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HelpHigh Society NTNB - Round 1
Hi! I’ve been going through something of a fascination lately with Vogue’s weddings section, which features descriptions (and photos) of ridiculous rich people weddings. They’re always like… ‘My mother (former model Angelina Smythe-Banbury-Whyte) lent me her priceless diamond necklace to wear with my dress, which was designed for me by the ghost of Coco Chanel as a personal favour. We rented out a small village in Italy, where we were joined by our 500 closest friends and family, each of whom received a custom watercolour portrait of themselves to take home.’
So think generational wealth, nepo babies, Oxbridge drinking societies, and failing upwards into a senior position at the family company. Think houses in four countries, elite boarding schools, the front cover of Tatler, and not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Family 1 - London, England
DH [28]:
DW [28]:
DS1 [exp]:
DH is an art dealer and the author of a mediocre-but-widely-promoted biography of Botticelli. He and DW, a corporate lawyer, met as students at Oxford a decade ago, and have been together for almost all of that time. They live in a smart London house with more than enough bedrooms to accommodate their son, who is due in a few months’ time.
DH’s first name is shared with a mythological figure; his first middle name is a family name, and is a very traditional English name; his second middle name is his mother’s polysyllabic English maiden name; and his surname is uncommon in England.
DW’s first name is long and feminine, with a short nickname; her middle name is a flower; her maiden name is double-barrelled.
DS1’s first name will have some connection to art history; his first middle name is the same as his father’s; his second middle name is his maternal grandfather’s name, which was popular in England in the 1960s. He has his father’s surname.
Family 2 - New York, NY / Paris, France
DH [33]:
DW [34]:
DD1 [4]:
DD2 [1]:
DH and DW split their family’s time between DW’s native New York, and DH’s home city of Paris, flying privately between the two on practically a monthly basis. DH is a frequent-flyer real estate developer, born to a French mother and a Lebanese father; DW, daughter of a Brazilian model and an Italian-American banker, runs an online boutique curating vintage designer bridalwear. They have two daughters, and are currently staring down the prospect of having to settle on one side of the Atlantic once their eldest starts school.
DH’s first name is a French name which was common in 1991; his middle name is an Arabic name which has appeared in the French top 500; his surname is Arabic written with French orthography (though don’t worry too much about this, I can French-ify as needed!)
DW’s first name works in both Portuguese and Italian, but is also familiar to English-speakers; her first middle name is Russian, after a family friend; her second middle name is a somewhat dated English name. Her maiden name is Italian.
DD1’s first name is a French or Italian diminutive; her first middle name is an Arabic name which has recently been popular in France; her second middle name is a common Portuguese name (the name of her maternal grandmother). She has her father’s surname.
DD2’s first name is an English diminutive; her first middle name is a short Italian name; her second middle name is a common Arabic name (the name of her paternal grandmother). She has her father’s surname.
Family 3 - Geneva, Switzerland
DH [41]:
DW [30]:
DH’s DS [8]:
DH is a Swiss investment banker and former professional skier. He was married once before meeting DW, an Indian heiress who runs an event-planning business, and has one son from that marriage. The couple, who met on a mutual friend’s ski trip, tied the knot last year, and hope to expand their little family soon.
DH’s first name is a German name which starts with a vowel; his middle name is a short French name; and his surname is German.
DW’s first name is a 4- or 5-letter Hindi name; her maiden name is Hindi.
DH’s DS’ first name was in the top 100 in Switzerland in 2018; his middle name works in both German and French. He has his father’s surname.
Family 4 - Henley-on-Thames, England
DH [36]:
DW [35]:
DD1 [2]:
DH is a prominent English TV actor, and the younger son of a Duke (he’s consequently entitled to be styled as The Lord X Y). He met DW, a model and the daughter of a Nigerian oil tycoon and a Scottish ballerina, at a trendy London bar six years ago. Now, though, they’ve left the busy city life behind them in order to raise their family in the charming (and expensive) English town of Henley-on-Thames.
DH’s first name is an English name of three or more syllables; his first middle name is an unusual vintage English name; his second middle name is a traditional English name. His surname is English.
DW’s first name is a slightly unusual virtue name; her middle name is her mother’s Scottish maiden name; her surname is a Yoruba name.
