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Jun 2, 2011 · A young (and thin) Prince of Wales. Edward VII, once he hit his stride. One of the first women to become titled was Brooklyn-born Jennie Jerome Churchill. Jennie Jerome Churchill. In 1873, a 19 yr old Jennie meets Lord Randolph Spencer-Churchill, Second son (and therefore NOT the title-inheritor!) of the 7 th Duke of Marlborough.
Dec 18, 2023 · Dollar princesses: the American heiresses who changed the face of British aristocracy. Discover the history of the so-called ‘dollar princesses’ – the eligible heiresses from self-made American families who married into the British aristocracy – and brought billions of pounds with them. In the late 19th century, the wealth of the ...
- Lauren Good
Jan 31, 2024 · The name Vanderbilt evokes visions of over-the-top Gilded Age marble mansions and vast wealth. However, the term “dollar princess” had nothing to do with a mere dollar, instead, it refers to ...
The Brief Noble Life of a Toothpaste Queen Most of the Gilded Age Heiresses who crossed the sea in search of a noble title were the daughters of self-made men. One exception was Cora Smith, who married the soap company heir Samuel J Colgate (39 years her senior) and was left at his death a very rich widow – the estate was valued at over $260 million in today’s money.
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- HISTORY Vault: America the Story of Us
During the Gilded Age, marrying British aristocrats was seen as a way for American heiresses to raise their social status.
When Jennie Jerome and Lord Randolph Churchill announced their engagement in 1874, his parents were horrified. The couple had only known one another for three days, and Jerome—the tattooed daughter of a philandering financier and a social climber—was an American socialite, not a British noblewoman. Appalled, the Churchills tried to block the match…until they did the math.
Jerome’s family might have humble origins, but they were outrageously wealthy. Lord Randolph’s parents were not, and Jerome’s father was willing to pay a dowry that equaled the equivalent of over $4.3 million dollars today. The marriage went forward with the grudging approval of Lord Randolph’s parents.
They could have no way of knowing that Jerome, who became Lady Randolph Churchill when she married in 1874, would be the mother of a future prime minister, Winston—or that by allowing their aristocratic son to barter his title for much-needed wealth, they had helped spark a trend.
Between the late 19th century and World War II, a flood of “dollar princesses” flocked to England looking for love. In return for a coveted title, they offered their much-needed wealth to an aristocracy desperate for cash. And along the way, they helped change British royalty forever—including the lives of the modern-day heirs to Britain’s throne.
Jerome was just one of hundreds of heiresses thought to have injected the equivalent of a billion pounds into the British economy. The exchange was worth it in their eyes; they knew that marriages to people with titles like Lord, Viscount and Duke would improve their family’s fortunes back in the United States and solidify their position on the American social circuit.
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Jul 26, 2024 · Anne de Courcy, author of the book "The Husband Hunters: Social Climbing in London and New York" talks with BHT about the real-life Downton Abbey, Lady Coras, and their history-changing legacies. The courtship of Lord and Lady Grantham, back when they were simply young Robert Crawley and Cora Levinson, predates the show Downton Abbey but was often referenced within the series.
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Apr 25, 2023 · A Modern-Day Gatsby: The Tragedy of Two Gilded Heiresses. Few people in the world had the advantages of Olivia and Emma Handler, raised on a lavish estate said to have inspired a great American ...
