Sacha Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn

Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, OBE (née Phillips; 27 February 1946 – 10 December 2018),[1][2][3][4] was a philanthropist, an aristocrat of Russian descent and the wife of The 5th Duke of Abercorn.[5]

Her Grace

The Duchess of Abercorn

OBE
Personal details
Born
Alexandra Anastasia Phillips

(1946-02-27)27 February 1946
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.[1]
Died10 December 2018(2018-12-10) (aged 72)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1966)​
Children
  • James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton
  • Lady Sophia Hamilton
  • Lord Nicholas Hamilton
ParentsGeorgina Wernher
Harold Phillips

Early life

The eldest daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph 'Bunnie' Phillips (1909–1980) and his wife, Georgina Wernher (1919–2011),[5] one of her younger sisters was Natalia, Duchess of Westminster. Her paternal grandparents were Col. Joseph Harold John Phillips and his wife Mary Mercedes Bryce, whose niece, Janet Mercedes Bryce (daughter of Major Francis Bryce of Hamilton, Bermuda), married The 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, son of Nadejda, Marchioness of Milford Haven, sister of Alexandra's grandmother.

Her siblings are:

'Sacha', as she was always known to family and friends, grew up at the family home, Checkendon Court, in Oxfordshire,[6] and came out at Luton Hoo, the Bedfordshire estate of her maternal grandparents, Lady Zia and Sir Harold Wernher.[7]

Marriage

On 20 October 1966, at the age of 20, Alexandra Anastasia Phillips married the Ulster nobleman James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton, son and heir apparent of The 4th Duke of Abercorn and his wife, the former Lady Mary Katherine Crichton, in Westminster Abbey. In June 1979, James succeeded as The 5th Duke of Abercorn, and moved into the family seat, Baronscourt Castle, near Newtownstewart in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[8]

The Duke and Duchess of Abercorn have three children and three grandchildren:

  • James Harold Charles Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton (19 August 1969); married Tanya Marie Nation on 7 May 2004. They have two sons:
    • James Alfred Nicholas Hamilton, Viscount Strabane (30 October 2005)
    • Lord Claud Douglas Harold Hamilton (b. 12 December 2007).
  • Lady Sophia Alexandra Hamilton (8 June 1973); married Anthony Loyd on 7 September 2002 and they were divorced in February 2005.
  • Lord Nicholas Edward Hamilton (born 5 July 1979); married Tatiana Kronberg on 30 August 2009. They have one daughter.

Sacha, Duchess of Abercorn, was a close friend of The Duke of Edinburgh, and her younger sister, Natalia, Duchess of Westminster, is a godmother of The Duke of Cambridge. The Duke of Abercorn was a first cousin of John, 8th Earl Spencer, father of Diana, Princess of Wales, through their mutual ancestor The 3rd Duke of Abercorn.

The Duchess died on 10 December 2018, at the age of 72.[4]

Philanthropy and public roles

The Duchess was the founder of the Pushkin Prizes and The Pushkin Trust, promoting art therapy for young people. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours for her work with The Pushkin Trust.[9]

The Duchess of Abercorn was the Honorary Secretary of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma & Transformation in Omagh, County Tyrone, site of a 1998 Real IRA bombing that left 29 people dead (one of whom was pregnant with twins). She was also the patron of the Omagh Community Youth Choir, founded in the aftermath of 1998.

The Duchess was the House Patron of Abercorn House at Cambridge House Grammar School, Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. She also received the Princess Grace Humanitarian Award in 2006.

References
  1. "The Duchess of Abercorn obituary". The Times. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  2. "The Duchess of Abercorn, public-spirited doyenne of Northern Irish life and a close confidante of Prince Philip – obituary". The Telegraph. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  3. "Subscribe to read". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 January 2019. Cite uses generic title (help)
  4. Simpson, Claire (11 December 2018). "Duchess of Abercorn dies after illness". Irishnews.com. The Irish News. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  5. Dewar, Peter Beauclerk (2001). Burke's landed gentry of Great Britain: together with members of the titled and non-titled contemporary establishment (19 ed.). Burke's Peerage. ISBN 978-0-9711966-0-5.
  6. http://www.thepeerage.com/p662.htm
  7. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-duchess-of-abercorn-obituary-9p7h20kv3
  8. "Obituary: Duchess of Abercorn, activist during the Northern Irish Troubles and holder of ancient Scottish title". Scottish Herald. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  9. "No. 58729". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2008. p. 8.
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