Wanda Holden

Wanda Holden (c. 1911 – 30 October 1956) was an English socialite, included in The Book of Beauty by Cecil Beaton.

Wanda Holden, by Lafayette, 1929

Biography

She was born circa 1911 to parents Emily Marion Holden and financier Major Norman Holden OBE, son of the Liberal politician Sir Edward Holden.[1][2]

On 17 July 1929 Wanda Holden married Charles Baillie-Hamilton.[1][2] She was described in the press as "one of the most admired débutantes of the last season, with a vivacious personality",[3] and "one of the most popular figures in society".[4] From 1929 to 1931 her husband held the office of Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath.[1] They were divorced in November 1932 in an uncontested claim of her adultery with the actor John Loder.[5]

In 1933 she was included in The Book of Beauty by Cecil Beaton, who described her as "a wild-eyed bacchante".[6]

On 6 November 1936 she married Frank Ormond Soden and moved to Kenya. She died on 30 October 1956, at Chateau Shauri, Timau, near Nanyuki, Kenya, and is buried at Nanyuki Cemetery, Kenya.[2][7]

References
  1. Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
  2. 'MP's Romance: Engaged to Beautiful Debutante', Straits Times 20 May 1929.
  3. "Holden Wedding Proves Attraction of Season for London Smart Folk - 17 Aug 1929, Sat • Page 44". The Winnipeg Tribune: 44. 1929. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. "Divorce for Former M.P. - 20 Nov 1932, Sun • Page 18". The Observer: 18. 1932. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  5. Beaton, Cecil (1933). The Book Of Beauty. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  6. Times, 7 Nov 1956
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