Hector Stanley Delaval Vere, 5th Duke of Buckingham, is a young British aristocrat who is posh, but also impoverished. He restores his fortune by marrying Gladys Russell in 1884.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Hector's parents died while he was still young, and he became very dependent on his sister Sarah including her telling him to go to America to marry a rich Yankee heiress.
The Duke has traveled extensively and has visited Egypt.
The Duke hosted Joshua Winterton and his new wife, Enid, while they honeymooned at his ancestral home Sidmouth Castle in Devon.
Season 2[]
Bertha is very keen to meet the Duke of Buckingham when she learns he is coming to America. She changes the seating plan to ensure that she sits next to him, and is charmed by him. She also learns that he is younger than she expected. Bertha also manages to get the Duke to stay with the Russells in Newport.[1]
She convinces him to stay at her new house in Newport, a situation which enrages Enid and causes her to throw a tantrum, ranting that she had met him first and Bertha had no right to interfere.
With the aid of Peter, a footman she knew from her days as Bertha's lady's maid, and a sous chef that was under her husband's employ, she attempts to sabotage a formal dinner in the Duke's honor. The attempted sabotage failed miserably when Church and Watson catch on to the deceitfulness. Bourdin orders the sous chef or of the kitchen, while Church pulls Peter out of the circle of footmen and sends him downstairs. The dinner went off without a hitch. It was presumed that both conspirators were swiftly sacked with no references. Enid was disgusted that her scheme was foiled, but that didn't faze her.
At the end of Season 2, Bertha seems to have succeeded with her plan of promising her daughter Gladys's hand to the Duke, as her dowry will be substantial. Gladys's father, George Russell seemed not to be pleased with this decision, as he wants a love match for her daughter. Any discussions the Russells might have about the marriage were left unseen before season 3.
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In real life the title Duke of Buckingham was last held by Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, who died in 1889.
- Vere (also called de Vere) are a real old and aristocratic family in England.
- He was inspired by Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, who married American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt in 1895.
References[]
- ↑ The Gilded Age, season 2 episode 4: "His Grace the Duke"