The Mystery of the Mitford Sisters with Simon Rees

Deborah Mitford, later Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, was the youngest and most glamorous of the celebrated, notorious Mitford Sisters

Deborah achieved her youthful ambition when she married Andrew Cavendish, later 11^th Duke of Devonshire. With him came Chatsworth, a gigantic palace in the Derbyshire countryside, stuffed with paintings and antiques, and burdened by a huge bill for death duties on the death of the 10^th duke.

Deborah resourcefully found ways of saving the bulk of the collection, and opened Chatsworth to an admiring public.

This lecture explores Deborah’s position within the Mitford family, and her relationship with her sisters – how did they feel when one became a Duchess and one loved the British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley and one supported Hitler.

In the series:
Sept. 10: Chatsworth House
Sept. 17: Mitford Sisters