Susan Barrantes

Susan Barrantes (June 9, 1937 - September 19, 1998) was the mother of Sarah, Duchess of York. She was born Susan Mary Wright in England, the daughter of Lieutenant FitzHerbert Wright and his wife Doreen Wingfield.

Related Topics:
June 9 - 1937 - September 19 - 1998 - Sarah, Duchess of York - England - FitzHerbert Wright - Doreen Wingfield

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From childhood, Susan's interests revolved around horses and she was a keen show jumper and avid polo player that provided a connection to the British royal family. On January 17, 1956, she married Major Ronald Ivor Ferguson (1931 - 2003), who would later become the Queen's polo manager. The couple had two daughters: Jane Louisa, born on August 26, 1957, and Sarah Margaret, later the Duchess of York, born on October 15, 1959.

Related Topics:
Polo - British royal family - January 17 - 1956 - Major Ronald Ivor Ferguson - Queen - August 26 - 1957 - Sarah Margaret - October 15 - 1959

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She described the first years of her marriage as very happy ones, but the relationship finally broke down. Following her husband's affair with one of her best friends, she left him in 1973 and moved to Argentina with professional polo player and widower, Hector Barrantes. It was a society scandal that made major headline news at the time.

Related Topics:
1973 - Argentina - Hector Barrantes

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Susan and Ronald Ferguson were divorced, and in 1975 she married Barrantes. She and her new husband kept a large ranch at El Pucara, breeding polo ponies and cattle. In 1990 her second husband died of cancer.

Related Topics:
1975 - El Pucara - 1990

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This death brought financial difficulties to Mrs Barrantes; she sold more than half the farm to the polo-playing Australian media magnate Kerry Packer and began commuting to Buenos Aires for work. In the 1990s, she set up a television production company in Buenos Aires, making films about horses. Although she visited the UK several times a year, she showed no wish to return to live in her native country.

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Shortly before the automobile accident that took her life, Mrs. Barrantes authored a book titled POLO with the foreword written by the Prince of Wales.

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On 19 September 1998, while Mrs Barrantes was returning to the ranch where she kept ponies, the Rover she was driving collided with a Renault catering truck on a two-lane highway in flat countryside. She was killed; the driver of the truck suffered a broken ankle.

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Susan Barrantes is buried beside her second husband in La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

Related Topics:
La Recoleta Cemetery - Buenos Aires

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