Winchester, Bapsy Pavry Paulet, Marchioness of, 1906-

The Marchioness of Winchester (Bapsy) was born Bapsybanoo Pavry at Bahrat, India, in 1902, the daughter of Khurshedji Erachji Pavry. The family were very wealthy and Bapsy attended Columbia University, New York, and in 1928 was presented at court to King George V. Bapsy led a cosmopolitan lifestyle, was entertained by the rich and famous and in 1952 married the twice-widowed 16th Marquess of Winchester, who by then was 90 years old. The Marquess was to live for a further 10 years and died in 1962 not long before his hundredth birthday. The marriage was not a happy affair. The Marquess spent much of the time with his previous fiancée, Mrs Fleming, the mother of writer Ian Fleming and in 1957 Bapsy took Mrs Fleming to court suing for enticement. The judge found against Mrs Fleming but in 1958 this was overruled by a court of appeal and the Marquess spent his last few years in Monte Carlo with Mrs Fleming.