The French courtesan who blackmailed King Edward VIII

Have you ever heard of the woman who shot her husband in the back three times at London's most luxurious hotel and walked away a free woman? Meet Marguerite Alibert. Before there was Wallis Simpson, there was Marguerite—a French courtesan who captured the heart of the future King Edward VIII, only to find herself at the center of a murder trial that threatened to bring down the British monarchy.

From Parisian poverty to high society

Born into poverty in Paris in 1890, Marguerite Alibert quickly learned how to survive and thrive. After a brief stint with nuns and working as a domestic servant, she entered the glamorous, dangerous world of Parisian courtesans. With her sharp wit, beauty, and ambition, she continuously reinvented herself, mingling with wealthy and powerful men. She transformed her life, eventually becoming a prominent socialite and marrying into Egyptian aristocracy.

A royal affair with the Prince of Wales

During World War I, Marguerite met a young, impressionable Prince Edward (the future King Edward VIII). The two embarked on a passionate affair, and Edward wrote her numerous intimate letters. Though their romantic involvement eventually ended, Marguerite was not one to be easily cast aside. She held onto those compromising letters for years, knowing their immense value.

Murder at the Savoy hotel

By 1923, Marguerite was married to Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey, a wealthy Egyptian aristocrat. Their brief marriage was fraught with conflict. On 10 July 1923, during a stay at the swanky Savoy Hotel in London, a violent argument broke out in their suite. In the heat of the moment, Marguerite shot her husband dead. She never denied pulling the trigger, but she claimed she acted in self-defense after enduring abuse. Suddenly, she found herself facing a murder charge and the very real possibility of execution.

The trial of the century and a royal cover-up

Marguerite's trial at the Old Bailey became one of Britain's greatest courtroom spectacles. But there was much more at stake than just her life. The royal family realized that if Marguerite was pushed too hard, the scandalous letters from the Prince of Wales might be exposed in court. A secret deal was allegedly struck: if she returned Edward's letters, her sexual past and connections to the royal family would remain unmentioned, and her freedom would be guaranteed.

The strategy worked. Edward's PR team went into overdrive to keep his name completely out of the proceedings. Following a brief deliberation, the jury acquitted Marguerite of both murder and manslaughter.

A legacy shrouded in mystery

After her astonishing acquittal, Marguerite returned to Paris, where she lived lavishly, charmed wealthy men, and even played small parts in movies. She lived until the age of 80, dying in 1971. To this day, questions remain. Was she a desperate, abused wife, or a masterful manipulator who knew exactly how to use the secrets of the British establishment to secure her freedom?

Strange tales of missing British lords

 

The blended image (centre) was said by the Claimant's supporters to prove that Roger Tichborne (left, in 1853) and the Claimant (right, in 1874) were one and the same person

Throughout history, the sudden disappearance of aristocrats has spawned endless rumours, international searches, and bizarre cases of mistaken identity.

The Lord Lucan rumour in New Zealand

Decades after his infamous disappearance on 8 November 1974, rumors surfaced that Lord Lucan had been found living in the North Island town of Marton, sleeping in a vehicle alongside a pet possum. Newspapers such as The Dominion Post reported that a television crew and Sidney Ball, a former Scotland Yard detective, were actively investigating the claims.

The man at the center of the story was Roger Woodgate, a local English photographer and former Ministry of Defence worker. Neighbors who were involved in a local dispute claimed Woodgate resembled the fugitive peer and possessed an upper-class English accent. However, the resolution was swift. Woodgate quickly dismissed the rumors, pointing out that he was five inches shorter than Lucan, a decade younger, and had a visible gap in his teeth that the missing lord lacked. Detective Ball confirmed almost immediately that Mr. Woodgate was not Lord Lucan, putting the false lead to rest.

The Tichborne claimant and the butcher from Wagga Wagga

In an even more elaborate historical case, a butcher living under the alias Thomas Castro in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, stepped forward in the 1860s. He claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne, the missing heir to a massive family fortune and an English baronetcy. Sir Roger had vanished at sea off the coast of South America in 1854 and was widely presumed dead.

However, Roger’s grieving mother refused to believe he was gone and placed advertisements around the world seeking information. Orton answered the call and traveled to England, where he was remarkably accepted by Lady Tichborne as her long-lost son.

The rest of the family flatly rejected his claims, leading to one of the longest and most famous legal battles in British history. The claimant was ultimately exposed as Arthur Orton, a butcher's son from Wapping, London, who had emigrated to Australia. On 28 February 1874, he was convicted of perjury and sentenced to 14 years of penal servitude.

