Lady Helen Taylor

Template:Short description Template:Other people Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Lady Helen Marina Lucy Taylor (née Windsor; born 28 April 1964) is a relative of the British royal family. She is the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Katharine, Duchess of Kent, and a great-granddaughter of King George V.

Early life and youth

Lady Helen was born in April 1964 at Coppins, a country house in Iver, Buckinghamshire, the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. She was christened on 6 June 1964 at the private chapel at Windsor Castle by the Dean of Windsor Rt. Rev. Robin Woods. Her godparents were Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; Hon. Angus Ogilvy, Myra Butter, and Sir Philip Hay.<ref name="court">Template:Cite news</ref>

She was educated at Eton End<ref name="debretts">Template:Cite book</ref> School in Datchet, then at St Mary's School, Wantage,<ref name="pantonbook">Template:Cite book</ref> and Gordonstoun.<ref name="sundayexpressbook">Template:Cite book</ref> At Gordonstoun, she was one of 20 sixth form girls "in the robustly masculine environment of Gordonstoun," wrote Alan Hamilton.<ref name="royal100">Template:Cite book</ref>

She was called "Melons" in the popular press.<ref>People Magazine Archive: Windsor Castle Lights Up with Lasers as the 'queenyboppers'—four Royal Cousins—turn 21 Template:Webarchive 8 July 1985 Vol. 24 No. 2 "Lady Helen Windsor, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, is known as "Melons" because of her ample proportions." & "True to form, Lady Helen—"Melons"—was at the center of the party's only controversy. Her ex-boyfriend, Oakes, crashed the event and was escorted out by police."</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

I was slightly chubby, it was the boys at Gordonstoun who called me that. I think there are only about two people who call me that now. The original context has long gone<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During the 1980s, her boyfriend was Nigel Oakes, who "appalled the Queen" after she smuggled him into her parents' grace-and-favour home, York House, St James's Palace.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to Lol Tolhurst of The Cure, Lady Helen was a "mad Cure fan" who visited the band backstage at a gig in Bath in 1983.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Career

After she left Gordonstoun (where she had art class), she was desperate<ref name="standard.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref> to come to London and earn money, starting in 1984 at Christie's auction house in their Contemporary Department.<ref name="royalmarsden.org">Template:Cite web</ref>

Lady Helen worked with the art dealer Karsten Schubert between 1987 and 1991, behind the front desk, and was later credited with discovering Rachel Whiteread and Gary Hume, but confessed in a television interview that she had turned down representing artist Damien Hirst.<ref>The Anniston Star. 19 July 1992. Anniston, Alabama Page 23 "Lady Helen is a director of London's Karsten Schubert gallery of contemporary art. Taylor, 29, is a dealer with the Waddington Galleries..."</ref>

For 17 years, Lady Helen was a fashion ambassador and muse to Giorgio Armani.<ref>Template:Multiref</ref>

Marriage and children

At some point Lady Helen reportedly dated David Flint Wood, who would later marry her cousin India Hicks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At 19, Lady Helen met<ref name="standard.co.uk"/> Timothy Verner Taylor (born 8 August 1963), an art dealer. They married nine years later, on 18 July 1992, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The bride wore a Catherine Walker design.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Giorgio Armani provided an outfit for her wedding.<ref name="archive.org">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1998, her husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.<ref name="standard.co.uk"/>

Lady Helen and her husband have four children, who immediately follow her in the Line of succession to the British throne:

• Columbus George Donald Taylor (born 6 August 1994)
• Cassius Edward Taylor (born 26 December 1996)
• Eloise Olivia Katherine Taylor (born 2 March 2003)
• Estella Olga Elizabeth Taylor (born 21 December 2004)

Charity work

She is a patron of the CLIC Sargent children's cancer charity.<ref name="clicsargent">Template:Cite web</ref>

She is a trustee of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.<ref name="royalmarsden.org"/>

She is on the advisory board of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera after being a trustee.<ref name="royalmarsden.org"/><ref name="cloudinary.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Authored articles

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