History's Most Scandalous Socialite
Lillie Langtry made a living off her beauty. Her stunning looks opened doors to the exclusive London society, but she wasn’t about to stop there. She lit up the stage in both the UK and America. Of course, there were also the men—most of them younger, all of them rich.
The real question on everyone’s lips was about her authenticity: Was she a naive beauty or did Lillie Langtry know exactly what she was doing?
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1. She Was A Tomboy
Emilie Charlotte Le Breton was born on October 13, 1853, in the Old Rectory on the island of Jersey. The family had six sons—and Lillie, as they called her, was the only girl. She didn’t have much choice but to go outside and play sports with her brothers. But this soon presented a problem.
2. She Was Wild
Because she was the only girl in the family, Lillie’s parents got her a French governess. However, the young girl wasn't very easy to wrangle. The governess couldn't control Lillie, so she just went along with her brothers to their lessons. As it turned out, there was no good male role model for any of the Le Breton children.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
3. Her Father Was Bad
Lillie’s father, even though he was an esteemed Reverend, had a downright unholy reputation. He was a scandalous womanizer and heartlessly had various children with other women, including women from the very church where he was the reverend. Still, Lillie's mother stayed with him for quite a while—but by the time 1880 rolled around, she had had enough.
Napoleon Sarony, Wikimedia Commons
4. She Found A Man
Lillie's mother did not want to be the wife of her cheating husband anymore. When she finally put her foot down and severed their relationship for good, her no-good ex-husband fled Jersey. By this time, Lillie had already found her own husband. This was Edward Langtry who was six years older and—more shockingly—already a widower. They'd married six years earlier in 1874.
If Lillie had been looking for a way out, then she’d certainly found one in Edward Langtry.
Library of Congress, Getty Images
5. She Wanted More
As luck would have it, Lillie’s new husband was an expert yachtsman and Lillie decided to take up the hobby as well. She’d seen as much of Jersey as she’d wanted and insisted that her husband offer her something more exciting. Once she’d gotten yachting out of her system, she set her sights on a dream life.
She convinced her husband to make the ultimate move.
Unknow Artist, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
6. She Entered Society
Lillie and her husband rented an apartment in London, and Lillie was ready to mingle with the rich and famous. Her brother Clement had married into a good family and through them, Lillie slowly made her way into London society. At the theater one day, she caught the eye of Frank Miles.
Miles was a painter and had an eye for beauty and he soon had a mission: He had to find out who this startling beauty was.
William Robinson, Wikimedia Commons
7. He Searched For Her
Miles searched London for anyone who could tell him who the beautiful woman he’d seen at the theater was. Finally, after giving descriptions to everyone he knew, Miles got his chance to meet Lillie. His immediate request was to paint a portrait of her. Posing for Miles was an important step, but fate still had some challenges in store for her.
Could this girl from Jersey survive an elegant London party?
George Frank Miles, Wikimedia Commons
8. She Was In Mourning
Through her brother’s wife’s family, Lillie snagged an invite to a fancy party in Knightsbridge. Sadly, Lillie was not really in a party mood. You see, her youngest brother had recently passed after a riding accident. Because of her grief, Lillie didn't wear any jewelry and chose to don a simple black dress.
Little did she know what kind of effect her pared-down appearance would have.
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9. She Stood Out From The Crowd
Most women at this Knightsbridge party wore over-the-top gowns intended to draw attention. This was why Lillie’s black dress actually stood out even more. During the party, Lillie’s new friend Miles made a few sketches of her. He turned them into postcards that made Lillie’s popularity soar.
Everything seemed to be coming up roses for her—but then she hit a wall.
William Downey, Wikimedia Commons
10. The Money Dried Up
While Lillie Langtry was climbing her way to the top of London society, her husband was going in the other direction. When they’d married, Edward Langtry had property that brought in a princely sum. Now, for some unknown reason, that property had all but lost its value. Compared to her London acquaintances, Lillie was dirt poor.
As it turned out, even poverty looked good on Lillie.
11. She Glowed
In her youth, Daisy Greville, the Countess of Warwick, met Lillie at Frank Miles’ studio. She described how she met a poor woman wearing a simple black dress. Greville didn’t really care about how much money Lillie had, she was in awe of her beauty. But it wasn’t just her looks—it was a glow she had and a freshness.
Soon, all of London was agreeing with Greville and dying to get a look at Lillie Langtry.
The Lafayette Studio, Wikimedia Commons
12. She Was On Display
During this time, folks in London were all about beauty and even called extremely beautiful women PBs or “professional beauties”. Beauty was an obsession and Lillie’s looks became one of the focal points. Women climbed up on chairs and park benches just to gaze at her stunning qualities. But it wasn’t only women who wanted to get an eyeful.
