Shane Alexander, 2nd Earl Alexander of Tunis

Shane William Desmond Alexander, 2nd Earl Alexander of Tunis (born 30 June 1935), styled Lord Rideau between 1952 and 1969, is a British hereditary peer.

Biography

Alexander is the elder son of Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis and Lady Margaret Bingham (1905–1977), daughter of the George Bingham, 5th Earl of Lucan. He was educated at Harrow and Ashbury College. He joined the Irish Guards in 1954.^[1] He succeeded his father in the earldom following his death on 16 June 1969.

Alexander served as Lord in Waiting from 8 January 1974 until 4 March 1974 at the end of Edward Heath's premiership.^[2] He has also been a director of the Pathfinder Financial Corporation in Toronto in 1980.

As a descendant of the Earls of Caledon he is also in the remainder to that title and was the heir presumptive from 1980 to 1990.

Marriages and children

Alexander married firstly Hilary van Geest on 14 July 1971. They were divorced in 1976 without having had any children.

He married secondly Davinia Mary Woodhouse, daughter of David Woodhouse, 4th Baron Terrington, on 22 July 1981. She is a former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. They have two daughters:

• Lady Rose Margaret Alexander (born 23 April 1982), a god-daughter of Princess Margaret, married James Hardinge Houssemayne Du Boulay on 6 February 2015 and has issue.
• Lady Lucy Caroline Alexander (born 1984), married James Shaun Christian Welbore Ellis Agar, 7th Earl of Normanton, in June 2012 and has issue.

As Alexander has no son, the heir presumptive to the Alexander of Tunis earldom is his younger brother the Hon Brian James Alexander, CMG (born 1939). He is the last person in line to succeed to the earldom and subsidiary titles.

References

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Alexander of Tunis
• A photograph of Lord Alexander of Tunis en route to school in 1948 in La Patrie (a French-language Montreal daily, now defunct).