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==Honours==
==Honours==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
* [[File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg|60px]] 6 May 2023: [[King Charles III Coronation Medal]]
!Country
!Date
!Appointment
!Ribbon
|-
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II|6 February 2022]]
|[[Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal]]
|[[File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg|103x103px]]
|}


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 03:19, 2 December 2024

The Marchioness of Lansdowne
Lady Lansdowne in 2024
Born
Fiona Mary Merritt

(1954-10-03) 3 October 1954 (age 70)
EducationInchbald School of Design
Spouse

Fiona Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, DL (née Merritt; born 3 October 1954), previously known professionally as Fiona Shelburne, is a British aristocrat, socialite and interior designer. Since 2022, she has served as a queen's companion to Queen Camilla.

Life

Born in 1954, Fiona Merritt married in 1987, as his second wife, Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne.[1] She was styled Countess of Shelburne by courtesy until her husband succeeded to his father's titles in 1999. The family seat is Bowood House, Wiltshire,[2] and Lord and Lady Lansdowne have overseen the restoration of the house.[3][1]

Lady Lansdowne trained as an interior designer at the Inchbald School of Design and worked for Colefax & Fowler. She first met her husband (then Lord Shelburne) on a working visit to Bowood while employed by Charles Hammond in the early 1980s.[3]

A close friend of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, she is godmother of the Queen's daughter, Laura Lopes.[4]

Royal service

In 2019, Lady Lansdowne was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Wiltshire.[5][6] She was High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 2022–2023.[7]

She was appointed one of six of Camilla's queen's companions, the modern equivalent of ladies-in-waiting, in 2022.[8] She was one of her two ladies in attendance, alongside the Queen's sister Annabel Elliot, at the coronation on 6 May 2023.[2][9] She was one of two companions in attendance at the State Opening of Parliament in November 2023, and again in July 2024.[10]

Honours

Country Date Appointment Ribbon
United Kingdom 6 February 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal

References

  1. ^ a b "My English Home: The Marchioness of Lansdowne". The English Home. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Sawer, Patrick (27 November 2022). "Mother of Harry and Meghan's matchmaker among Queen Consort's new 'companions'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b Fraser, Virginia (28 January 2021). "An English country house with a very modern art collection". House & Garden. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  4. ^ Nikkah, Roya (15 April 2023). "Queen Camilla: the 'lady boss', by her inner circle". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  5. ^ "No. 62782". The London Gazette. 27 September 2019. p. 17388.
  6. ^ "Deputy Lieutenants and biographies". Wiltshire Lieutenancy. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  7. ^ "New High Sheriff for Wiltshire and Swindon 2022-23". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  8. ^ Nikkah, Roya (27 November 2022). "Camilla's break with tradition as closest friends become Queen's companions". The Times. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  9. ^ Ward, Victoria (21 April 2023). "Queen chooses sister and close friend to be her Coronation Ladies in Attendance". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  10. ^ Vanderhoof, Erin (17 July 2024). "Queen Camilla Was a Literal Birthday Queen In Historic Crown of More Than 1,000 Diamonds". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 14 August 2024.