Emma Thynn, Marchioness of Bath

The Most Honourable The Marchioness of Bath
Personal details
Born	Emma Clare McQuiston (1986-03-26) 26 March 1986 (age 38) London, England
Spouse	Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath ​ ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	John Thynn, Viscount Weymouth Lord Henry Thynn
Parents	Oladipo Jadesimi Suzanna McQuiston
Occupation	Fashion model, socialite

Emma Clare Thynn, Marchioness of Bath (née McQuiston; born 26 March 1986), often known as Emma Weymouth, is a British socialite and fashion model.^[1] She is married to Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath. In 2020, she became the first black marchioness in British history.^[2]

Early life and education

Emma Clare McQuiston was born on 26 March 1986, in London, the daughter of a Nigerian father and an English mother. Her father, Chief Oladipo Jadesimi, is a Nigerian oil billionaire who is the executive chairman of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Company and is a titleholder in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, while her mother, Suzanna McQuiston, is an English socialite.^[3][4] She has several half-siblings, including Amy Jadesimi.^[2][5]

McQuiston was raised in South Kensington.^[6] She was head girl at Queen's Gate School during her secondary education and later attended University College London to study art history.^[7][8] After university, she studied classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.^[9][7]

Personal life

McQuiston and Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth announced their engagement in November 2012, after a year of dating.^[6] They were married at Longleat, the family seat in Wiltshire, on 8 June 2013.^[6] Upon her marriage, McQuiston became Viscountess Weymouth.^[10][11] The wedding took place in front of 355 guests, the largest ceremony held at the estate.^[12] Her wedding dress, designed by Angelina Colarusso, featured a fitted bodice, square neckline and sheer lace sleeves embroidered with a pattern of the traditional Bath flower.^[12][13] She wore a diamond tiara with a ribbon scroll and bow designs, estimated to be 60-70 carats.^[13] The following year, Viscountess Weymouth hosted an exhibition focusing on weddings hosted at Longleat, featuring her gown and portrait in display.^[13]

The then Marquess and Marchioness of Bath were not present at the wedding; the groom's father was engaged in a family dispute about Longleat's artwork at the time, while his mother was prohibited from attending after making racist remarks regarding their marriage.^[6][14] Subsequently, Emma Thynn and her family were reportedly estranged from her mother-in-law.^[15] Thynn claimed in an interview that she had been on the receiving end of "snobbishness, particularly among the much older generation. There's class and then there's the racial thing... I'm not super-easily offended but it's a problem when someone's making you feel different or separate because of your race".^[16]

When her husband succeeded his father as the Marquess of Bath, she became the first black marchioness in British history.^{[17][18][11][19]}

The couple's first child, John Alexander Ladi Thynn, Viscount Weymouth was born in October 2014, in London by emergency caesarean section after Thynn suffered from hypophysitis. His birth took place at the Lindo Wing, St. Mary's Hospital.^[20] As a result of her health struggles during her previous pregnancy, their second child, Lord Henry Richard Isaac Thynn was born in December 2016, in Los Angeles after being carried by a surrogate.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Career

After her marriage, she became chatelaine of Longleat's estate and safari park.^[10][19] There, she founded the food and lifestyle brand Emma's Kitchen.^[10][25] She was featured alongside her husband in All Change at Longleat, a three-part documentary filmed in 2014 and broadcast on BBC One in September 2015.^[26]

In 2017, she became a brand ambassador for Fiorucci.^[27] She also modelled for Dolce & Gabbana, walking in runway shows at Harrods.^[28]

In February 2018, Lady Bath began working as a fashion editor at British Vogue.^[29][30] She is also contributing editor at HuffPost.^[9][31]

Prior to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, media outlets listed Lady Bath along with Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, Princess Keisha Omilana of Ipetu-Ijesha, Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland, Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen of Ethiopia, Princess Sarah Culberson of Bumpe, Cécile de Massy, and Monica von Neumann as modern examples of black royal and noble women. A resurgence of articles about African royalty and nobles of African heritage, including Lady Bath, occurred after the British royal wedding.^[32][33]

In August 2024, Lady Bath took part in the nineteenth series of Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One, where she was eliminated in the third heat.^[34]

Strictly Come Dancing

From September 2019, she was a contestant in the 17th season of the prime-time BBC television programme, Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec.^[10] The couple were eliminated in week seven.

