Sir Michael Duff, the bon vivant and society figure, was the son of Sir Robin Duff, 2nd Bt, of Vaynol, and his wife Lady Juliet Lowther, only child of the 4th Earl of Lonsdale and his wife Lady Gwladys Herbert (later Marchioness of Ripon).

Family and Court Connections

His maternal grandmother was a sister of the 13th and 14th Earls of Pembroke & Montgomery, and a daughter of the Rt. Hon. Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, the half-Russian yr son of the 10th Earl of Pembroke, and a good friend to Florence Nightingale.

Sir Michael Duff was a godson of Mary of Teck (queen of King George V), and a close relative of several aristocratic families. Among his relatives was his maternal aunt, Lady Diana Cooper (nee Manners). Exceedingly handsome and with the courteous manners of a true gentleman, he was a favourite of the Royal Family. Mary of Teck Princess Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes) (26 May 1867 – 24 March 1953), later Queen Mary, was the Queen consort of George V of the United Kingdom. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) (3 June 1865–20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House of Windsor in 1917. ...

He was twice married, secondly to Lady Caroline Paget (d. 1973), eldest daughter of the 6th Marquess of Anglesey and his wife Lady Marjorie Manners, eldest daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland. They had one son, Charles Duff, who became a theatre historian. Caroline Paget (Lady Alexandra Mary Cecilia Caroline Paget) was the daughter of Sir Charles Henry Alexander Paget, 6th Marquess of Anglesey and Lady Victoria Marjorie Harriet Manners. ...

A documentary screened on BBC Two Wales in 2005 ('Faenol (sic): Secrets Behind the Wall') featured Charles Duff discussing his childhood, the bisexuality of both his parents, and his possible illegitimacy. He did not inherit the estate, and when it was sold all the records were burnt, so compounding the mystery.

The Duff Estate

The Vaynol estate, in northern Wales, close to the Anglesey estate at Plas Newydd, passed out of Duff family hands, the last main portion including the demesne within the walls being sold off in 1984. This came into the family via Mary Assheton-Smith, niece and heiress of the famous squire Assheton-Smith, the celebrated foxhunter.