{"id":31714,"date":"2023-12-18T09:27:11","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T08:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=254445"},"modified":"2023-12-18T20:11:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T19:11:39","slug":"dollar-princesses-the-american-heiresses-who-changed-the-face-of-british-aristocracy","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/dollar-princesses-the-american-heiresses-who-changed-the-face-of-british-aristocracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Dollar princesses: the American heiresses who changed the face of British aristocracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover the history of the so-called \u2018dollar princesses\u2019 \u2013 the eligible heiresses from self-made American families who married into the British aristocracy \u2013 and brought billions of pounds with them <\/p>

By Lauren Good\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 18 December 2023 at 08:27 AM<\/p>

\n\n

In the late 19th century, the wealth of the British aristocracy \u2013 much of which was wrapped up in agriculture now outsourced to the United States \u2013 was dwindling.<\/p>\n

As fortunes crumbled, so did many of the country\u2019s grandest houses in need of repair. Unable (or unwilling) to engage in traditional work due to societal norms, noble families had to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the United States of America\u2019s nouveau riche possessed great wealth but lacked one crucial element: a title. Along came a mutually beneficial phenomenon, the \u2018dollar princess\u2019.<\/p>\n

What is a dollar princess?<\/h2>\n
\"Taissa\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell & Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell. Bertha is thought to be based on Alva Vanderbilt, who secured the marriage of her daughter, Consuelo, to the 9th Duke of Marlborough. (Image by HBO\/Universal Television)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

As seen in popular history dramas The Gilded Age<\/em><\/a> and The Buccaneers<\/em> (the latter based on an unfinished novel by Edith Wharton), \u2018dollar princesses\u2019 was the name given to American heiresses who were married to European aristocrats by their self-made families during the Gilded Age.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in popular culture, fans of Downton Abbey<\/em><\/a> may recognise Lady Grantham (played by Elizabeth McGovern) as a dollar princess.<\/p>\n

In Julian Fellowes\u2019s drama, she marries the titled \u2013 but financially wanting \u2013 Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). The series depicts them as very much in love with three adult daughters, though examples of such happiness are difficult to find in the real history.<\/p>\n

The real arrangements provided both parties with their desires. Nouveau riche American families gained an ancient title, while British aristocrats were provided with wealth to sustain their ancestral lines and grand estates.<\/p>\n

This socio-economic phenomenon injected billions of pounds into Britain\u2019s economy, and American blood into its aristocracy. Real-life dollar princesses include Princess Diana\u2019s great-grandmother, the first woman to take a seat in the British parliament, and the inspiration for Cora in Downton Abbey<\/em> \u2013 read more about them further on.<\/p>\n

Who was the first dollar princess?<\/h2>\n
\"A\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
A photograph of the Churchill family (R-L) Winston Churchill at 10 years old, his mother Lady Randolph Churchill and his younger brother John Churchill. (Photo by Keystone-France\/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The marriage of Winston Churchill<\/a>\u2019s parents in 1900 is a prominent example of the trend.<\/p>\n

Lord Randolph Churchill\u2019s parents were reportedly horrified at the prospect of their son marrying Jennie Jerome, an American socialite and the daughter of a social climbing financier. That was until they realised just how wealthy Jerome was; her dowry was $250,000 (the equivalent of $6.7m today).<\/p>\n

This match might have secured a title for the Jeromes and riches for the Churchills, but it didn\u2019t result in love. The pair were involved in countless affairs, with Jennie\u2019s lovers including the future King Edward VII, and King Milan of Serbia.<\/p>\n

How did American families discover potential matches?<\/h3>\n

Many American women joined the London social season to secure an unmarried aristocrat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wealthiest American heiresses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries aspired to presentation at the British court, where they might meet landed aristocrats seeking wives with independent fortunes,\u201d explains Dr Carolyn Harris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince only a woman who had been presented at court herself could recommend a debutante for presentation, aristocratic women with titles but few financial resources sometimes accepted payments from wealthy families on both sides of the Atlantic to facilitate a debutante\u2019s presentation at court \u2013 thereby expanding the number of young women presented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
An illustration from 1893 depicting a debutante being photographed. (Picture by GettyImages)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

