Diana Churchill

Diana Spencer-Churchill (11 July 1909 – 20 October 1963) was the eldest daughter of Sir Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill (née Hozier).

On 12 December 1932, she married John Milner Bailey (became the Bailey Baronet Sir John Milner Bailey, Bt), but the marriage was unsuccessful and they divorced in 1935. On 16 September 1935, she married the Conservative politician, Duncan Sandys (later in life The Lord Duncan-Sandys). After having three children, that marriage also ended and they were divorced in 1960.

She gained the rank of officer between 1939 and 1945 in the Women's Royal Naval Service. On 11 April 1962, her name was legally changed back to Diana Churchill.

Diana had suffered from several nervous breakdowns. In 1962, she began working with the Samaritans, an organisation created for suicide-prevention. Then in 1963, she committed suicide at the age of 54 by taking an overdose of barbiturates. She is buried with her parents and siblings at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

Children

Children of Diana Churchill and Lord Duncan-Sandys:

• The Hon. Julian Sandys (19 September 1936 – 15 August 1997)
• The Hon. Edwina Sandys (b. 22 December 1938)
• The Hon. Celia Sandys (b. 18 May 1943)

References

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