13. She Made Him Jealous
Of course, Lillie’s beauty also attracted men. One of her biggest fans was Lord Lonsdale and one day while riding together, the Lord lost it. Lillie had chosen to speak briefly to another man. Lord Lonsdale got off his horse to give a beating to the man who dared to speak with Lillie. She was becoming legendary—and it was time for a very important man to take notice.
John Lavery, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Sat Next To Royalty
In 1877, Lillie Langtry and her husband got an invite to a spring dinner party. To her surprise, also in attendance was Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales. As luck would have it, Lillie found that her seat at the table was right next to Edward’s. In fact, “luck” had nothing to do with it. Edward had secretly arranged to sit near the most beautiful woman in London.
No good could come of this.
W. & D. Downey, Wikimedia Commons
15. They Caused A Stir
Lillie and Prince Edward became friends and caused a stir whenever they went out together. It soon became clear that the two were more than friends. The problem was that they were both married to other people. Though Prince Edward's wife didn’t seem to care and even invited Lillie over for parties.
Lillie's husband Edward, however, was in for some rude awakenings.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
16. She Was Not For Sale
Edward was having a heck of a time keeping up with his wife’s popularity. It got so bad that Crown Prince Rudolf kept showing up at their house thinking it was some sort of high-class bordello. But though Rudolf might not have managed to get his foot in the door, there were definitely other male conquests that Lillie did not reject.
Károly Koller, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Met A Younger Man
While married to her husband and cavorting with the Prince, Lillie also found the time to have a relationship with a rich, younger man called the Earl Of Shrewsbury. This was more than just a fling, and she and the Earl actually planned to run off together. To her shock, however, the 19-year-old Earl double-crossed her.
18. He Betrayed Her
Lillie was willing to give up her husband for the Earl of Shrewsbury, and he seemed on board as well. Then, in a tragic betrayal, the Earl eloped with another woman. This was with Ellen Palmer-Morewood who was also older and married. It looks like the Earl had a type. Lillie lost the Earl and had to settle for her husband.
Well, of course, she wouldn’t.
Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Was In A Bind
In June 1880, one of Lillie’s indiscretions caught up with her: She was pregnant. No one imagined that her husband was the father, as they no longer lived in the same house or spent much time together. Following some detective work, the father’s name came out. It was Prince Louis of Battenburg.
Carrying another man’s child was about to land Lillie in some serious trouble.
Philip de Laszlo, Wikimedia Commons
20. She Tried To Hide It
Obviously, Lillie didn’t want her husband to know that she was pregnant. She thought that since they were rarely together, maybe she could hide it from him. This didn’t mean she walked around carrying loads of laundry over her belly. She decided just to refuse to see him and offer no explanation.
But it wasn’t only Lillie that wanted to keep her husband in the dark.
21. She Had Help
The Prince of Wales helped keep Lillie’s pregnancy a secret—for a selfish reason. If her husband found out that his wife was pregnant, he’d likely sue for divorce. This would mean that the Prince would likely have to show face in court, and the whole thing would be a bad publicity moment for the royal family. But that wasn't even the wildest part.
Something came out later that made Lillie look like a liar.
22. She Told A Fib
The man who Lillie named as the father of her baby quickly jumped on the HMS Inconstant for a two-year voyage. However, he may not have been the father. Lillie had another man back in Jersey. This was Arthur Jones, who had been a friend to her brothers. Based on letters that Lillie sent to Arthur, it became clear that he was the most likely father. But the content of these letters was scandalous.
Griffin and Co, Wikimedia Commons
23. She Wanted To End It
From the letters Lillie wrote to Arthur, it was clear that Lillie did not want this baby. She asked him to pop down to the local pharmacy and get some medicine that would cause her to miscarry. The plan did not go ahead, but Arthur likely joined Lillie in Paris for the delivery of their daughter Jeanne Marie.
Now, she just had to explain why she suddenly had a daughter.
24. She Had To Hide Her
Because of her husband, Lillie couldn't be a proper mother to her illegitimate child. To hide her baby from her husband, and London Society, she made a heartbreaking decision. She took baby Jeanne Marie to Jersey where her grandmother could raise her. The young girl would grow up not knowing the identity of her real mother. In her mind, Lillie was her aunt.
With her baby safely hidden, Lillie returned to London, where she now faced serious financial problems.
25. She Needed Money
Lillie was short on cash and desperately needed work. In 1882, Pears' soap couldn’t resist her radiant complexion, so they offered her a fee so they could put her likeness on their product package. While this may seem like a typical case of product endorsement, it was actually the first time this ever happened.
The year before, however, she'd already dipped her toes into something shockingly new.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
26. She Got On Stage
Lillie Langtry liked the idea of earning her own money so when a friend—writer Oscar Wilde—suggested giving theater a try, she jumped on it. This suggestion was out of left field, as society ladies didn’t do things like perform in theaters. Well, Lillie was desperate for cash so she stepped up.
