The Secret Life of Gloria Guinness. The Socialite Spy

in the swirling Vortex of high society's glitter and glamour Gloria Guinness harbored Secrets darker than the Midnight Velvet of her iconic gowns born into a world of Revolution and aristocratic decline she transformed herself into one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th century as a fashion icon who created Trends and railed against Society a rumored spy entangled with the Nazi Elite dining with Hitler himself and a socialite whose charm dazzled the halls of power power from Berlin to Paris bringing her into confrontation with babe paly Gloria's life and Persona are as enigmatic as a spy novel join us this week as we look at Gloria Guinness the socialite spy Gloria Rubio alator was born in guadalahara on August 27th 1912 her father was a journalist who supported the reformist president Francisco Madero the year after Gloria was born the president was deposed arrested and murdered her father needed to flee the country into Exile where he died in 1916 over a million Mexicans died in those years of Revenge and War early in life I knew only two influences good and evil she said my mother the church The Nuns with their words and actions always strict virtuous and clear and at times intolerably cruel were so I was told the only good influences I would know in my life I was later to discover this was not so far wrong her mother an aristocrat lost most of her land to The Peasants During the Revolution Gloria's mother despite being able to afford ready-made clothing chose instead to design and make Gloria's outfits herself enjoying the creative process and instilling in her daughter a lesson on the value of staying busy and industrious Gloria found inspiration even in the attire of the nuns she observed noting in her writings no dress or costume will be as safe or as beautiful as any one of the many different habits than nuns wear she admired their Perfect Blend of fashion and function often told by her mother that she was the most beautiful girl in Mexico Gloria was urged never to settle for second best this belief coupled with her striking looks captivated many from an early age in 1933 at 20 she married Jacobus hendris a 47-year-old Dutch superintendent of a Sugar Factory the marriage offered her both status and an escape from her current life my hair was black and my eyes were black but in Europe hardly anyone had been to Mexico so people noticed me she began to exaggerate parts of her background doing up her Mexican accent and purposely making mistakes in French men loved it she said a woman's best friend is not a diamond but a little black suit she said it was all you needed if you had a little black suit and knew how to use it you could get a slew of diamonds soon she found herself mingling with the wealthy Noble magnates and maharajas in 1935 she remarried France Egon gra Von fenberg a German count from one of the oldest German families and she became a German Countess mingling with the German Elite at the time of the Third Reich even attending parties with Hitler himself in 1936 Gloria gave birth to a daughter and 3 years later a son despite her Mexican heritage which could have been seen as compromising the racial Purity valued by the na her status as the wife of a German count shielded her the Aryan laws rigid as they were had not been fully implemented allowing her some exemption due to her husband's influence as the Nazis proclaimed the dawn of the 1,000-year Reich Gloria's life in Berlin was marked by luxury amidst turmoil champagne from France and chocolates from Belgium were commonplace in her Social Circle however her husband was conscripted to fight on the Russian front leaving Gloria in Berlin with their two young children the war escalated and by 1943 Berlin was subjected to Relentless bombings despite the chaos Gloria found refuge in the city's vibrant nightlife at one of the parties she met Walter shellenberg a high ranking Nazi official the German spym who also had an affair with KOCO Chanel both were married she went to places with him mingling with the Nazi Elite as Germany began to fall apart she begged to leave and shellenberg helped to arrange her exit taking her to Madrid at a bull fight with shellberg there she was spotted by an American intelligence agent who a few weeks later approached her Gloria decided she had had enough of Germany and began speaking to the Americans after the war ended she got engaged to an Egyptian Ahmad Fami whose father was the foreign minister and she flew back to Paris where she met Duff Cooper the British ambassador to France in 1946 money is is like water she said and people cannot live without water Duff was totally taken with Gloria even though he had a wife and a mistress and soon he and Gloria began their Affair I don't think I have ever loved anybody physically so much Duff said later people warned him off the relationship saying she was a Gestapo agent during the war but he was totally in love she said it wasn't so so it wasn't so he said however a few weeks later she phoned him from the airport saying she was on her way to Mexico she did not tell him it was to marry her Egyptian lover after the marriage Gloria returned to Paris and tried to carry on the affair but Duff was no longer interested calling her a tart in addition the French authorities wanted to throw her out of the country for her role in the war but Duff who still had feelings for her intervened and she was allowed to stay her marriage however didn't survive long as Gloria took other lovers and it ended after 3 years she was now a mother of three in her late 30s with little money to her name before she met banking Heir L Guinness who had $200 million making him one of the richest men in the world Guinness had flown fighter planes during the Battle of Britain and received the distinguished flying cross in April 1951 they married she immediately tried to position herself at top the Social Circle and became great friends with The Duchess of Windsor she expressed No Remorse for any role she may have played in the war now that Gloria had money she spent it lavishly on clothes $200,000 a year it wasn't just the clothes but it was the whole ceremony she enjoyed arriving at parties and presenting herself to the world my clothes did not Define me I defined my clothes she said Gloria glorisa the ultimate in Elegance