Those who live orthodox lives — and adhere to conventional marriages — may be perplexed by the free-wheeling set-up at Belvoir, ancestral seat of the Duke of Rutland, where, since separating in 2012, he and the Duchess have occupied different wings of the castle, with their respective lovers joining them as the mood and moment takes them.
The timing is made more piquant by the fact that her divorce from her husband, Bernard Webb, was being finalised in the Family Division of the High Court in London this week. The 11th Duke, David Manners, 65, is about to startle observers once more, by parading in public, in London, with the lushly named, Brazilian-born Andrea Burle Schmidt Dubeux Webb. Pictured together at The Royal Caledonian Ball in 2017
Read More Our Christmas in a 356-room castle! The Duchess of Rutland has one wing, her ex the Duke another, while her partner of 12 years is estate manager. So how do they manage Christmas Day with their two sons and three society beauty daughters? But in 2018 Andrea's time at the castle was abruptly curtailed. Expecting to host a shooting weekend with the Duke, she was about to dress for dinner on the Friday evening – using the Duke's bedroom – when staff told her that she should leave.