Those of you familiar with the ballet Mayerling will be aware of the character Bay Middleton whom Kenneth MacMillan depicts as the lover of the Empress Elizabeth. Well, on the front page of today’s copy of The Times is the headline "Mary Soames names Clementine's father". In the article Mary Soames, the daughter of Winston Churchill, discloses the fact that her maternal grandfather was - Bay Middleton! It seems that her grandma, Lady Blanche, had had a secret liaison with Middleton and that her daughter Clementine (Churchill's wife) was the result of their "torrid 18 month affair".

Of course all this was a long time ago, but what a shame Mary Soames couldn't have timed her disclosures to coincide with the revival of Mayerling in the autumn. Publicity of that sort would have been an absolute gift!

<small>[ 08-16-2002, 07:58: Message edited by: Cassandra ]</small>