Lady Elizabeth Shakerley

Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Shakerley CVO (née Anson; 7 June 1941 – 1 November 2020) was a British party planner and socialite from the Anson family. Lady Elizabeth was a first cousin, once removed, of Queen Elizabeth II and sister of Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield.

Lady Elizabeth Shakerley
BornElizabeth Georgiana Anson
(1941-06-07)7 June 1941
Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
Died1 November 2020(2020-11-01) (aged 79)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1972; div. 2009)​
FatherThomas Anson, Viscount Anson
MotherAnne Bowes-Lyon

Biography

The Hon. Elizabeth Georgiana Anson was born on 7 June 1941 at Windsor Castle to Thomas Anson, Viscount Anson, and his wife, Anne Bowes-Lyon, the future Princess Anne of Denmark.[1] Anson's mother was a niece of Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother). King George VI was her godfather. She was educated at Downhall School, Hertfordshire. In 1960, her paternal grandfather, the 4th Earl of Lichfield died and her brother, Patrick, inherited the title and family seat, Shugborough Hall near Great Haywood, Staffordshire. Despite the estate passing to the National Trust in lieu of death duties, the Earl maintained an apartment for himself and his sister.

Her parents divorced in 1948. Subsequently, her mother married Prince George Valdemar of Denmark and moved to Paris. Her father died in 1958.

Following the stress of planning her own debutante ball in 1959, Lady Elizabeth founded the firm Party Planners in 1960.[2] From then on she planned parties for her cousin, The Queen.[3] Among the notable events she planned are; Sting's wedding, Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday party, Elizabeth II's 80th and 90th birthday parties, the wedding of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Marie-Chantal Miller, and a reception for foreign royals the night before the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. In 2000, she planned three consecutive events for the Royal Family including William’s 18th birthday on June 21, Princess Anne’s 50th on Aug. 15, and Princess Margaret’s 70th on Aug 21.[4]

As the step-daughter of a Danish prince, Lady Elizabeth also attended many royal events in continental Europe, including the 80th birthday celebrations in Oslo of The King and Queen of Norway,[5] and the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. In 1966, Lady Elizabeth was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Junker Claus von Amsberg. In 2018, Lady Elizabeth attended the state banquet given by The Queen in honour of The King and Queen of the Netherlands at Buckingham Palace.[6]

Lady Elizabeth died on 1 November 2020 at the age of 79.[7][8][9]

Marriage and Family

On 27 July 1972, Anson married Sir Geoffrey Shakerley, 6th Bt at Westminster Abbey. Guests at the wedding included; The Queen, The Queen Mother, and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. Princess Anne was a bridesmaid. Lady Elizabeth and Shakerley divorced in 2009. They have one daughter and two grandchildren:[10]

  • Fiona Elizabeth Fenella Shakerley (born 18 August 1973),[11] who married in 2004, Edward Brocas Burrows, they have two children:
    • Noah Burrows (born 1 March 2006)
    • Ruby Burrows (born 2 November 2008)

Honours

Ancestry

References
  1. "Lady Elizabeth Anson: Life is an endless dish of canapes". The Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  2. Shipley, Diane. "The Queen in mourning as close relative dies". Hello!. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  3. "Lady Elizabeth Anson: The Queen's party planner". Tatler. Condé Nast. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. Green, Penelope (23 November 2020). "Lady Elizabeth Anson, Party Planner to the Royals, Dies at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  5. "The Royal Family celebrate the King and Queen of Norway's 80th birthdays". Swedish Royal Court. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  6. "Court Circular - 23rd October, 2018". The Times. The Times. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  7. "Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, party-planner to royalty and the international jet set – obituary". The Telegraph. 2 November 2020.
  8. Cope, Rebecca. "The Queen's cousin and chief party planner, Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, has died aged 79". Tatler. Condé Nast. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  9. "Die Queen trauert: Ihre Cousine ist tot". Gala (in German). Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  10. Firth Powell, Helena. "This Lady knows how to do a party". The National. The National. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  11. "Fiona Elizabeth Fenella Shakerley". The Peerage. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  12. The Gazette
  13. "NORWAY-ROYALS-BIRTHDAY". Getty Images.
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