On 18 September 2021, she was a contestant alongside Lauren Steadman in the "Strictly" celebrities special of Pointless; her duo was the first eliminated duo of the episode.^[35]

Week no.	Dance/song	Judges' score				Total	Result
		Horwood	Mabuse	Ballas	Tonioli
1	Cha-Cha-Cha / "She's a Lady"	5	5	4	5	19	None
2	Tango / "Sucker"	4	6	6	6	22	Safe
3	Foxtrot / "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"	7	7	7	7	28	Safe
4	Jive / "Kids in America"	7	7	7	7	28	Bottom two
5	Viennese Waltz / "Saving All My Love For You"	9	9	9	9*	36	Safe
6	Charleston / "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)"	6	8	8	8	30	Safe
7	Samba / "I Don't Care"	5	7	7	7	26	Eliminated

• Score was awarded by guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro

References

1. "Everything You Need to Know About Britain's First Black Marchioness Emma Weymouth". W Magazine. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
2. Rhys, Gillian (1 May 2020). "Britain's first black marchioness Emma Weymouth is a billionaire oil heiress, London socialite, Strictly Come Dancing star and Vogue editor". Style Magazine. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
3. Ladi Jadesimi^{[dead link‍]}, business profile.
4. Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base: Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base Management, retrieved 28 November 2017.
5. Marsh, Stefanie. "Britain's first black marchioness". The Times. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
6. Kamp, David (25 April 2018). "Meet the Viscountess Transforming the Idea of British Aristocracy". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
7. "Pride & prejudice: Emma Weymouth on sleeping with Longleat's lions and beating the blue-blooded bigots". London Evening Standard. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
8. Ward, Audrey. "A Life in the Day: Viscountess Emma Weymouth | The Sunday Times Magazine". The Times. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
9. "Emma McQuiston". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
10. "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Viscountess Emma Weymouth". BBC. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
11. "Inside the Glamorous Life of Britain's First Black Marchioness". ABC News. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
12. "Emma Weymouth wedding: Strictly star wore stunning tiara worth half a million to wedding". Express. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
13. Carter, Claire. "Viscountess puts wedding on display after father-in-law Lord Bath snubbed big day". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
14. "Ceawlin Thynn Emma McQuiston Marriage – Ceawlin Thynn Feud With Marchioness of Bath". Townandcountrymag.com. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
15. Jamieson, Sophie (6 September 2015). "Rift at Longleat over 'racism' towards Britain's first black marchioness". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
16. Britten, Nick (April 2013). "A social 'jungle' for first black lady of Longleat". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
17. Bryant, Ben (18 August 2013). "Britain's first black viscountess's regret over father-in-law's wedding snub". Telegraph. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
18. "Viscountess Weymouth: Emma McQuiston – Britain's first black Marchioness". Sola Rey. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
19. Simpson, Craig (29 November 2020). "Viscountess Emma Weymouth: 'I want to bring everything back to Longleat - even the pineapples". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
20. Wise, Louis. "Interview: Lady Emma Weymouth, Britain's first black viscountess, on Strictly, diversity and life at Longleat". The Times. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
21. "THYNN – Births Announcements – Telegraph Announcements". Announcements.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
22. "Longleat heir has son born by surrogacy after medics warned pregnancy could kill Lady Weymouth". The Daily Telegraph. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
23. "Viscountess Weymouth's surrogate son: Royal couple reveal IVF baby". Express.co.uk. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
24. "Meet Strictly star Emma Weymouth's two adorable sons John and Henry". Hello!. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
25. "Emma's Kitchen". Longleat. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
26. "BBC One - All Change at Longleat". BBC. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
27. "Emma Loves... Fiorucci". Emma Weymouth. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
28. Marissa G. Muller (7 November 2017). "Meet Emma Weymouth, Britain's First Black Marchioness Who Just Modeled for Dolce & Gabbana". W Magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
29. "Emma Weymouth | Moderation Not Deprivation". Emma-weymouth.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
30. "Emma Weymouth News and Features". British Vogue. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
31. "Back From the Wilderness – London Fashion Week". HuffPost. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
32. Wade, Valerie (29 November 2017). "Does Meghan Markle Need to Be the Black Princess You Want Her to Be?".
33. "Is the royal wedding a cause for feminist celebration or condemnation? Yes". 15 May 2018.
34. "Celebrity MasterChef 2024: Heat 3 quarter-finalists revealed as another star is eliminated". virginradio.co.uk/entertainment. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
35. "BBC One - Pointless Celebrities, Series 14, Strictly".