 4 January 1974) is a Northern Irish actress. Early life and family Montgomery was born at her family's ancestral home in Greyabbey, County Down, the daughter of William Howard Clive Montgomery, OBE, of Rose ...
in the four-episode Channel Four (UK) television drama mini-series '' Mosley'' in 1998. It was based on the books ''Rules of the Game'' and ''Beyond the Pale'' by her nephew Nicholas Mosley, Mosley's son. She was portrayed by
Rebecca Saire Rebecca Saire (born 16 April 1963) is a British actress and writer who gained early attention when, at the age of fourteen, she played Juliet for the ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' series. Stage * Sybil in ''Private Lives'' ( National Theatr ...
in
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
of ''
The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
'', in the episode "Vergangenheit". She and her two older sisters were the subjects of a biography by
Anne de Courcy Anne Grey de Courcy ( Barrett; born December 1927) is an English biographer and journalist, including as women's editor on the ''London Evening News'', as a columnist for the ''London Evening Standard'' and as a feature writer for the ''Daily Ma ...
in ''The Viceroy's Daughters: The Lives of the Curzon Sisters''.


References


Bibliography

*Sarah Bradford, (9 August 1995) Lady Alexandra Metcalfe, ''The Independent'', London. Retrieved 9 April 200
Short Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalfe, Alexandra 1904 births 1995 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
Daughters of British marquesses English people of American descent English people of Swiss descent