Marriage to Nat Rothschild Neilson and financier Nathaniel Rothschild, from 2024 the 5th Baron Rothschild, from the Rothschild banking family of England,
eloped to
Las Vegas on 13 November 1995, following a four-year relationship. The couple first met on a beach in
Bali, Indonesia. During their marriage, her courtesy title was The Honourable Mrs Rothschild. They
legally separated at Neilson's request in 1997. Their divorce was finalised in 1998. She received a substantial out-of-court
settlement after signing a
confidentiality agreement and agreeing to revert to her
maiden name, having been legally known as Iona Annabelle Rothschild. In 2007, she told
TATLER: "You don't fall in love with a
title. You fall in love with a person. And that's all I'm saying. I've never talked about Nat and he's never talked about me. We made an agreement and we've stuck to it. I don't intend to break that promise now." In 2014, her ex-husband told the
Evening Standard: "I find it bizarre that I'm still linked with someone I was involved with literally 20 years ago."
Relationship with Alexander McQueen Neilson had a close friendship with the fashion designer Alexander McQueen, The pair considered each other confidants; he called her
Tinkerbell, she called him Lee (his real first name), and she had a bedroom in every home he owned. McQueen's fashion house, Alexander McQueen, dedicated their autumn/winter 1998 show,
Joan, to her. In 2000, she was a bridesmaid at McQueen's unofficial
Ibiza marriage ceremony to the documentary filmmaker George Forsyth. Neilson was the last person to see McQueen alive, having left his
Green Street, Mayfair home at 3:00 a.m. on 11 February 2010, the day of his suicide. She attended his funeral service, which was held at
St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, on 25 February 2010, where she read lines from the
Edgar Allan Poe poem
Annabel Lee. Throughout March 2010, she paid tribute to McQueen by wearing his distinctive "
manta" dress. She organised and spoke at his memorial service, held at
St Paul's Cathedral on 20 September 2010. She acted more reserved after McQueen's death.
Other relationships Neilson dated the
management consultant Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, from the
Spencer-Churchill family. Their
on-again, off-again relationship started in 2002, and they remained close friends following their 2009 split. She attended Spencer-Churchill's
civil ceremony to the German photographer Kimberly 'Kimi' Hammerstroem at the Mayfair Library on 4 July 2018, followed by their religious ceremony at
Blenheim Palace on 7 July 2018, her final public appearance in
high society. Neilson and
Kate Moss were best friends. She was romantically involved with
Jefferson Hack, the father of the model
Lila Moss, following Moss and Hack's split. She was Lila's
godmother. She had also been romantically linked to Will Ricker, and
Karta Healy, the heir to Kettle Crisps. Neilson was a close family friend of members of the
House of Montagu.
John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, and his wife,
Caroline Montagu, Countess of Sandwich looked after her when she was a young girl. She would stay at
Mapperton House during the
shooting season. She was particularly close with
Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, and his brother,
Orlando William Montagu, having met them during her 20s. She later became friends with Viscount Hinchingbrooke's wife, Julie Montagu.
Lifestyle Neilson was a member of the
Primrose Hill set during the 1990s. She often spent all-nighters at
Supernova Heights in
Belsize Park, with some of her closest friends, including
Sadie Frost,
Jude Law,
Liam Gallagher,
Noel Gallagher,
Rhys Ifans,
Patsy Kensit,
Sienna Miller, and
Davinia Taylor. She became well known as a
socialite, and was often described as an "
it girl". A former heroin addict, she remained sober from 1999 after attending
Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Other interests Neilson was a
horse racer until 2013, when she was thrown off the saddle at 45 mph, breaking her
pelvis. She was told by doctors that she could never ride again, but regained her ability to walk after twelve weeks. Neilson enjoyed flying helicopters and swimming with
sharks. She once competed in a
rally across the
Himalayas during the winter and once rode a motorbike across Australia. As an adult, her favourite books were
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by
T. E. Lawrence and
anything written by
Isaac Asimov. == Death ==