PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Born Emma Watkins, the Duchess of Rutland is the daughter of a farmer from Knighton, Powys. She worked as an estate agent, marketing properties in London, and later as an interior designer. Today, the Duchess runs the commercial activities of Belvoir Castle, including shooting parties, weddings and a range of furniture. She has presented on various television programmes, including ITV's Castles, Keeps and Country Homes, and has produced a book about Belvoir Castle. In 2021, the Duchess created a podcast titled Duchess, where she interviews chatelaines of castles and stately homes throughout the United Kingdom. In her podcast's first season, she interviewed Lady Ingilby of Ripley Castle, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill of Blenheim Palace, Lady Derby of Knowsley Hall, Demetra Lindsay of Hedingham Castle, Lady Devon of Powderham Castle, Catherine Maxwell Stuart of Traquair House, The Hon. Martha Lytton-Cobbold of Knebworth House, Caroline, Duchess of Fife, of Kinnaird Castle, Eleanor Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, of Inveraray Castle and Lady Mansfield of Scone Palace. Watkins married David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, in 1992. They separated in 2012 but continue to cohabitate. The pair have five children.
