Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick
Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick [
1] [
2] [
3] (
10 December 1861–
26 July 1938) was a society beauty, and mistress to
King Edward VII. [
4]
Born
Frances Evelyn Maynard, she was the daughter of
The Hon. Charles Maynard, the eldest son and heir of
Henry Maynard, 3rd Viscount Maynard, whose estates she inherited in
1865, her father having died earlier. At one stage she was considered as a possible wife for
Prince Leopold (later Duke of Albany), a younger son of
Queen Victoria.
Instead, she married
Francis Greville, Lord Brooke, the eldest son and heir of
George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick, in
1881. He succeeded to the
Earldom in
1893, and they moved into
Warwick Castle. They were members of the
Marlborough House Set, headed by
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.
Following her marriage, she became a socialite, often attending lavish parties and gatherings. She became involved in affairs occasionally with several powerful men, most notably Edward VII. It was not uncommon in the
Victorian era for married women of social prominence to become romantically involved with a man higher on the social ladder than her husband. This was often with the husband's knowledge, as it could also assist in his advancing socially or politically, and was considered
normal for the times.
Although she was involved in affairs with both men, Lady Warwick's affair with Edward VII is thought to have been mainly a cover for her actual heart-felt relationship with
Lord Charles Beresford (later 1st Baron Beresford), for whom she actually had genuine feelings. Being a mistress to Edward VII would not raise eyebrows, nor cause problems, since no one would question him or cause her any grief over the affair, even her husband. However, this was without the knowledge of Edward VII, and when he discovered that she also was involved with Lord Beresford, Edward VII tried to recover an alleged compromising letter that Lady Brooke (Daisy Greville) had written to Beresford, and which was supposedly in the hands of the Lord Beresford's wife, Lady Beresford. The quarrel lasted until Prime Minister Lord Salisbury interfered and both parties reached an agreement. Nevertheless, the relations between Edward VII and Lord Beresford remained weak for the remainder of their lives. [
5]
Her main flaw when acting as a courtesan for powerful men was that she rarely kept her affairs private, and when involved with a man of wealth and power, she had a distinct habit of divulging it to others. For her indiscretions and this habit, she earned the nickname
"The Babbling Brooke", and she was the inspiration for the popular music hall song "
Daisy, Daisy".
Lady Warwick founded a needlework school at Easton in Essex and
Studley Agricultural College for Women. She dabbled with
socialism and hosted meetings of
trade unionists at Easton Lodge, which she retained as a private residence after moving to Warwick Castle. She created lavish gardens at Easton Lodge, and also kept a small private zoo.
During the
1890s, Lady Warwick became acquainted with the novelist
Elinor Glyn, whom she introduced into British society.
