Lillie Langtry Pics

Lillie

Langtry

Average

Brown - Light

Jersey, Channel Islands, UK

Libra

12 February 1929

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Heart Attack

White

Blue

Her Beauty

British

Female

Emilie was the only daughter of the Dean of Jersey, Rev. William Corbet le Breton. He gained an unsavoury reputation and after his wife had left him he was obliged to leave Jersey in 1880[1]. He had eloped to Gretna Green with Lillie`s mother[2], who was known for her beauty [3] before marrying her again at Chelsea in 1842. One of Lillie`s ancestors was Richard le Breton. She had six brothers, all but one older than she. Proving too much for her French governess, she was educated by her brothers` tutor and was unusually well educated for the time. In 1874, twenty-year-old Lillie married twenty-six-year-old Irish landowner Edward Langtry, the brother-in-law of her brother William`s wife. One of his attractions was that he possessed a yacht, and she insisted that he take her away from the Channel Islands. Eventually, they rented a place in Belgravia, London. A Jersey Lily by MillaisAt a reception for one of her father`s friends, Lillie attracted notice for her beauty and wit despite wearing a simple black dress (which was to become her trademark) and no jewelry.[3] Before the end of the evening, Frank Miles had completed several sketches of her that became very popular on postcards.[4] Another guest, Sir John Everett Millais, eventually painted her portrait. Langtry`s nickname, the "Jersey Lily," was taken from the Jersey lily flower (Amaryllis belladonna) – a symbol of Jersey. The nickname was popularised by Millais` portrait, entitled A Jersey Lily. (According to tradition, the two Jersey natives spoke Jčrriais to each other during the sittings.) The painting caused great interest when exhibited at the Royal Academy, but Lillie is holding a Guernsey lily (Nerine sarniensis) in the painting rather than a Jersey lily, as none were available at Covent Garden during the sittings. She also sat for Sir Edward Poynter and is depicted in works by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. She became much sought after in London society, and invitations (previously scarce) flooded in. Her fame soon reached royal ears. The Prince of Wales, Albert Edward ("Bertie"), arranged to sit next to her at a dinner party given by Sir Allen Young on 24 May 1877[5]. (Her husband was seated at the other end of the table.) Though he was married to Princess Alexandra and had six children, Edward was a well-known philanderer. He became infatuated with Lillie and it was soon no secret that she had become his semi-official mistress. She was even presented to Edward`s mother, Queen Victoria. Eventually, a cordial relationship developed between her and Princess Alexandra.[6] The affair lasted from late 1877 to June 1880[7]. Edward had construction begun on the Red House (now Langtry Manor Hotel) in Bournemouth, Dorset in 1877 as a private retreat for the couple.[8] He allowed Lillie to design it.[8] Edward once complained to her, "I`ve spent enough on you to build a battleship," whereupon she tartly replied, "And you`ve spent enough in me to float one."[citation needed] The tradition is that their relationship finally cooled when she misbehaved at a dinner party[9], but she had been eclipsed when Sarah Bernhardt came to London in June 1879, and in July 1879 she had begun an affair with the Earl of Shrewsbury; in January 1880 they were planning to run away together[10]. Also, at the end of August and in September 1879, it was stated in Town Talk that her husband would divorce her and cite, with others, the Prince of Wales. For some time, the Prince saw little of her. Nevertheless, he remained fond of her and spoke well of her in her later career as a theatre actress. With the withdrawal of royal favour, creditors closed in. The Langtrys` finances were not equal to their lifestyle, and in October 1880 many of her possessions were sold to meet her debts, though the statement that Edward Langtry became officially bankrupt[11] is not correct. In April 1879 Lillie had started another affair with Prince Louis of Battenberg which became active in 1880 although at the same time she was involved with an old friend Arthur Clarence Jones (1854-1930). In June 1880 Lillie became pregnant. The child`s father was definitely not her husband, and Prince Louis was allowed to believe that he was the father. When the prince confessed to his parents he was indeed the father, he was hastily assigned to the warship HMS Inconstant. Lillie, receiving some money from the Prince of Wales, retired to Paris with Arthur Jones, where on March 8, 1881, she gave birth to a daughter, Jeanne Marie[12]. The discovery of Lillie`s passionate letters to Arthur Jones in 1878 and their publication by Laura Beatty in 1999 provided strong evidence that Arthur Jones was the father of the child[13]. However, Prince Louis`s son, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, had always maintained that it was his father[14], a possibility that now seems unlikely. Jeanne Marie married the Scottish politician Sir Ian Malcolm in 1902. They had four children. Lady

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillie_Langtry

Emilie Charlotte Le Breton

38

18

38

Merman (Horse)

The Days I Knew [1925]

Lillie [1978]

The Westerner [1940], The Trials of Oscar Wilde [1960], The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean [1972], Edward the Seventh [1975], Gambler V: Playing for Keeps [1994]

Lillie Langtry (13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey. A renowned beauty, she was nicknamed the "Jersey Lily" and had a number of prominent lovers, including the future king of England, Edward VII.

1853-10-13

Actress, King Edward VII lover

Edward Langtry (1st husband), Hugho de Bathe (2nd husband)

75