Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
OStJ | |
|---|---|
 The Duchess in 2017 | |
| Born | Alexandra Anastasia Phillips 27 February 1946 Tucson, Arizona, United States[1] |
| Died | 10 December 2018 (aged 72) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Buried | Baronscourt Parish Church, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Issue |
|
| Parents | |
Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn,
Early life
Born Alexandra Anastasia Phillips, she was the eldest daughter of
Sacha was born in Tucson, Arizona, where her family was living while her father recovered from tuberculosis. She was christened at St Margaret's Church, Westminster, with Lord Mountbatten, the Duchess of Kent, and Sir William Stephenson among her godparents.[4][1] Upon returning to the United Kingdom, the family lived at Thorpe Lubenham Hall in Northamptonshire, and later Checkendon Court, in South Oxfordshire.
She was educated at St Mary's School, Wantage, and in Paris, but her mother forbade university.[1] She had a debutante ball attended by 800 guests including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Luton Hoo, the Bedfordshire seat of her maternal grandparents, the Wernhers, in the summer of 1964.[1]
Marriage and issue
On 20 October 1966, at the age of 20, Phillips married James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton, Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and son and heir apparent of the 4th Duke of Abercorn, at Westminster Abbey. The Queen and other members of the royal family attended, including Prince Andrew, who was a pageboy.[5]
In June 1979, James succeeded his father as 5th Duke of Abercorn and moved to the family seat, Baronscourt, near Newtownstewart in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[4]
The Duke and Duchess had three children and three grandchildren:
- James Harold Charles Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton (born 19 August 1969); married Tanya Marie Nation on 7 May 2004, had issue:
- James Alfred Nicholas Hamilton, Viscount Strabane (born 30 October 2005)
- Lord Claud Douglas Harold Hamilton (born 12 December 2007)
- Lady Sophia Alexandra Hamilton (born 8 June 1973); married Anthony Loyd on 7 September 2002, divorced 2005, no issue
- Lord Nicholas Edward Hamilton (born 5 July 1979); married Tatiana Kronberg on 30 August 2009, had issue
Sacha was a close friend of
The Duchess died on 10 December 2018 at the age of 72 following an illness.[5][4][6][7] Following a private funeral, she was buried at Baronscourt Parish Church, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[8] A memorial service was held at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, on 30 May 2019, which was attended by the Duke of York.[9]
Philanthropy and public roles
A trained psychologist, she ran workshops throughout Ireland and Great Britain.[1] The Duchess was the founder of the Pushkin Prizes and the Pushkin Trust, organizations promoting art therapy for young people. The Duchess held many patronages, such as Abercorn House at Cambridge House Grammar School, the Omagh Community Youth Choir and the BEARR Trust.[10] She was honorary secretary of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma & Transformation in Omagh, County Tyrone.[11] Her work in Omagh was in response to the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Honours
National honours
14 June 2008: Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)[12]- 11 November 1991: Officer (Sister) of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (OStJ)[13]
Academic honours
- 2003: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ulster[14]
Miscellaneous honours
- 2006: Princess Grace Humanitarian Award[11]
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn Countess Sophie of Merenberg | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
References
- ^ a b c d e f "The Duchess of Abercorn obituary". The Times. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9711966-0-5.
- ^ "Descendant of Pushkin and the Romanovs Becomes The World's Youngest Billionaire". rbth.com. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Duchess of Abercorn, activist during the Northern Irish Troubles and holder of ancient Scottish title". The Herald. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b "The Duchess of Abercorn, public-spirited doyenne of Northern Irish life and a close confidante of Prince Philip – obituary". The Telegraph. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Clark, Bruce (19 October 2017). "'Let's take chances': the Duchess of Abercorn on Brexit and the Irish border". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ Simpson, Claire (11 December 2018). "Duchess of Abercorn dies after illness". Irishnews.com. The Irish News. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ^ Simpson, Clare (13 December 2018). "Private funeral service for Duchess of Abercorn". The Irish News. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Duke of York attends thanksgiving service for the Duchess of Abercorn". Church of Ireland. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Death of BEARR Patron the Duchess of Abercorn". BEARR Trust. February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b "The Late Sacha, Duchess of Abercorn OBE, Founder of the Pushkin Trust". Pushkin Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "No. 58729". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2008. p. 8.
- ^ "No. 52712". The London Gazette. 11 November 1991. p. 17188.
- ^ "Honorary graduates conferred since 1985". Ulster University. Retrieved 9 February 2022.