women's wear daily called her effortless gracious interested in theater art people and living a true inspiration another magazine wrote it irritated her that once Jack Kennedy was in the White House Jackie was almost universally considered the best dressed woman in America Gloria felt it was absurd that Jackie was ahead of her on the best dressed list 4 months after the assassination of Kennedy Gloria was at a dinner party where Jackie was mentioned Gloria mocked her presenting accusations on how Jackie did not represent the idea of Elegance but was instead rather plain Gloria got a measure of vindication years later when Jackie was married to Onasis and the couple came to dinner in Florida Onasis told his wife you look terrible look at Gloria look at you you're a mess I know I'm sorry I got dressed in a hurry Jackie responded Gloria was a fixture at the front rows of the world's most prestigious fashion shows from Balenciaga to St Laurent to javoni her passion for the Arts was not just confined to Fashion after mingling with Truman capot and being inspired by their intellectual dialogues she aspired to explore her own creative potential driven by this newfound inspiration Gloria ventured into writing crafting a play that caught the interest of London's theater scene however despite the promise of her burgeoning career as a playwright her personal life imposed constraints her husband's ultimatum that she forsake her Ambitions to adhere to traditional wiely duties led her to Halt the production her friends lamented this decision observing that she was confined by a marital expectation that stifled her potential remarking she could have done anything but he made her a housewife refusing to be silenced Gloria turned to journalism channeling her sharp insights and unique perspectives into a column for Harper's Bazaar there she expressed her bold opinions on fashion and Society unafraid to share her thoughts which ranged WI widely and touched on various aspects of culture and style this role provided her with a platform to voice the creativity that could not be fully realized in her aborted theatrical Endeavors in one column she wrote what makes a person stylish they are original without being beginners immodest but never vulgar immoral but not obscene notorious but not Infamous in another she wrote of her opinion of the male sex god created Eve so men could create money and it is through the wants of Eve that the world keeps moving she wrote men have no imagination but they have ambition and it is because of their lust that things grew and women were there to receive the fruits of their labor in a third she wrote angrily at the younger generation of 60s women damn those young girls she headlined her column damn The Arrogant self- Assurance damn the Perfection of their skin damn The Minis skirt I feel sorry for them she said they will have to face the 7s with all the moral squalor they have brought on themselves in the end she won an award for her articles Gloria was often considered the most elegant of capote's swans yet she faced Fierce rivalry from capote's favorite babe paly babe spread rumors about Gloria's alleged past as a Mexican nightclub worker prompting Gloria to seek subtle revenge on one occasion the guinnesses hosted the paly on their yacht Gloria assured babe the Gathering would be casual prompting babe to dress down however Gloria appeared the first evening adorned in extravagant jewels and luxurious Fabrics leading to a formal dinner where babe felt notably underdressed and embarrassed the following year anticipating further tricks babe came prepared with her most elegant outfits determined not to be outdone by Gloria again this time however Gloria simply made sure all the parties were held on the boat never giving py the chance to show off her gowns in public Gloria always had to outshine everyone after the publication of lot Basque 1965 few swans would ever go out of their way to help Truman capod again least of all Gloria Guinness rival or no airing babe paly's bedroom life was the biggest high society faux paw capod could have made and the women closed ranks with most of them never talking to him again if there was one thing Gloria knew how to do it was start a craze she was one of Emilio poi's favorite models and the Chik socialite was actually one of the first women to ever wear his new stylish form of capri pants causing a sensation better and braver yet Gloria liked wearing them in White on November 9th 1980 the Guinness family experienced yet another tragedy that day Gloria collapsed from a heart attack and passed away in Switzerland at 68 years old she was disturbingly young for her fate and rumors still abound about the true nature of her end some suspected Foul Play others believed that Gloria bored of her glamorous life and feeling The Emptiness of her gilded existence may have killed herself in a fit of disillusionment whatever the truth she had a lavish burial attended by the social Elite who paid their respects to her and her life as the curtain falls on the story of Gloria Guinness we are left to ponder the life of a woman who navigated the peaks of high society with unparalleled Grace yet grappled with the shadows of intrigue and controversy her story a tapestry of Glamour Espionage and heartache challenges us to look beyond the glittering surface revealing the complex interplay of identity and Destiny Gloria Guinness was not just a figure of Elegance and mystery she was a testament to the enduring Allure of an enigma that continues to Captivate and Inspire long after her final bow in Guinness we see a woman who was as much a master of reinvention as she was a creature of her times what is your opinion of Gloria I always enjoy reading your thoughts and comments if you like content like this please like share and subscribe and as always thanks for watching

Channel: MythicMindScape

Views: 54,841

Keywords: Gloria Guinness, The Socialite Spy, Truman Capote, Swans, Babe Paley, Adolf Hitler, Jackie Kennedy, Fashion Icon, Espionage, High Society, Cold War Spies, Iconic Women, 20th Century Mysteries, Untold Histories, Nazi Germany, World War II, Historical Figures, Political Intrigue, Spy Stories, Celebrity Scandals, Fashion Trends, Historical Biographies, Secret Lives, Glamorous Women, High Society Drama

Id: 2cae22DdpvM

Length: 13min 13sec (793 seconds)

Published: Sat May 11 2024