Diana Churchill

For the actress, see Diana Churchill (actress).

Diana Spencer-Churchill (11 July 1909 – 20 October 1963) was the eldest daughter of British statesman Sir Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill (née Hozier).

Personal life

She went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she spent five terms,[1][2] without any real intention to become an actress. On 12 December 1932, she married John Milner Bailey (15 June 1900 East Grimstead – 13 February 1946 Cape Town, South Africa) (became the Bailey baronet Sir John Milner Bailey, 2nd Bt), but the marriage was unsuccessful and they divorced in 1935. On 16 September 1935, she married the Conservative politician, Duncan Sandys (later in life The Lord Duncan-Sandys). After having three children, that marriage also ended and they were divorced in 1960.

On 11 April 1962, her name was legally changed back to Diana Churchill.

Children

From her second marriage to Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys they have three children

Military service

She was an officer in the Women's Royal Naval Service during the Second World War.

Health problems and death

Diana suffered from several nervous breakdowns. In 1962, she began working with the Samaritans, an organisation created for suicide-prevention. In 1963, she died, at age 54, from an overdose of barbiturates. A coroner later concluded that the death was a suicide.[3] She is buried with her parents (who both outlived her) and siblings at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

References

  1. Lovell, Mary S. (Apr 7, 2011). "19". The Churchills: A Family at the Heart of History - from the Duke of Marlborough to Winston Churchill. Hachette UK. ISBN 9780748117116.
  2. RADA entry
  3. "Mrs. Diana Churchill "Suicided"". The Age. 25 October 1963. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
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