Re: Queen Elizabeth's Response to the Greville Bequest Was Re: Greville Chandelier Earrings Archived Message
Posted by LauraM on November 22, 2015, 6:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Queen Elizabeth's Response to the Greville Bequest Was Re: Greville Chandelier Earrings"
Mrs Greville's country home. --Previous Message-- : Could you tell me what Polesden Lacy : was...which Queen Mary refered to as a : possible "white elephant" to her : son Bertie if Mrs. Greville did not alter : her original will to leave this to Queen : Elizabeth (later QEQM)? : : --Previous Message-- : Mrs Ronnie Greville died on Tuesday 15 : September 1942 at the Dorchester Hotel, : London. Her funeral was 19 September 1942 : with the memorial service taking place on 24 : September 1942. A few days after the funeral : Queen Elizabeth had a visit from Mrs : Greville's solicitor. She was informed by : Mrs Ronnie's solicitor about Mrs Ronnie's : bequests. Polesden Lacy was left to the : National Trust, rather than to the Queen as : her country home as originally planned. : : All jewels valued at over £100 were left to : Queen Elizabeth; 60 pieces made up the : bequest, and Princess Margaret received £20 : 000. Both these bequests were free of death : duties, according to the Queen in a letter : to the King on 30 September 1942. : : All the information in the above paragraphs : are from Evans, Sian. Mrs Ronnie the : Society Hostess who collected kings which : is also the only source that I have found : about why the jewels were not worn publicly : until the South African tour. According to : Sian Evans, it was felt that it was "in : bad taste" to wear spectacular : jewellery during war time and after the war : it was a period of austerity, hence the : first appearance in 1947. : : The following is from Counting One's : Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen : Elizabeth the Queen Mother William : Shawcross. : : 13 Oct 1942 to Queen Mary : : Balmoral Castle : : I must tell you that Mrs Greville has left : me her jewels, tho' I am keeping that : quiet as well for the moment! She left them : to me 'with her loving thoughts', dear old : thing, and I feel very touched, I don't : suppose I shall see what they consist of for : a long time, owing to the slowness of : lawyers & death duties etc, but I know : she had a few good things. Apart from : everything else, it is rather exciting to be : left something, and I do admire beautiful : stones will all my heart. I can't help : thinking that most women do!' : : "Queen Mary replied '[. . .]I can : understand your pleasure about the jewels. : [. . .]I never had any such luck--but I am : not really jealous. I just mention this as : it came into my mind!' (Queen Mary to Queen : Elizabeth, 16 October 1942 (misdated : November, RA/QEQM/PRIV/RF) : : Evans also quotes from the same letter : providing more of it: 'How kind of Mrs : Greville to leave you her jewels, and she : had some lovely pearls and nice emeralds too : I think...I hope that the jewels will make : up for the loss of Polesden Lacy, I am sorry : that she altered her will but perhaps it : would have been a white elephant to Bertie. : I can understand your pleasure about the : jewels, you are right not to say anything : about them..." : : Mrs Greville gave a three-row pearl necklace : to the then Duchess of York in 1936, which : the Queen wore throughout the war and : afterwards. Mrs Greville kept an : unattributed newspaper clipping (cut by the : clipping service she hired)from 3 July 1937: : : "...Mrs Greville was 'the friend' who : gave the then Duchess of York the beautiful : triple rope of pearls which she wears so : constantly." Evans states that the : source of this story was most likely Mrs : Greville herself. : : Sian Evans wrote her book for the National : Trust and had access not only to their : material but also had permission from Her : Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to use material : from the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. : : : : : : :
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Link: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/polesden-lacey
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