Personal Life
The duke of Leinster married four times, his wives being:
- May Juanita Etheridge (4 August 1892-11 February 1935), a chorus girl nicknamed the "Pink Pajama Girl", whom he married, in London, on 12 June 1913. She was the daughter of Jesse Edward Etheridge, a salesman, and his wife, the former Theresa Grace Harriett Ann Summerell. They separated in 1922, whereupon the duke paid his estranged wife approximately $50 a week, "on condition that she live in retirement and make no effort to communicate with her son". The duke sued the duchess for divorce in 1926, citing a George Frederick Newell as co-respondent, The couple finally divorced in 1930, with Stanley Williams, "a young chef", being named as co-respondent. After the end of her marriage, the duchess took the name May Murray by deed poll. The Leinsters had one child, a son,
- Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster (27 May 1914 - 3 December 2004)
- (Agnes) Raffaelle Van Neck (14 December 1902 — 28 December 1993, London), an American socialite, who was the former wife of Clare Van Neck and the only child of Robert Davidson Kennedy and his first wife, the former May Nutting. The Duke and Mrs Van Neck married in London on 1 December 1932; they divorced in 1946, after some years of living in Scotland, the duke saying, "She said she could not live with black-faced sheep and lochs, and I saw a certain amount of truth in that".
- Jessie Wessel, a former actress and music-hall performer, known professionally as Denise Orme (1874-1960). Born Jessie Smither, she was the former wife of Danish diplomat Theodor William Wessel, the former wife of John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston, and a daughter of bartender Alfred Smither; Leinster married her on 11 March 1946. The duchess was a grandmother of Aga Khan IV. By this marriage, the duke of Leinster had seven stepchildren.
- Vivien Irene Conner, a waitress ((19 February 1920 – Brighton, Sussex, 1992), the former wife of George William Conner and a daughter of Thomas Felton. She and the duke married in 1965. By this marriage the duke had a stepson, Tony Conner.
The duke had an illegitimate son by Yvonne Denison Percy Probyn (later known as Yvonne FitzGerald), daughter of Col. J. Percy Probyn:
- Adrian Dighton Desmond FitzGerald (born 1952), who wed
- Colleen Theresa Cross, married 1972, divorced 1975, and had one child,
- Kirsty FitzGerald (born 1973), wife of Andrew Keetch
- Linda Jane Harris Clark, married 1982, divorced 1992
Read more about this topic: Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke Of Leinster
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