Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll

The Duke of Argyll
File:Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll.jpg
The Duke in 1953
Preceded by	Niall Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll
Succeeded by	Ian Campbell, 12th Duke of Argyll
Personal details
Born	Ian Douglas Campbell (1903-06-18)18 June 1903 Paris, France
Died	7 April 1973(1973-04-07) (aged 69) Edinburgh, Scotland
Spouse(s)	The Hon. Janet Gladys Aitken (m. 1927–34) Louise Hollingsworth Morris Vanneck (m. 1935–51) Margaret Whigham (m. 1951–63) Mathilda Coster Mortimer (m. 1963)
Parents	Douglas Campbell Aimee Lawrence

Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th and 4th Duke of Argyll (18 June 1903 – 7 April 1973), was a Scottish peer and the Chief of Clan Campbell (Scottish Gaelic language: MacCailein Mòr). He is chiefly remembered for his unhappy marriage to, and scandalous 1963 divorce from, his third wife, Margaret Whigham.

Early life

Ian Douglas Campbell was born in Paris, France. He was the son of Douglas Walter Campbell and his wife, Aimee Marie Suzanne Lawrence. His paternal grandfather, Lord Walter Campbell, was the third son of the 8th Duke of Argyll. He was educated at Milton Academy in the United States and Christ Church, Oxford.

He served during the Second World War with the rank of captain in the 8th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and saw combat during the Fall of France. Along with his commanding officer Maj. Gen. Victor Fortune, the war poet Aonghas Caimbeul, and all surviving members of the 51st (Highland) Division, Captain Campbell surrendered to Wehrmacht General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux in Normandy on June 12, 1940. He was held as a prisoner of war until 1945. He inherited the titles Duke of Argyll and Chief of Clan Campbell (Scottish Gaelic language: MacCailein Mòr) following the death of his first cousin once removed, the 10th Duke, on 20 August 1949.

Personal life

Argyll was married four times. He was known to be addicted to alcohol, gambling, and prescription drugs. The Duke was also accused of physical and emotional abuse by his wives, whose money he tried to use for maintaining Inveraray Castle. His first marriage was to The Honourable Janet Gladys Aitken (1908–1988), daughter of business tycoon and press baron Lord Beaverbrook, on 12 December 1927. They had a daughter, Lady Jeanne Campbell (1928–2007).

Ian and Janet divorced in 1934. Argyll's second marriage was to Louise Hollingsworth Morris Vanneck, née Clews (d. 10 February 1970), daughter of Henry Clews Jr. by his wife Louise Hollingsworth Morris (ex-wife 1894–1901 of Frederick Gebhard) of Baltimore, Maryland, and former wife of Hon. Andrew Vanneck (md 1930–1933) on 23 November 1935. This marriage produced two sons:

• Ian Campbell, 12th Duke of Argyll (1937–2001), who married Iona Colquhoun on 4 July 1964. They had two children:
  • Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll (b. 1968). On 8 June 2002 at St. Mary's Church, Fairford, Gloucestershire, the Duke married Eleanor Cadbury, a member of the Cadbury chocolate family. The Duke and Duchess have three children:^{[citation needed]}
    • Archibald Friedrich Campbell, Marquess of Lorne (born London, 9 March 2004), known as Archie Lorne.
    • Lord Rory James Campbell (born London, 3 February 2006)
    • Lady Charlotte Mary Campbell (born London, 29 October 2008).
  • Lady Louise Iona Campbell (b. 1972), who married Anthony Burrell on 18 April 1998. They have two children.

• Lord Colin Ivar Campbell (b. 1946), who married Georgia Arianna Ziadie on 23 March 1974; they were divorced in 1975.

This marriage also ended in divorce, in 1951.

Argyll's third marriage was to Margaret Whigham (1912–1993), mother of Frances, Dowager Duchess of Rutland, from her previous marriage to Charles Francis Sweeny. They were married on 22 March 1951. Margaret was a glittering society figure. While married to the Duke, she had affairs with other men including actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Defence. The marriage was childless and they divorced in 1963 after the Duke found Polaroid photographs of her sexual activities with other men. In the divorce proceedings, the Duke produced the photographs, which featured the Duchess wearing only her signature triple-string of pearls while fellating an unidentified man. In hearings which gained much media attention, the divorce was granted, though on grounds of adultery with a different man.

Argyll's fourth and final marriage was to Mathilda Coster Mortimer (1925–1997) on 15 June 1963. Mathilda, who was first married to Clemens Heller, founder of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a school in Salzburg, Austria, was the granddaughter of New York banker and clubman William B. Coster. From this marriage he had a daughter:

• Lady Elspeth Campbell (1967–1967), who lived only five days.

They remained married until the Duke's death on 7 April 1973. He died in a nursing home in Edinburgh. He was succeeded by his son Ian.

While most Dukes and Duchesses of Argyll are buried at Kilmun Parish Church, the 11th Duke and his son, the 12th Duke, both chose to be buried on the island of Inishail in Loch Awe.

In popular culture

• Ian and Margaret's marriage and scandalous divorce was dramatised in the Amazon/BBC's A Very British Scandal, written by Sarah Phelps and broadcast in 2021, starring Paul Bettany as the Duke, Claire Foy as Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, and Sophia Myles as the Duke's previous wife, Louise Timpson.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Argyll
• Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll