During the late 1800s, also known as The Gilded Age, there was a rapid economic growth in America after the Civil War, especially in the country’s Northern and Western regions.
As a result, some American families became incredibly wealthy. However, since most of these tycoons came from humble origins, these “new-riches” weren’t still seen as inferior to those who were born in society’s upper classes.
Meanwhile, many members of the British and European aristocracy were rapidly losing their fortunes since they were affected by rural populations moving to the cities and the repairing of their houses that they couldn’t afford.
But what did these situations have to do with each other? You see, the answer to all of the problems of the American rich families and the British aristocracy can be summed up in two words: Dollar princesses.
Who were the Dollar Princesses?
A ‘Dollar Princess’ was a term that referred to an American heiress, a woman who came from a newly wealthy family. Many of these heiresses were daughters of self-made men who didn’t have the social standing of longtime members of high society.
Their fathers thought that a title would give them a shortcut to social acceptance. Yet, since the American Constitution forbade the government from giving out titles of nobility, these tycoons turned their sights to Europe.
This is where the British and European noblemen come in. Most of them were willing to trade their titles for cash. And so, American heiresses were married to British and European aristocrats who, in many cases were in search for solvency, such as a duke, earl, or baron.
According to the Library of Congress, these dollar princesses wedded more than a third of the titles represented in the House of Lords. Moreover, announcements of these transatlantic marriages were pervasive in the newspapers of the day.
Additionally, ‘Titled Americans’ was a guide that guided wealthy American heiresses’ families in their quest to marry her to a titled British or European nobleman.
The sad history of Dollar Princesses
Throughout history, the Dollar Princesses have been stigmatized as ‘invaders of British high society. These women were criticized for being “social climbers.” Yet, if there’s something we must remember, it is that every story changes depending on who tells it, and sometimes details are omitted.
Many of these American heiresses were used by their parents as a means to obtain a title of nobility.
Even if the daughters of the Gilded Age’s nouveau grew up with conveniences such as jewelry, clothing, and attendants, they usually weren’t able to marry the men that they liked.
Instead, their wedding was treated as a business transaction because their parents paid a British aristocrat for them to marry their daughters. Essentially, their future husbands were complete strangers to them.
Once they moved to the United Kingdom or Europe, some Dollar Princesses found the stately homes of England too dark and terribly cold. To do something about it, these new wives began to remodel their lodgings, which were in need of fixings. Yet, these women were often sneered at and judged for doing so.
To make matters worse, some were outcasted by the high society for their non-aristocratic roots. The aristocracy mocked the “dollar princesses”, describing them as American social pretentious, turning up their noses at the brides’ culture.
And what did their relatives back in the United States think about it? Well, their parents saw their daughters’ circumstances as a small price to pay in exchange for a title and entrance into a social elite circle.
Famous Dollar Princesses
Some of the most well-known Dollar Princesses are the following:
Consuelo Vanderbilt
Consuelo Vanderbilt was the daughter of William Vanderbilt, who shared Vanderbilt’s newly-found fortune and could afford to “buy” his daughter a noble title. She married the 9th Duke of Marlborough, Charles Spencer-Churchill. In doing so, she became the Duchess of Marlborough. However, there was no romance between the couple, for both Consuelo and the duke were in love with other people.
Moreover, it didn’t help that her wedding was forced by her mother, Alva Vanderbilt. Consuelo’s marriage became the social event of the year and was seen as a “celebrity wedding”. Yet, Consuelo Vanderbilt would come to be known as the “dollar princess who walked to the altar in tears”. She even confessed that she “spent the morning of my wedding day in tears and alone; no one came near me.”
The Duchess of Marlborough’s marriage got off badly. On their honeymoon, her husband told her that he had only agreed to marry her to maintain his family’s Blenheim Palace. Although they had two children, John and Ivor Spencer-Churchill, the dukes ended up divorcing. Still, the Duchess maintained ties with some members of the Spencer-Churchill family, particularly with her former cousin-in-law, Winston Churchill.
Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill)
Jeanette Jerome was the daughter of a prosperous American financier and a socially ambitious mother. The American heiress would later become the mother of prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.
In 1873 she met Lord Randolph Churchill, son of the Duke of Marlborough, and, after knowing each other only for three days, Lord Randolph presented her to his parents and announced their engagement.
At first, they were horrified that he would want to marry an American socialite instead of a British noblewoman. But his parents would change their minds once they realized that Jeanette’s dowry was enormous – to be exact, its worth was over four million dollars in today’s money. The couple married in 1874, and the new Lady Randolph Churchill gave birth to a son: Winston.
Lady Randolph Churchill was known for her beauty and wits, having actively supported her husband’s political career and being a key element in the founding of the Primrose League.
Frances Ellen Work
Frances Ellen Work, known to her friends as Fannie, was born in New York City and was the daughter of Frank Work, a self-made multi-millionaire.
Fannie was considered by those around her to be exceptionally beautiful, and her grandmother was keen for her granddaughter to benefit from it. She wanted Fannie to live among the most prestigious social circles of them all.
In 1880, stock and railway heiress Frances Ellen Work married the future Baron Fermoy, James Boothby Burke Roch. James was known for his lavish extravagant lifestyle, which is why he found the marriage quite convenient for his expenses. Ironically, Fannie’s father disapproved of the marriage and wrote her out of his will, possibly to keep away his hard-earned money from the baron’s spending.
Frank guessed well, for the baron blew most of Frances’s $2.5 million dowries on gambling. Like many Dollar Princess wedlocks, Frances’s was an unhappy one, and the couple divorced in 1891. Yet, over a century later, the marriage between the American heiress and the baron would result in the birth of Frances’s great-granddaughter: Diana, Princess of Wales.
