David Herbert
The Honourable David Alexander Reginald Herbert[1] (3 October 1908 – 3 April 1995[2]) was a British socialite and writer.
Early life and education
[edit]He was the second son of Reginald Herbert, 15th Earl of Pembroke.[1] He spent his first few years in Castletown[clarification needed], Ireland. At the age of four, he moved to the family home of Wilton, near Salisbury.[1] Attending Wixenford Preparatory School, he was later sent on to Eton.
Performing career
[edit]David had brief stints as both a film actor, appearing in 1930's Knowing Men, and as a cabaret performer. He briefly shared an apartment with Noël Coward in the East End, and was satirized by Lord Berners as the character Daisy Montgomery in his 1936 satiric novel, The Girls of Radcliff Hall.[3] He was also scathingly satirized as "Peter Barclay" in William Bayer's novel Tangier.
Writing career
[edit]David's books recall his years in the company of such figures as Cecil Beaton, Lady Diana Cooper, Noël Coward, Paul and Jane Bowles, Cyril Connolly, Brian Howard, Barbara Hutton, Osbert Sitwell and Tallulah Bankhead. These include Second Son: An Autobiography (1972), which included a foreword by Paul Bowles and photographs by Cecil Beaton, Engaging Eccentrics: Recollections (1990), his second volume of autobiography, and Relations and Revelations: Advice to Jemima (1992), a book of memories and opinions written in the form of advice to his great-niece Jemima.
Personal life
[edit]David spent almost fifty years in Tangier, Morocco where he was known for his vibrant personality, frequent lavish parties,[1] good taste, and ruthless snobbery.[4] He was referred to by Ian Fleming as 'the Queen of Tangier'.[5] He was labeled as the 'most terrible snob' by author Patrick Thursfield, who regularly enjoyed attending his famous parties.[6]
Death
[edit]David died of kidney failure in 1995 and was buried in the cemetery at Saint Andrew's Church. He had been a devout Anglican. On his tombstone was engraved, "He loved Morocco".
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Church of St. Andrew's, Tangier, Morocco
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tomb of David Herbert
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 392. ISBN 978-1-84854-195-5.
- ^ Michael De-La-Noy (4 April 1995). "Obituary: David Herbert". The Independent.
- ^ Hoare, Philip. Noël Coward: A Biography. Page 238. University of Chicago Press, 1938
- ^ O'Hagan, Andrew (11 April 2014). "The Aesthetes". Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ Carr, Virginia Spencer. Paul Bowles: A Life. Page 205. Simon and Schuster, 2004.
- ^ Walton, Tony (2011). Up the Kasbah. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0-9566091-1-3.
External links
[edit]
- 1908 births
- 1995 deaths
- 20th-century Anglicans
- 20th-century English male actors
- 20th-century English memoirists
- English socialites
- Younger sons of earls
- People educated at Eton College
- People educated at Wixenford School
- English people of Russian descent
- English interior designers
- British expatriates in Morocco
- Deaths from kidney failure
- English Anglicans
- British cabaret performers
- Herbert family