User:Mesmeilleurs/sandbox/Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner

Anne Veronica Tennant, Baroness Glenconner (née Coke; born 16 July 1932) is a British peeress and socialite. The daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, Glenconner served as a maid of honour at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, and was Extra Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II's sister Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, from 1971 until her death in 2002.

Early life
Glenconner was born Anne Veronica Coke (pronounced "Cook") in London on 16 July 1932. Her parents were The Hon. Thomas Coke and his wife Lady Elizabeth (née Yorke), the son and daughter of the then-Thomas Coke, Viscount Coke and Charles Yorke, 8th Earl of Hardwicke, respectively. Glenconner's great-grandfather, Thomas Coke, 3rd Earl of Leicester, died in 1941, making her grandfather the 4th Earl of Leicester and her father Viscount Coke. A few years later in 1949, her grandfather passed away, and her father became 5th Earl of Leicester. Glenconner had two sisters, Carey (1934–2018) and Sarah (born 1944).

Glenconner was primarily raised at her family's estate, Holkham in Norfolk. During the Second World War, Glenconner and her sister stayed at Cortachy Castle with her paternal great-aunt Alexandra, Countess of Airlie, her aunt's husband David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and their children (including David and Angus).

As the British royal family's Sandringham estate was only 10 miles from Holkham, Glenconner was a regular playmate of the young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The King and Queen were friends with Glenconner's parents, and the family were often invited to Christmas parties at Buckingham Palace.

In 1953, Glenconner was selected to be one of the maids of honour at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey.

Marriage and children
On 21 April 1956 at St Withburga's Church, Holkham, Glenconner married The Hon. Colin Christopher Paget Tennant, son of the 2nd Baron Glenconner. The guests included Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret; Margaret's future husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, was the wedding photographer.

Lord and Lady Glenconner had five children, three sons and twin daughters:
 * 1) Hon. Charles Edward Pevensey Tennant (15 February 1957 – 19 October 1996). He married Sheilagh Scott in 1993. He became a heroin addict and died of Hepatitis C.  His son Cody Charles Edward Tennant (born 2 February 1994) became the 4th baron.
 * 2) Hon. Henry Lovell Tennant (21 February 1960 – 1990; died of AIDS ), married 1983 Teresa Cormack; their son, Euan Lovell Tennant (born 22 July 1980), is the current heir presumptive to the barony. Euan is married to Helen Tennant; their son is William Henry Tennant (b. 2012).
 * 3) Hon. Christopher Cary Tennant (born 25 April 1968). He suffered severe brain damage in a motorcycle accident in 1987. He married Anastasia Papadakos in 1996, divorced. They have daughters Bella Tennant (b. 1997) and Demetra Tennant (b. 2000). Married secondly Johanna Lissack Hurn on 11 February 2011.
 * 4) Hon. Flora May Tennant (born 8 November 1970), a god-daughter of Princess Margaret. She married 18 April 2005 Anton Ronald Noah Creasy. They have daughter Honor Rose Creasy (b. 2006).
 * 5) Hon. Amy Tennant (born 8 November 1970). No issue.

Glenconner's husband acceded to the title of Baron Glenconner in 1983, and also inherited the family's Scottish estate, The Glen. Lord and Lady Glenconner divided their time between Mustique and the United Kingdom.

Lady-in-Waiting
In 1971, Glenconner entered into the service of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, as her Extra Lady-in-Waiting. Glenconner was lady-in-waiting until Princess Margaret's death in 2002 at the age of 71.

It was Glenconner and her husband who introduced Princess Margaret to Roddy Llewellyn, who began a relationship to the then-still married Princess in 1973, when he was 25 and she 43. The much publicised eight-year relationship was a factor in the dissolution of the Princess's marriage to The 1st Earl of Snowdon.

Later life
Lord and Lady Glenconner were married for 54 years until Lord Glenconner's death in 2010. She now resides in Norfolk.

Titles and styles

 * 1932–1941: Miss Anne Veronica Coke
 * 1941–1949: The Honourable Anne Coke
 * 1949–1956: Lady Anne Coke
 * 1956–1983: Lady Anne Tennant
 * 1983–1991: The Right Honourable The Lady Glenconner
 * 1991–present: The Right Honourable The Lady Glenconner

In popular culture

 * Lady Glenconner is portrayed by Nancy Carroll in the third season of the Netflix television series The Crown.

Books

 * Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown. Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton 2019. ISBN 1529359066