Anatomical analysis

The header image is the "Tichborne Tryptich," created for the famous 19th-century Tichborne trial to compare the missing heir Roger Tichborne (left) with the imposter who claimed his identity, Arthur Orton (right). While the middle composite uses grid lines to align their pupils and mouths, an anatomical breakdown reveals they are two distinct individuals:

• Ears: The most definitive difference is the earlobes. The man on the right has prominent, detached earlobes. The man on the left has attached earlobes, a structural difference that was a critical piece of forensic evidence in the actual court case.
• Nose: The middle composite exposes that their noses do not map onto one another. The width of the nostrils and the underlying cartilage structure of the nasal bridge differ significantly.
• Eyes and brows: The left portrait features rounder, wider eyes with a different brow bone and eyebrow arch. The right portrait has heavier, narrower, and more hooded eyelids.
• Mouth and jaw: The shape of the lips differs, with the left subject having a distinctly fuller mouth. Even accounting for age, weight gain, and facial hair, the underlying bone structure of the jawline does not match.
• Facial geometry: To create the middle image, the portraits had to be artificially scaled to force the eyes to align on the grid. Despite this manipulation, the overlapping "ghosting" effect clearly shows mismatched cheekbones, cranial shapes, and overall facial proportions.

The sudden vanishing of Benjamin Bathurst

Another baffling case involves Benjamin Bathurst, a British diplomat and aristocrat who completely disappeared on 25 November 1809 in Prussia. While traveling under an alias during the Napoleonic Wars, Bathurst stopped at an inn in the town of Perleberg. According to accounts, he walked around to the front of his carriage to examine the horses and simply vanished into thin air. His sudden disappearance sparked numerous theories, and the story even became a popular subject for science fiction writers who suggested supernatural causes. However, modern research indicates that he was almost certainly murdered for his valuables, as his expensive fur coat was later discovered hidden nearby.

Shocking allegations about the welfare of British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Fiennes at the Celebrating Captain Scott's Legacy event in London, 2012.
Photo modified with AI

Two years after stepping away from public life, deeply troubling reports have surfaced regarding the wellbeing of the legendary British explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes (1).

According to a bombshell new investigation, the 82-year-old adventurer has allegedly been kept in a succession of care homes illegally and under a false identity (2). The claims suggest that his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, has subjected him to highly unorthodox and restrictive living arrangements, sparking serious concern among his friends and family (3).

The Telegraph's investigation uncovers disturbing claims

Alex Diggins and Gordon Rayner of The Telegraph have shed light on the explorer's mysterious disappearance from the public eye (4). Recently, broadcaster Claire Byrne was joined by Diggins to discuss his explosive findings and his conversations with Sir Ranulph's deeply worried relatives (5).

The publication revealed that a watchdog concluded at the start of this year that Sir Ranulph was being unlawfully deprived of his liberty (6). It is alleged that Mrs Millington-Cotes moved him to a care facility in Wales before transferring him to another in Cheshire, all while maintaining an elaborate false identity for her husband (7).

Elaborate cover stories and medical concerns

The details of his care are highly distressing. The care home owner in Wales reportedly contacted the police and the Office of the Public Guardian to raise severe safeguarding alarms (8). They were troubled by the secrecy demanded by his wife, who allegedly invented a backstory claiming Sir Ranulph was an ex-SAS soldier whose life was in danger from extremists (9). Staff were even told he needed to wear a hat, sunglasses, and gloves to hide his face and frostbite-damaged hands (10).

Furthermore, there were significant worries about his medication. Mrs Millington-Cotes allegedly provided all of his drugs rather than registering him with a local general practitioner, with some medications prescribed in her own name rather than his (11). When she verbally instructed staff to administer medicine in a way that deviated from the prescription labels, the carers reportedly refused (12).

A family left in the dark

For his loved ones, this ordeal has been agonising. Diggins has spoken with Sir Ranulph's family members, who have expressed their desperate desire to see him and ensure his safety (13). During a rare, brief encounter orchestrated by his sister-in-law Arabella Pepper, the explorer reportedly expressed that he felt lonely and missed his friends (14). However, he was quickly moved following this meeting, and his loved ones remain largely unaware of his current location or condition (15).

Links to references:

• (1), (2), (3), (4), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15): Nation Cymru reporting on The Telegraph's investigation - Read article here
  
  
• (5): Newstalk, The Claire Byrne Show podcast episode - Listen here