The Wifelets of Bath face the elbow...
AFTER the death last month of the eccentric 7th Marquess of Bath, nicknamed ‘the Loins of Longleat’ for his amorous escapades, his ‘wifelet’ lovers fear they face a new heartbreak – losing their homes.
Alexander Thynn kept his harem in grace-and-favour cottages on his 10,000-acre estate and lion park in Wiltshire. But it’s now likely the women will be asked to leave, with many understanding this would be the case in the event of his death.
The aristocrat died aged 87 after contracting coronavirus. His title has now passed to his son Ceawlin, who never approved of his father’s unorthodox love arrangements.
However, I can reveal that it may be some time before the wifelets pack their bags. New legislation to tackle the effects of coronavirus bans tenants from being evicted for at least three months. A Longleat spokesman reassures me: ‘I can confirm there have been no eviction procedures in 2020.’
My source adds: ‘ The women always feared they would be asked to leave in the event of Alexander’s death. Ceawlin doesn’t have any loyalty to these people but ultimately it is now his decision.’
The 7th Marquess once claimed to have about 70 wifelets but only a few remain on the site, including Trudie Juggernauth-Sharma and Amanda Doyle. They hit the headl i nes i n 2011 when they were embroiled in a fist-fight over who got to sleep with the aristocrat one night, and police had to be called.
Despite his many relationships, Lord Bath remained married to Anna Thynn, the mother of his children – Ceawlin and Lenka.
He once asked that people ‘are understanding of those of us who choose to lead our lives in a slightly different way. We too want to love and be loved and need a structure
to enable us to do that’. Despite being educated at Eton, he sent his two children to the local comprehensive – much to the chagrin of Ceawlin, who signed up for the exclusive boarding school Bedales at 16. My source adds: ‘Anna spent a considerable amount of time away from Longleat, but she was loyal to Alexander until the end.’
Ceawlin has more conventional views on relationships, having married Strictly st ar Emma McQuiston in 2013.