But social climbing didn\u2019t just rely on word of mouth. There was even a publication, Titled Americans<\/em>, that \u2013 in addition to announcing the heiresses who managed to marry into the aristocracy \u2013 also listed eligible British bachelors.<\/p>\n

There was no room for secrets in its pages, with titles and reputed fortunes included alongside names. Interested women could reply via post to this catalogue-like list, in an attempt to gain a coveted ancient title.<\/p>\n

How many dollar princesses were there?<\/h3>\n

According to Titled Americans<\/em>, 454 American heiresses married into the European aristocracy during the Gilded Age.<\/p>\n

What did the lives of dollar princesses look like once they were married?<\/h3>\n

The unions between American heiresses and British aristocrats resulted in material riches, but rarely promised happiness.<\/p>\n

The marriage of Consuelo Vanderbilt exemplifies this. The daughter of American railroad heir and businessman William Kissam Vanderbilt and his wife, Alva, Consuelo was married in 1895 to Charles Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough. The match was a result of pressure from her parents, who were determined to secure a preeminent marriage alliance for the family.<\/p>\n

When they married in New York in November 1895, many flocked to the streets to catch a glimpse of the bride, who was worth around $4b in today\u2019s money. Consuelo , however, didn\u2019t share their joy.<\/p>\n

She would later admit to having \u201cspent the morning of my wedding day in tears and alone; no one came near me\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Portrait of Consuelo Vanderbilt. (Photo by Gilliam Press Syndicate\/PhotoQuest\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cThis was a horrible marriage,\u201d historian Nancy C Unger explained on an episode of the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast<\/a>. \u201cShe was so miserable, and it didn\u2019t last.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, the whole dollar princess phenomenon doesn\u2019t last very long, says Unger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018old money\u2019 people really couldn\u2019t hold out forever, and they had to accept that these \u2018new money\u2019 people were adopting their standards and their charities, and so forth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kind of snobbishness about \u2018old money\u2019 versus \u2018new money\u2019 just melded into money. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Three real dollar princesses who made their mark on history<\/h2>\n
\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nancy Langhorne Shaw: the Virginian woman who worked her way into British parliament<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\"Portrait\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Portrait of Nancy Langhorne Shaw. (Photo by Keystone-France\/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In 1906, Nancy married politician and newspaperman Waldorf Astor (born a member of the prominent American Astor family, Waldorf had himself become an English subject). With her new title of Lady Astor, Nancy began married life at Cliveden House.<\/p>\n

This title didn\u2019t just afford her social privileges. In 1919, she successfully ran for Waldorf\u2019s former seat in the House of Commons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Upon winning, Nancy became the second woman in history elected to parliament, and the first woman elected to parliament to actually take her seat.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Leiter: the happy wife of George Curzon<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\"George\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Mary and George Curzon leaving for a drive from the Viceregal Lodge in Shimla, India, 1903. (Photo by Underwood & Underwood\/Graphic House\/Archive Photos\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Unlike many examples in this phenomenon, Mary Leiter\u2019s marriage with British statesman George Curzon (who served as\u00a0Viceroy of India\u00a0from 1899 to 1905) was a happy one.<\/p>\n

Together, the couple shared the English rule of India, and Mary was granted the title of Vicereine of India in 1898 \u2013 the highest official title of any American woman up to that point.<\/p>\n

Their loving marriage is reported to have inspired Julian Fellowes in his writing of the relationship between the Earl of Grantham and Cora in Downton Abbey<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Frances Ellen Work: the great-grandmother of Princess Diana<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

In 1880, American heiress Frances married British nobleman James Burke Roche, the future 3rd Baron Fermoy.<\/p>\n

However, their marriage was not without suffering. So much so that 19 years later, Frances\u2019s father, Frank Work, agreed to pay off the baron\u2019s debts if the couple divorced and Frances was granted custody of their sons.<\/p>\n

\"Frances\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Frances Ellen Work\u2019s grandaughter, who became the mother of Princess Diana. (Photo by Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Despite Frank\u2019s experiences leading him to stipulate that none of the family would visit Britain again in his will, Frances\u2019 elder son \u2013 Edmund Maurice Roche \u2013 did leave America and return to Britain.<\/p>\n

Edmund\u2019s daughter, also named Frances like her grandmother, gave birth to Diana Spencer<\/a> who would later become the Princess of Wales.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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