Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer

She had a successful season, not only being named as "Deb of the Year," but becoming engaged to be married to the heir to an earldom, the Hon. Gerald Humphry Legge. She and Legge married that same year. He succeeded to the courtesy title Viscount Lewisham in 1958 and became the 9th Earl of Dartmouth in 1962. The couple had four children: <br /><br /> Following her marriage, Lady Dartmouth began to take a strong interest in politics. A Conservative at 23, she became the youngest member of Westminster City Council. As Lady Lewisham, and later Lady Dartmouth, she remained in local government for the following 17 years. She sat on Westminster's town planning, parks and personnel committees, and was later elected to represent Richmond on the Greater London Council. In this capacity she took a special interest in environmental planning and ancient buildings. She also chaired the Covent Garden Development Committee, and the government working party for the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. Read Less

As Countess Spencer, Raine was unpopular with her stepdaughter Lady Diana Spencer. Even going as far as to use the nickname Acid Raine when referring to her step-mother. However, media reports have suggested that at the time of her death, Diana was reconciled with her stepmother, while her relationship with her mother Frances Shand Kydd, had been strained. Read Less