The results were mystifying.
27. She Filled The House
Lillie's first attempt was an amateur play with two female actors where Lillie had the added benefit of free acting lessons from her experienced co-star Henrietta Labouchère. Her first professional performance was in She Stoops to Conquer in London’s West End. No one thought that Lillie was an amazing actor, but, strangely enough, she played to full houses every night.
28. He Helped Her Shine
There were two reasons why Lillie Langtry’s mediocre acting was a success. First, people were still amazed at her beauty, and some came just to catch a glimpse of her. The other reason came out of the kindness of the Prince of Wales. He knew his presence in the audience would draw a crowd, so he did his duty and took a seat.
Lillie was a stage success, and she was just getting started.
Ellis & Walery, Wikimedia Commons
29. She Went Abroad
In 1882, Lillie was already ready to go it alone. She started her own theater company which toured a number of plays around the UK. Then she met American producer Henry Abbey who had the idea for a US tour. With her acting teacher—Labouchère—in tow, she headed for New York City. The American public was anxious to get a look at Lillie.
In a new country, far away from her husband, there was certainly trouble ahead.
Bain News Service, Wikimedia Commons
30. She Had To Cancel
Lillie and Labouchère arrived in New York City in October 1882. As her first performance came nearer and nearer, the excitement around her intensified—and then tragedy struck. The night before Lillie's US premiere, there was a fire. This inferno managed to completely destroy the theater where she was set to perform. She did eventually find another theater, but the drama was just getting started.
John Everett Millais, Wikimedia Commons
31. She Had A Type
After one of her first performances in New York, Lillie Langtry met Frederick Gebhard, who ticked two of her boxes: He was young and rich. The fact that he liked yachting and racing horses was just an added bonus. Gebhard was only 22 when he met Lillie, but the pair fell passionately in love.
Of course, not everyone was happy with this arrangement.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
32. They Broke Up
Remember, Lillie had brought her acting couch, Labouchère with her, and Labouchère didn’t appreciate this new relationship. The two split and Lillie took Gebhard with her on a coast-to-coast tour of the US. She was still getting bad reviews for her acting, but because of the curiosity surrounding her, this tour still netted a handsome profit.
But Lillie didn’t really need acting anymore, so she followed a new passion.
The National Archives UK, Wikimedia Commons
33. They Wanted To Bring Them Home
While Lillie was seeing Gebhard, he got her interested in horse racing. Their interest peaked in 1885 when they bought a complete stable of horses in America and planned to bring them to England to race there. The first stop on the horses’ trip was in Chicago. Before they got there, however, tragedy struck.
34. They Derailed
Lillie and Gebhard were traveling by train with their horses. On August 13, 1888, the train derailed and rolled down an embankment. Lucky for Lillie, she and Gebhard were in a private carriage. The horses were not so lucky: 15 of the 17 horses lost their lives in the wreck and so did one person.
The next year, Lillie was through with Gebhard and looking for someone new.
35. She Got Some Good Advice
In 1889, Langtry placed a bet on a horse after receiving some advice from a fellow attendee. She took the advice and won, but there was more luck in store for her. The same man who gave her the advice also made her a stunning offer. He gave her a horse. This new acquaintance had certainly caught Lillie’s attention. This was certainly a lovely meet cute—but sadly, it would only lead to heartbreak.
36. He Was Like The Others
This new man in Lillie's life was none other than George Alexander Baird, who some described as “an eccentric young bachelor”. As with many of the men that caught her interest, he was young, had oodles of money, and a love of outdoor activities. Lillie was eight years older than Baird, and the two started a romance. However, this relationship also had a dark side.
Ellis & Walery, Wikimedia Commons
37. She Lost Another
Reportedly, Baird had a reputation for being jealous—a feeling likely enhanced by Lillie's scandalous romantic history—and could be quite aggressive at times. Besides horses, Baird had an interest in boxing, which was actually against the law at the time, and it was this interest that became the backdrop of his final days.
Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
38. Her Lover Fell Ill
Baird traveled to New Orleans in 1893 setting up fights between his roster of fighters. When his best fighter lost, Baird started drinking—but the night took a horrifying turn when he fell ill. Tragically, Baird had pneumonia. Even worse? He never recovered, passing on March 18, 1893. He and Lillie had never married—and so the contents of his will may have come as no surprise.
Downey, W. & D., CC0, Wikimedia Commons
39. She Missed Out
Though Lillie and Baird had been involved for years, her name did not appear on his will. Nope, Baird left everything to his mom. Still, Lillie's career in horse racing continued on and she was quite successful at it. At one point she even brought over a horse all the way from Australia. Merman was a winner of the Lewes Handicap, the Jockey Club Cup, and even the Ascot Gold Cup. There’s no doubt that this really did happen.