DD1’s first name can be found on this list (https://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2022/12/most-popular-names-in-the-telegraph-2022.html); her first middle name is a Yoruba name; her second middle name is the name of a famous literary character. She has her father’s surname hyphenated with her mother’s surname.
"Do you not find it happens very often, that you are as gay as Garrick at dinner and then by supper-time you wonder why God made the world?"
So think generational wealth, nepo babies, Oxbridge drinking societies, and failing upwards into a senior position at the family company. Think houses in four countries, elite boarding schools, the front cover of Tatler, and not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Family 1 - London, England
DH [28]:
DW [28]:
DS1 [exp]:
DH is an art dealer and the author of a mediocre-but-widely-promoted biography of Botticelli. He and DW, a corporate lawyer, met as students at Oxford a decade ago, and have been together for almost all of that time. They live in a smart London house with more than enough bedrooms to accommodate their son, who is due in a few months’ time.
DH’s first name is shared with a mythological figure; his first middle name is a family name, and is a very traditional English name; his second middle name is his mother’s polysyllabic English maiden name; and his surname is uncommon in England.
DW’s first name is long and feminine, with a short nickname; her middle name is a flower; her maiden name is double-barrelled.
DS1’s first name will have some connection to art history; his first middle name is the same as his father’s; his second middle name is his maternal grandfather’s name, which was popular in England in the 1960s. He has his father’s surname.
Family 2 - New York, NY / Paris, France
DH [33]:
DW [34]:
DD1 [4]:
DD2 [1]:
DH and DW split their family’s time between DW’s native New York, and DH’s home city of Paris, flying privately between the two on practically a monthly basis. DH is a frequent-flyer real estate developer, born to a French mother and a Lebanese father; DW, daughter of a Brazilian model and an Italian-American banker, runs an online boutique curating vintage designer bridalwear. They have two daughters, and are currently staring down the prospect of having to settle on one side of the Atlantic once their eldest starts school.
DH’s first name is a French name which was common in 1991; his middle name is an Arabic name which has appeared in the French top 500; his surname is Arabic written with French orthography (though don’t worry too much about this, I can French-ify as needed!)
DW’s first name works in both Portuguese and Italian, but is also familiar to English-speakers; her first middle name is Russian, after a family friend; her second middle name is a somewhat dated English name. Her maiden name is Italian.
DD1’s first name is a French or Italian diminutive; her first middle name is an Arabic name which has recently been popular in France; her second middle name is a common Portuguese name (the name of her maternal grandmother). She has her father’s surname.
DD2’s first name is an English diminutive; her first middle name is a short Italian name; her second middle name is a common Arabic name (the name of her paternal grandmother). She has her father’s surname.
Family 3 - Geneva, Switzerland
DH [41]:
DW [30]:
DH’s DS [8]:
DH is a Swiss investment banker and former professional skier. He was married once before meeting DW, an Indian heiress who runs an event-planning business, and has one son from that marriage. The couple, who met on a mutual friend’s ski trip, tied the knot last year, and hope to expand their little family soon.
DH’s first name is a German name which starts with a vowel; his middle name is a short French name; and his surname is German.
DW’s first name is a 4- or 5-letter Hindi name; her maiden name is Hindi.
DH’s DS’ first name was in the top 100 in Switzerland in 2018; his middle name works in both German and French. He has his father’s surname.
Family 4 - Henley-on-Thames, England
DH [36]:
DW [35]:
DD1 [2]:
DH is a prominent English TV actor, and the younger son of a Duke (he’s consequently entitled to be styled as The Lord X Y). He met DW, a model and the daughter of a Nigerian oil tycoon and a Scottish ballerina, at a trendy London bar six years ago. Now, though, they’ve left the busy city life behind them in order to raise their family in the charming (and expensive) English town of Henley-on-Thames.
DH’s first name is an English name of three or more syllables; his first middle name is an unusual vintage English name; his second middle name is a traditional English name. His surname is English.
DW’s first name is a slightly unusual virtue name; her middle name is her mother’s Scottish maiden name; her surname is a Yoruba name.
DD1’s first name can be found on this list (https://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2022/12/most-popular-names-in-the-telegraph-2022.html); her first middle name is a Yoruba name; her second middle name is the name of a famous literary character. She has her father’s surname hyphenated with her mother’s surname.
"Do you not find it happens very often, that you are as gay as Garrick at dinner and then by supper-time you wonder why God made the world?"
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