This comes from 1945. Although Lady Iris was separated from her husband, Hamilton O'Malley, a captain in the Irish Guards, she continued to use her married name until 1949, when she resumed her maiden name by Deed Poll. The couple's marriage ended shortly after the wedding ceremony. Lady Iris' egregious behavior led to her being shunned by her own family. She was not permitted to attend her grandmother, Princess Beatrice's funeral.
4 comments:
Marlene, I love your blog, such interesting facts and stories. I was wondering how did Lady Iris surive if she was shunned from her family? Was she mentally ill? I am curious beacuse I have read some of what you have written about her on here and that you met her, she seems like an interesting character. Bea
Lady Iris' parents were hardly hands on parents, and the marriage of Lord and Lady Carisbrooke was more of a marriage of convenience. Notice only one child. In a letter to Freda Dudley Ward in 1918, the Prince of Wales described Drino as "pompous as ever ... he's such a conceited affected effeminate as is Dreno, though of course he has very had health, not that that is any excuse!! Irene his wife is a 'divine woman' and far too good for him." I think Iris was not prepared for the real world - and she was a rebel, of sorts. She ended up in the US and eventually in Canada. She did not behave well during her brief marriage, and she ended up alone, far away from home and largely alienated from her family. The fact that she could not attend her grandmother's funeral in 1944 speaks volumes. Far too many people took advantage of her, and used her. She fell for stories of people pretending to be relatives - and she had a serious drinking problem. I met her twice in the 80s. She tried to be grand, but her home in Toronto was not in a nice area, the house was dirty, and smelled of urine. However, she still owned the 2 de Laszlo paintings of her parents.
That sounds so sad. I'm suprised more hasn't been written about her. Thanks for answering my question Marlene. Bea
lady iris had a sad life.
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