But other things in Lillie Langtry’s life may have been a lie.
James Pollard, Wikimedia Commons
40. She Liked To Brag
One romance that Lillie liked to brag about was with the Prime Minister of England. This was the rather upstanding William Ewart Gladstone. Lillie claimed that Gladstone approached her, but according to one revealing letter, she convinced a friend to play as a go-between so they could meet. Clearly, someone was lying.
John Everett Millais, Wikimedia Commons
41. She Was A Danger
Lillie had all kinds of anecdotes about all the time she spent alone with Gladstone. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, said that he had met her on only a few occasions. But still, the rumors persisted. The Prime Minister's secretary, Hamilton, wanted to nip the rumors in the bud and had some very unkind words to say about Lillie.
Childe Hassam, Wikimedia Commons
42. He Called Her Names
Hoping that the Prime Minister would stay far away from Lillie, Hamilton wrote in his diary that no one was receiving her in their homes, and even compared her reputation to a “bad odour”. As it turned out, Gladstone had no intention of having any kind of relationship with Lillie.
With her reputation at an all-time low, Lillie did a disappearing act.
José María Mora, Wikimedia Commons
43. She Made A Break
Back in 1888, Lillie Langtry and her companion Frederick Gebhard had purchased ranches (that’s plural) in Lake County, California. In 1897, she used this purchase to obtain US citizenship. Now that she was an American she took the opportunity to finally divorce the man she’d been married to, on paper anyway, for the last 23 years.
Her divorce from Edward Langtry was far from simple.
Napoleon Sarony, Wikimedia Commons
44. She Lost Him
When Lillie filed for divorce, Edward wrote a letter in the New York Journal to illustrate his side of the story. But then something dreadful happened. Edward wound up in Chester Asylum for the most shocking reason: Authorities had discovered him in an utterly crazed state at a railway station. It was here that he met a sad end, likely passing from the brain haemorrhage he'd sustained during an earlier fall.
Lillie's reaction, however, was unbelievable.
Benjamin Joseph Falk, Wikimedia Commons
45. She Didn't Care
Lillie and her husband had lived separate lives for a long time, and it would seem that his passing barely phased her. Taking the loss in stride, a letter of correspondence revealed that she thought her husband's demise "was no great loss”. Lillie had been a far from faithful wife—but now she was finally single and free.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
46. She Was Free
As a widow, Lillie behaved almost the same as when she had a husband. She found a younger man, with a huge inheritance and started a relationship. This was Hugo Gerald de Bathe. The only difference now was that Langtry was free to walk down the aisle with the man of her choice.
She didn’t waste any time.
Oscar Wilde, Wikimedia Commons
47. She Walked Down The Aisle
So the 46-year-old Lillie was ready to walk down the aisle with her 28-year-old groom. There wasn’t much time for an opulent wedding, it was just the bride and groom, the officials, and Lillie’s daughter who was by this time already 18 years old. All Lillie had to do now was wait for her new husband to come into his money.
Benjamin Joseph Falk, Wikimedia Commons
48. She Got A Title
In 1907, Lillie's father-in-law passed and her husband became the 5th Baronet. The couple inherited mansions in Sussex, Devon, and Ireland. One of them had 17 bedrooms and over 70 acres of land. Lillie also got her own title. She was now Lady de Bathe. It looked like she had finally found what she wanted: true love and money.
But it wasn’t “happily ever after” just yet.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Carried On The Same Way
Lillie's marriage to de Bath wasn’t that much different from her first marriage. They saw each other infrequently as Lillie lived in Monaco and de Bath in Southwest France. Lillie had a close female friend live with her, who took care of her every need as she grew older. Well, she was about to need some very serious help.
W. & D. Downey, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
50. She Made The Front Page
It was on February 12, 1929, that Lillie succumbed to pneumonia. Her friend Mathilde Marie Peat was by her side. The New York Times gave Lillie the front cover and called her the “World’s Greatest Beauty”. She bequeathed most of her assets to Peat, but she wasn’t about to leave this world without a little mystery.
Benjamin Joseph Falk, Wikimedia Commons
51. She Left A Mystery
Lillie Langtry did leave most of her assets to her longtime companion Mathilde Marie Peat, but she did put some aside for someone else. She left a fair chunk of change to a young man, Charles Louis D’Albani, who she reportedly thought very highly of. I guess old habits die hard.
Lillie had had quite the life, and her legacy lives on to this day in one of Hollywood’s most iconic images.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
52. She Started A Tradition
Lillie was the first celebrity to endorse a product, but there is another contribution she made to Hollywood. When she worked in theaters in America, she asked them to install a carpet from her dressing room to the stage, so the dirty floor wouldn’t soil her gown. By chance, the theater manager chose a red carpet, and a Hollywood tradition was born.
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