The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-03-28
Captain J. Fitzpatrick Lewis, the
Youthful Aviator, Who Has
Become the Happy Husband
of the Duchess.
LONDON. March 16.

LONDON. March 16.
T HE beautiful, statuesque Duchess Of
Westminster recently wife of the
l. richest duke in England and chate-
laine of Britan's lordliest castles, has given
up all that to be the bride. of modest sol
dier, Captain ]. Fitzpatrick Lewis, who
was a hero during the war, but just a
plain business man before that.
No social occurrence of recent years has
caused such amazement in England as this.
1t reads more like a fairy story than an
event Of prosaic modern life-like the story
of the poor boy who expected to have his
head chopped off but found himself be-
loved by beautiful princess.
In order to make this love match the
Duchess was compelled to relinquish upon
her divorce all her interests in the estates
and family herlooms and jewels of the
Westminsters, although, of course, she re-
ceived a liberal settlement. Among the
famous houses and estates she had to give
up we're:
Eaton Hall, Chester, one of the largest
country houses in England. ,
Grosvenor House, London.
Halkin House, Flintshire.
Kirriemuir Castle, Scotland.
Rosemary Lodge, on the Thames.
Villa des Papillons, Nice.
The Westminsters possessed perhaps
the most famous jewels, including rubies,
diamonds and pearls, owned by any family
in the British nobility. The Duchess used
to find great pleasure in decking herself
with all these family treasures
Those jewels, which belonged to the
Dukes ancestors, are by law, kept in the
family as herlooms, in much the same
fashion as the entailed estates, and can
only be worn by the actual wife Of the
Duke. The Duchess, therefore, was
Obliged to reliquish these historic treas
ures.
Most conspicuous of the Westminster
Jewels is the Neska diamond, which, cut
in a triangle the size Of a fifty-cent piece,
was worn by the Duchess in the shape OF
n brooch. Among her other great treas
ures was marvellous pliable diamond
ribbon forming q true-lover's knot, the un.
der side of the ribbon being of rubies. II
terminates with diamond tassels picked out
with rtrbies. This exquisite ornament can
be worn as a tiara The Westminster
rubies were remarkaDle, anu not louB dileI
her marriage she had a great number OF
old historic rubies belonging to the family
set in a tiara.
Considerable piquancy is given to this
romance by the fact that the Duchess de-
cided to obtain her divorce after her close
association with Captain Lewis during the
war.
Another odd feature Of the romance Is
that the Duchess is' good many years
older than her modest bridegroom, for she
has a grown-up daughter in society eigh-
teen years old, while he cannot be much
over thirty, as he was an aviator In the
war.
The Duchess was Miss Constance Edwina
CORVALLIS West, known to her friends by
the Irish name "Shelagh," younger daugh-
Ter of Mrs CORVALLIS West, who was the
favorite hostess Of King Edward VII. when
he was at the height of his social glory.
This old friendship OF King Edward for
the Duchess's mother and other circum-
stances make the present royal family feel
a deep interest in her affairs. The King
has looked upon her in the past almost as