Fiona Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne
British peeress and interior designer (born 1954)
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Fiona Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, DL (née Merritt; born 3 October 1954), previously known professionally as Fiona Shelburne, is a British aristocrat, socialite and interior designer. Since 2022, she has served as a queen's companion to Queen Camilla.
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The Marchioness of Lansdowne | |
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Lady Lansdowne in the House of Lords in 2024 | |
| Born | Fiona Mary Merritt 3 October 1954 |
| Education | Inchbald School of Design |
| Spouse | |
Life
Fiona Merritt is the daughter of Donald Merritt and Patricia Phillips (b.1924, later Lady Davies). Donald and Patricia married in 1946 and divorced in 1962.[1] Their daughter Fiona was born in Maldon, Essex in 1954, and married, as his second wife, Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne in an October 1987 ceremony in Bowood House.[2] She was styled Countess of Shelburne by courtesy until her husband succeeded to his father's titles in 1999. The family seat is Bowood House, Wiltshire,[3] and Lord and Lady Lansdowne have overseen the restoration of the house.[4][2]
Lady Lansdowne trained as an interior designer at the Inchbald School of Design and worked for Colefax & Fowler. She first met her husband (then Lord Shelburne) on a working visit to Bowood while employed by Charles Hammond in the early 1980s.[4]
A close friend of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, she is godmother of the Queen's daughter, Laura Lopes.[5]
Royal service
In 2019, Lady Lansdowne was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Wiltshire.[6][7] She was High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 2022–2023.[8]
She was appointed one of six of Camilla's queen's companions, the modern equivalent of ladies-in-waiting, in 2022.[9] She was one of her two ladies in attendance, alongside the Queen's sister Annabel Elliot, at the coronation on 6 May 2023.[3][10] She was one of two companions, alongside Lady Sarah Keswick, in attendance at the State Opening of Parliament in November 2023, and again in July 2024.[11]
Lady Lansdowne, sixth from right, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, 6 May 2023
Lady Lansdowne in attendance at the State Opening of Parliament, 7 November 2023
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Honours
| Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6 May 2023 | King Charles III Coronation Medal |  |