Lady Lettice Ashley-Cooper
British aristocrat, socialite, and airwoman (1911–1990)
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Lady Lettice Mildred Mary Ashley-Cooper OStJ (12 February 1911 – 24 November 1990) was a British aristocrat, socialite, and airwoman. One of the Bright Young Things of the 1920s,[1] she served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during World War II.[2]
12 February 1911
Wimbledon, London
Lettice Ashley-Cooper | |
|---|---|
Lady Lettice Mildred Mary Ashley-Cooper | |
| Born | Lettice Mildred Mary Ashley-Cooper 12 February 1911 Wimbledon, London |
| Died | 24 November 1990 (aged 79) |
| Noble family | Ashley-Cooper |
| Father | Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury |
| Mother | Constance Sibell Grosvenor |
Biography
Lady Lettice Mildred Mary Ashley-Cooper was born in Wimbledon, London in 1911,[3][4] the daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury and Constance Sibell Grosvenor.[4]
In 1936, her name was linked with the name of Edward VIII as a possible future wife; the King had declared that the future queen had to be "English, good, beautiful and a sportswoman", and the newspaper identified four names: Lady Anne Hope, daughter of the viceroy of India; Lady Mary Grosvenor, daughter of the Duke of Westminster; Lady Angela Montagu-Douglas-Scott, sister of the Duchess of Gloucester; and Lady Lettice Ashley-Cooper.[5]
In the World War II, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, promoted Corporal in charge of the Orderly Room in October 1939[6] and commissioned as an Assistant Section Officer in June 1941.[7]
She was appointed Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (O.St.J.).[4]
In 1974, she wrote Two 17th Century Dorset Inventories and in 1986 Unusual Behaviour, published by Gollancz.