Mary Soames, Baroness Soames

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The Right Honourable The Lady Soames LG, DBE, FRSL
Lady Soames, taking part in the Garter Day procession to Windsor Castle on 19 June 2006
Born	Mary Spencer-Churchill (1922-09-15) 15 September 1922 (age 89) Chartwell, Westerham, Kent, UK
Nationality	British
Spouse	Christopher Soames (1947–1987) (his death)
Children	Nicholas, Emma, Jeremy, Charlotte, Rupert
Parents	Winston Churchill (father) Clementine Churchill (mother)

Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, LG, DBE, FRSL (born 15 September 1922) is the youngest of Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine's five children and their sole surviving child.^[1] She is the widow of The Lord Soames.

Biography

1945 photo at Potsdam Conference

Mary Spencer-Churchill was raised at Chartwell and educated at the Manor House at Limpsfield, she worked for the Red Cross and the Women's Voluntary Service from 1939 to 1941, and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service with whom she served in London, Belgium and Germany in mixed anti-aircraft batteries, rising to the rank of Junior Commander. She also accompanied her father as aide-de-camp on several of his overseas journeys, including his post-VE trip to Potsdam, where he met with Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin.

She has served many public organisations, such as the International Churchill Society, as a Patron; Church Army and Churchill Houses; and has chaired the Royal National Theatre. She is Patron of the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged.

Lady Soames was honoured with becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her public service, particularly in Rhodesia.

She was appointed a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter on 23 April 2005, and was invested on 13 June at Windsor Castle.

One of her more recent public appearances came on 29 April 2002 when she dined with the Queen at Buckingham Palace as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, alongside the then prime minister Tony Blair, the four surviving former prime ministers at the time, and several other relatives of other deceased prime ministers.^[2]

She is a successful author and she wrote an acclaimed biography of her mother, Clementine Churchill, in 1979. She offered insights into the Churchill family to various biographers, prominently including Sir Martin Gilbert, who became the authorised biographer of Sir Winston Churchill after the death of Churchill's son, Randolph, in 1968. Additionally, she published a book of letters between Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, editing the letters as well as providing bridging material that placed the letters in personal family and historical context.^[3]

Family

She married the Conservative politician Christopher Soames (later created Baron Soames) in 1947 and they had five children:

• The Rt. Hon. Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames (known as Nicholas - b. 12 February 1948) - prominent Conservative Member of Parliament and former Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
• The Hon. Emma Mary Soames (b. 6 September 1949) - editor of Saga magazine
• The Hon. Jeremy Bernard Soames (b. 25 May 1952)
• The Rt. Hon. Charlotte Clementine Soames (b. 17 July 1954) now Countess Peel - is married to The Earl Peel, the Lord Chamberlain
• The Hon. Rupert Christopher Soames (b. 18 May 1959)^[4]

Titles from birth

A list of the titles Lady Soames held in chronological order from birth:

• 15 September 1922 – 1945: Miss Mary Spencer-Churchill
• 1945 – 11 February 1947: Miss Mary Spencer-Churchill, MBE
• 11 February 1947 – May 1965: Mrs. Christopher Soames, MBE
• May 1965 – 1972: The Hon. Mrs. Soames, MBE
• 1972 – 19 April 1978: The Hon. Lady Soames, MBE
• 19 April 1978 – 14 June 1980: The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, MBE
• 14 June 1980 – 23 April 2005: The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, DBE
• 23 April 2005 – present: The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames, LG, DBE

References

External links

• Booknotes interview with Soames on Winston & Clementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchills, 2 May 1999.
• A film clip ALLIES TAKE KISKA ETC. (1943) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]

v t e Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Winston Churchill as historian Winston Churchill as writer Winston Churchill in politics: 1900-1939 Honours of Winston Churchill Later life of Winston Churchill Chartwell Blenheim Palace St Martin's Church, Bladon Writings The Story of the Malakand Field Force Savrola The River War London to Ladysmith via Pretoria Ian Hamilton's March Lord Randolph Churchill The World Crisis My Early Life Marlborough: His Life and Times Great Contemporaries While England Slept The Second World War A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Speeches Blood, toil, tears, and sweat Be Ye Men of Valour We shall fight on the beaches This was their finest hour Never was so much owed by so many to so few Family Father: Lord Randolph Churchill Mother: Lady Randolph Churchill Brother: John Strange Spencer-Churchill Wife: Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill Children: Diana Randolph Sarah Marigold Mary Grandchildren