He bid me sit down, and we talked – for the next five days. The pair were seen together constantly: he claimed to have been the first to take her out shopping by walking along Bond Street. In the late 1940s and early 1950s the Princess had ruled over "the Margaret Set", a new kind of royal for a post-war world, the Brideshead generation updated to an era of coffee bars and Teddy boys. Glenconner installed two early 20th-century gingerbread cottages salvaged from elsewhere on the island, joining them together and furnishing them with an eclectic mixture of family heirlooms and Indian antiques. The Prime Minister claimed on Wednesday that his accommodation on the luxury Caribbean island of Mustique, worth £15,000, was provided by Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross. Mustique is a private island owned by the shareholders of The Mustique Company. Read our full mailing list consent terms here. Pippa Ona In the unlikely event of an emergency, medical evacuation can be arranged and guests are taken to hospitals in either Martinique or Miami. It was an age when English aristocracy was diversifying to survive; and where the Baths of Longleat had their lions, Glenconner had his commodified paradise. His paternal grandmother, Pamela, Lady Glenconner, was one of the aristocratic-bohemian Souls of the Edwardian era who conducted life at her Arts and Crafts manor near Salisbury, as a kind of Rousseauesque charade. It is a private island, owned by the Mustique company, stretches across 2.2 square miles, and has a population of 500. Caribbean Islands - Mustique -- not so great - We just got back from a week in Mustique, and came away unimpressed. In 1949 he went up to New College, Oxford then joined the family firm, but his father doubted his aptitude for the business, and in 1963 sold it before retiring to Corfu – even though his sonwould claim, "I was, frankly, running the company brilliantly". He also extends his services to St Vincent, running HIV and Diabetic Clinics on behalf of our Charitable Foundation. Throughout the 1980s in particular it seemed as though Nigel Dempster had a hot line to Glenconner's bedside phone. It was Snowdon's first and last visit to the island, and Tennant saw little of Margaret until her marriage began to disintegrate. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. entertainment; celebrity life; celebrity kids; This is the villa on the Caribbean island of Mustique where they celebrated George’s 6th birthday. You are in safe hands when on Mustique. I couldn't really say anything else, could I?" Colin was born in 1926, and educated at Eton. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. The real heart of the man was his boyish charm and his ability to envelope you in his world. In 1995 he sold the resort to the Hilton chain, much to the displeasure of environmentalists and Prince Philip, who twice wrote to St Lucia's prime minister asking for the scheme to be halted. In March 1999 she was staying at the Jalousie Hilton when she scalded her feet in a boiling shower, an accident which seemed to precipitate her decline. With his father's death in 1983 he became third Baron yet he felt obliged to disinherit his eldest son Charlie, a heroin addict, in favour of Henry – only for Henry, who was gay, to contract HIV, as did Charlie. Macaroni Beach is perhaps the most famous of Mustique's beaches and is situated on the east coast of the island. His kinsman, Simon Blow – whose Broken Blood: The Rise and Fall of the Tennant Family would receive its controversial publication in 1987 – maintained he was "hardly ever" in the office, preferring to concentrate on his social life and driving his Ford Thunderbird. ", Bang was popular with the passing cruise liner trade, although Glenconner would complain that no one interesting came, Yet he made a point of knowing their names, greeting every customer at the entrance to its surreal courtyard. Mustique is an entirely private island and has its own police force to keep its elite clientele away from prying eyes. In 1958 Lord Glenconner, Colin Tennant, arrived on Mustique and bought the island for just £45,000 despite the fact it had no roads, no jetties and no running water. Mustique is a picturesque and secluded 1,400 acre island surrounded by nine beaches of pure white sand, with gently swaying coconut palms and warm turquoise waters. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. Given to extravagant gestures – for his 60th birthday party in 1986, the likes of Jerry Hall, Raquel Welch and Princess Margaret flew to Mustique at his expense for a Peacock Ball – he was seldom out of the limelight. Photograph: BlueOrangeStudio/Alamy Stock Photo. Guest Services The key to success was to attract the right people, and he knew them – pre-eminently in the shape of Princess Margaret. He lives in St. Lucia with wife Lady Anne Coke (herself an Earl's daughter and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret) and their sole surviving son, Christopher, disabled by an accident. He has spent the past 25 years running the island’s clinic, providing excellent health care to guests and the local community. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Lord Glenconner: Owner of the island of Mustique whose friendship with, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. pippa@mustique.vc He paid $67,000 for an island without roads, running water, or electricity. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Mustique is unlike any other Caribbean island. Sat 28 Dec 2019 13.00 EST. Colin Tennant, the third Baron Glenconner, had a permanent place in the gossip columns for most of the second half of the 20th century, largely because of his intimate friendship with Princess Margaret; but also because of his Faustian compact with fame – or, perhaps, notoriety. A free-spirited, low-key island perfect for lounging in villas and strolling unmanicured beaches. The things we like in an island are … Margaret was also in the throes of her desire to marry a commoner, Peter Townsend, and Glenconner was a useful diversion. Modern eyes would be opened to his more colourful aspects in The Man Who Bought Mustique, a film directed by Joseph Bullman in 2000, which followed Glenconner as he prepared for a visit by Princess Margaret to his island. Michael qualified from Cambridge University and served as a Medical officer to the British Army for seven years. Knight Frank is delighted to be affiliated with The Mustique Company and is the island's exclusive sole international real estate agent. He was interested in modern art and literature, and could drop into conversation that his grandson's godfather was Guy Ritchie. Colin's father, Christopher, was the second eldest son of Eddy and Pamela Glenconner. Privately owned and wholly controlled by the Mustique Company, the island has perfect white beaches studded with huge pink shells and fringed by imported palm trees. Bupa died in 1994 after being fed dry buns which swelled in its stomach. The Medical Clinic on the island is run by Dr Michael Bunbury. Tennant had given up on life in England, later putting his 19th-century mansion Hill Lodge on the market for £6m. Initial ambitions were to see it thrive as a cotton plantation, but these plans did not prove economically viable and Tennant looked for other ways to develop the island. Henry, a colourful figure 6ft 7in tall with long blond hair, died of an Aids-related illness aged 29 in 1990. She put them up in Kensington Palace when they were "homeless"; and, when they found a house, helped them move in. It all started with Colin Tennant, the 3rd Lord Glenconner, who purchased the undeveloped island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 1958. Lord Glenconner: Owner of the island of Mustique whose friendship with Princess Margaret kept him in the public eye Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. Lord Glenconner's background provided ample genetic precedence for his eccentricities. She went out twice a year, in February and late autumn, presiding over a social set which sometimes lurched into loucheness, with characters such as the East End-criminal-turned-actor John Bindon. Rocky headlands, pristine beaches surrounded by palm trees, clear, turquoise water and steep hilltops are all you can see. shelley@mustique.vc But his eyes only really lit up when describing one of his Indian jewels, or showing a guest the fabulous new folly he was building. And yet for all these fitful wonders he was an essentially honest and charming man in whose company one was often reduced to helpless laughter. . Colin Christopher Paget Tennant (Lord Glenconner), landowner: born 1 December 1926; married 1956 Lady Anne Coke (one son, one daughter, and two sons deceased); died St Lucia 27 August 2010. Roddy Llewellyn, Princess Margaret, Lady Anne and her son Charlie, 1976 Credit: Courtesy of Lady Anne Glenconner My husband Colin Tennant was a … sdurrant@mustique.vc It was to Wilsford that his nephew Colin brought Princess Margaret for an audience with his eremitic uncle, only to be told by Stephen's butler that his master was seeing only blond-haired visitors. 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