Alfred de Rothschild and Almina Countess of Carnarvon

 Was Alfred de Rothschild Almina's Father?


Baron Alfred de Rothschild : 1842-1918

Lady Almina of Highclere Castle

There are those who contend that the Jewish banker  Baron Alfred de Rothschild  the  “petit maitre” ( it means a fop or dandy)   was  Almina Carnarvon’s real father.  

A physical resemblance between Alfred and Almina is  suggested.  

Highclere's  biography of  Almina, of 2011 , entitled   “ Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey…..”  (a ghost -written fabrication full of errors and misrepresentations of Almina's life and times )   is particularly lame history  in only saying to back up its assertions of  Alfred as the father that  “ the question of Almina’s paternity can’t be conclusively determined with any certainty….”  


Indeed!   

Over  several paragraphs of the book  “The Life and Secrets of Almina Carnarvon” by William Cross , FSA Scot,  presents the detailed outcome of his long, extensive researches into the question of who was Almina's father?  There is no other analysis of this question in any other book, with the possible exception of Derek Wilson landmark study of the Rothschilds “ Rothschild: A Study of Wealth and Power ” .  


Almina was born in 1876. The name of Frederick Charles Wombwell is given as her father on her birth certificate, ( which was not registered UNTIL FOUR YEARS AFTER HER BIRTH  ).

 On Frederick’s  death bed in 1889 he touchingly  left tokens of esteem to his darling  daughter, Almina.  

Almost certainly Almina didn’t see Frederick’s sentimental offering or the message he imparted with it.  The ambitious Marie Boyer ( Almina's mother, who had married Frederick Wombwell in 1868 ) was  much too keen to climb the social ladder, through her scapegoat  banker, Alfred de Rothschild. Marie knew the truth about Alfred's private life and implication of involvement in sex scandals including the Cleveland Street Affair involving the corruption of post office boys.

There’s another negative element to highlight from one of the Rothschild insiders Miriam Rothschild,  now deceased. She observed in writing to Almina's first biographer David Sox,  one time a guide at Highclere and given the green light by the 7th Earl of  Carnarvon to write a life history of Almina,  that she did NOT look like any of the other Rothschild women. 

 However,  the same correspondent pleads some recognition be taken  into account over Almina’s daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert ‘s “ looks”.  It was noted that she does portray a stronger edged look – some see Jewish- some see oriental – some see a Wombwell, some see Prince Victor Duleep Singh, who was almost certainly the father  of Almina's only son,  Henry, 6th Earl of Carnarvon. 

To ensure that the full residue of genetic material is included -   one ought also to sweep in a certain French, North African and Spanish American appearance in Lady Evelyn's looks.  

These latter tints come from Almina's mother's side of her various maternal family connections. 

The Wombwells would be pleased to see the whole matter tested  once and for all. 

One branch of their maternal line has said that Almina had the Wombwell looks.

Highclere are not going to concede. Incidentally  a lock of Alfred de Rothschild's hair is held in the Royal Archives,  Windsor Castle as a part of a Scrapbook presented to Queen Elizabeth II by the 7th Earl of  Carnarvon. 

The Scrapbook was originally owned by Almina. Despite Highclere claiming this proves that Almina was Alfred's daughter, the Author William Cross found no evidence showing this  as an proof  when he examined Scrapbook during a visit to the  Royal Archives  in 2010.

Fuller details of this and other  matters can be found in “ Lies, Damned Lies and the Carnarvons" ( 2022)   and in   "The Life and Secrets of Almina Carnarvon”  ( 2011) : A Candid Biography of Almina, 5th Countess of Carnarvon of Tutankhamun fame. 

Both by William Cross, FSA Scot
 
Contact Will by e-mail at
 
williecross@aol.com

 




 Almina, Countess of Carnarvon and her daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert 

later Lady Brograve Beauchamp





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