George and Marina, Duke and Duchess of Kent, Part 2

[Kalafrana]

Countess Kate

Thank you for this interesting information. Assets which pass to a widow/widower are exempt from inheritance tax (formerly death duties), so the bill for death duties would not have affected Princess Marina directly (it would have fallen on the portion of the Duke's estate left to his children or others). There is also what is known as a 'nil rate band' - a sum up to a set limit which is not liable to inheritance tax. I don't know without checking what that amount was in 1942, but it is set high enough that you have to own a fairly expensive house for your estate to be liable (as the great majority of adults in 1942 did not own the houses they lived in, their estates would fall within the nil rate band).

Ann

[CountessKate]

An interesting site detailing royal visits to Aden when it was part of the British Empire, shows that Princess Marina was not above letting the public purse underwrite private personal expenses such as costly extra stops on a royal itinerary which were not requested (nor, apparently, desired) by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and winter outfits she wanted for a private visit to Canada (http://www.adenairways.com/page121/page133/page133.html). 

[Eric_Lowe]

I think in Sophie Watson and other books it was hinted that the mission that killed the Duke was possibly a spy mission, and that was the reason that it was hushed up. In the documentary "The Queen's lost Uncle" The Duke of Kent was involved with Hess's landing for a peace talk with Nazi Germany. So the Duke was working on situations that could be classified "for the government" and most certainly for the country, so death duties exemption should apply as Marina was  a "war widow". The 1943 sale is of Princess Louise's bequest of furniture. However it does sound shameful that a widow and a member of the RF has to go off and sell her husband's good so soon after his death.  

[Eric_Lowe]

I think it is cheap to talk about Marina as free loader, we have more with Princess Margaret and Sarah Duchess of York. Marina worked hard and her children like Princess Alexandra are well behaved and less drama. She knew how a royal should behave and in her day, it was applauded and respected.

[grandduchessella]

According to the Guardian (when writing about the second Kent sale in 2009):

"On his death the Duchess was dropped from the civil list, and most of his money was left in trust to his children: the three-day sale raised £92,300."

From the Christie's catalog for the 2009 auction:

"Tragedy struck in 1942 when the Duke was killed as his plane crashed into a mountain in Scotland while he was serving for the RAF.  Unfortunately his civil list did not pass to the Duchess but abruptly ceased, and he left most of his inheritance in trust for his children. While The Duchess was cared for by the Royal Family, she found herself needing to raise funds and in March 1947, five years after HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent’s death, Christie’s held a three day auction of his property.  The sale included English furniture, objects of art and porcelain and totalled £92,300. Such was the interest in the auction that The Daily Telegraph reported at the time that ‘I believe that the crowds of connoisseurs and sightseers trying to get into Christie’s this week to view the art possessions of the late Duke of Kent…. will have surpassed all previous records.’"

[Eric_Lowe]

Interesting that Marina was not on the civil list, hence the unfairness for a "working member" of the Royal Family. She did put on uniform and worked through out the war. Funny how people could talk of war contributions and sacrifices and still be cheap about it.

I guess the Duke was such a popular figure that most people like to own a piece of him like later of his brother, the Duke of Windsor. I suspect many who bid big amounts were the couple's rich friends who wanted to help the Duchess out in their own way.

[Kalafrana]

'However it does sound shameful that a widow and a member of the RF has to go off and sell her husband's good so soon after his death.'

She did not 'have to'. She chose to. It does not sound as though Princess Marina was short of money in the way most of us understand it. My paternal grandmother was also left with three children in the midst of a war (her wastrel first husband died in 1916) and was reduced to going out cleaning! Yes, Princess Marina's means were reduced, but the essentials were covered, and if she sold her husband's possessions to fund expensive outfits that was up to her.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

I think the problem you do not understand is that we are not royals. We cannot put ourselves and our circumstances with those of royals. That is what I said "unfair". Your grandmother can do cleaning, but do you expect Marina (a working member of the RF -not on the retired list like VMH) to be dressed in rags and work in a soup kitchen ? Of course not ! I think she could have stayed away from the lime light after her husband's death, but I believe both King George VI and Queen Mary wanted her to go on. VMH puts it best "Unless we decided to do away monarchy, there are rules that we must abide by". People had expected Marina to be elegant and stylish and this is the image (similar to the one later of Diana, Princess of Wales) she will have to continue. Which is why she had to sell the things that her husband and later parents left her to continue the facade. I don't think all the entertainment she did was for her own enjoyment. She sometimes have to give parties for the crown too when they do not want to. For example after the unveiling of the Queen Mary plaque, Marina was the one that have to invite the Duke & Duchess of Windsor to lunch. I don't think the Queen or the Queen Mother would love to entertain them, so the job fell on Marina's shoulders.

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

Hopefully, The Queen paid for that lunch that Marina gave the Windsors!!!
After all, it was The Queen who invited them over to Britain and included them in the ceremony.

Wouldn't you have loved to be a fly on the wall at that lunch?  - -   nasty me!!

Larry

[Kalafrana]

No, I do not expect Princess Marina to dress in rags and work in a soup kitchen. However, the 'central' members of the royal family are famous for their frugality when it comes to clothes. There was a newspaper article last week involving an interview with the gentleman in charge of the Queen's wardrobe. He is in charge of an extensive index of outfits. Each one has a name - the example used was a yellow dress called 'Buttercup' - and the index records when and where each one is worn, so that the Queen may appear in Buttercup several times, but never in the same place and in front of the same people. She also has long dresses remodelled into short ones, and so on. Similarly, there was an item in connection with the Duke of Edinburgh's 90th birthday - he is still wearing the naval uniform he got married in! Obviously, all their clothes are very high quality and well looked after, so they will last a long time.

Princess Marina did not need a constant supply of new outfits to look elegant and stylish. She could have done so by making good use of the ones she had.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

I think Marina also stretched her clothes. Do remember she was used to strap for cash when her family was in exile. Marina worked with fashion houses there and knew how to dress for less at that time. No I think it is the general expenses of running a household that cost her the most I would gather. Putting on entertainment for the crown and also travelling does add up. As a working member of the family (i cannot add the importance of that) she needs all the help she could get. Selling family heirlooms is really sad, when one realizes it was one of the few things George shared with Queen Mary.

[Kalafrana]

Eric

We are clearly not going to agree on this. I remain to be convinced that Princess Marina was short of money as a result of carrying out royal duties rather than failing to cut her coat according to her cloth in private.

Ann

[Eric_Lowe]

Well we have to agree to disagree. I don't think you can "cut the coat" when you are an active royal. In fact none of them had to (even the Queen Mother after her retirement). Why should Marina ? I greatly applauded her energy and determination to continue despite the hardships. In this she has my full respect.

[KarlandZita]

Marina in 1936 :



Courtesy NPG.

[Eric_Lowe]

Marina wearing the sapphire parure that Queen Mary had given her.