Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland

Emma Watkins is the daughter of a farmer from Knighton, Powys (then within Radnorshire), Wales. Until the financial crash of 1929, the Watkins family had been tenant farmers on the Stanage estate. However, to cover death duties, the Coltman-Rogers family sold Heartsease farmhouse to Emma’s grandfather. In 1962, when her parents John and Roma (née Davies) married, her grandfather passed the management of Heartsease to her father. Her grandfather died when she was just nine years of age. Whilst her brothers, William and Roger, were privately educated, Emma was sent to the local primary school at Bucknell, Shropshire. This was due to financial difficulties her parents were having at that time. Emma faced challenges in her studies, primarily due to dyslexia. During her teenage years, each year in late autumn or early winter, her parents would organise their own shoots, with Emma receiving between twenty and fifty pheasants. These shoots, along with parties held in the long barn, provided entertainment for the local community. During the summer holidays, she stayed at a holiday house in Borth, where she spent time with her parents, cousins, and uncles. Emma received distinctions in all eight grades of her singing exams, completed piano up to grade 7, and also played the guitar. After schooling at Ellerslie School, Malvern, she started training as an opera singer at the Guildhall School of Music, and she flat shared in London with a friend, but ended up dropping out, although stayed until the end of that year. Her early employment included working on a lambing line and carrying out various farm-related tasks. At the age of 15, she took on her first paid role with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, selling cheese at the Royal Welsh Show. After dropping out of the Guildhall School, she took a job as a nanny for a wealthy Argentine family with two children in Fulham. Simultaneously, she explored the possibility of studying land management and enrolled in an evening course. In 1984, she was accepted into Southampton College of Higher Education. During the second summer of her degree, she applied to Camp America, a programme that arranges holiday jobs for foreign students, and took on a nannying role once more, outside Boston. == Marriage, issue & other relationships ==

The Duchess met her husband at a dinner party, unaware that he was the heir to a dukedom. After attending a friend's wedding in Yorkshire, she first visited the Belvoir Estate at the invitation of David, then Marquess of Granby, following directions he had given her beforehand, as she was unfamiliar with the area. It was after this visit, and through a mutual friend, that she learned about David's heritage. Watkins married David in 1992. She has spoken about the moment she suspected her husband was having an affair. In May 2009, she hosted a 1920s-themed party for 320 guests to celebrate the Duke’s 50th birthday. The evening included a formal dinner, a ceremonial cake-cutting, and live music. During the festivities, she asked the Duke to dance, but he declined, stating that he was "busy." Shortly afterward, she saw him laughing with another woman, an experience she later described as feeling like "a punch." She reports having five miscarriages, multiple panic attacks, and a nervous breakdown in 2017. The couple has five children: • Violet Lindesay-Bethune, Viscountess Garnock (born 18 August 1993), married in 2025, William James Lindesay-Bethune, Viscount Garnock; • Lady Alice Louisa Lilly Manners (b. 27 April 1995); • Lady Eliza Charlotte Manners (b. 17 July 1997); • Charles John Montague Manners, Marquess of Granby (b. 3 July 1999); • Lord Hugo William James Manners (b. 24 July 2003). The family initially lived in the adjacent Knipton Lodge, a six-bedroomed Georgian house. Following the death in 1999 of the 10th Duke, they moved into newly renovated private apartments in 2001 In 2017, she reported having a partner, Phil Burtt, who lived in Croxton and was managing the estates at the time. Both Emma and Phil met at a shoot. Views on succession In the future, the eldest son, Charles, is set to inherit Belvoir Castle and his father's title. There are questions regarding the Duchess's views on this succession and whether she would support changes to the laws surrounding primogeniture that would allow her eldest daughter to inherit the estate as well. She has expressed that she does not identify as a feminist, stating that she believes men are typically considered the bloodline in matters of heritage. She views the role of women as being supportive of men and facilitating their aspirations. The Duchess has acknowledged the role that women play in managing and maintaining stately homes. She has also credited Britain’s male nobility with recognising the contributions of their wives, not only in overseeing the upkeep of historic estates but also in fostering connections between the aristocracy and local communities. == Career ==

Early career While on a skiing trip with her brothers, Emma secured a job with Bladon Lines in Switzerland, working as a chalet girl. She trained as a land agent in Southampton and worked for the firm Coles Knapp and Kennedy in Ross-on-Wye, earning an annual salary of £2,500. visiting wholesalers for materials and attending trade fairs, including Decorex at Earls Court. Her first business venture in interior design was Eardisley Park Interiors, that she founded alongside a friend, at the age of 25. furniture and flavoured mineral waters. The castle is also open to the public, as another revenue stream and they have a restaurant. and has hosted clients from Russia, China and the United States. The Belvoir estate consists of 15,000 acres of land. This land is now subject to inheritance tax based on the UK governments tax changes with respect to farmland and inheritance announced in 2024. The Duchess has spoken out against this change and marched with farmers to protest. One of the Duchess’s significant projects has been the completion of Capability Brown’s unfinished design for the gardens and grounds of Belvoir Castle. The project began after she discovered his original drawings and aimed to realise the landscape architect’s vision, which remained incomplete at the time of his death in 1783. Work on the restoration began in 2011, following the original designs closely. During a renovation process, the Duchess encountered challenges, including the unintentional removal of more than 50 trees that had been planted in memory of soldiers who died during the Second World War. In late 2024, The Manners Arms, a Grade II listed building and a country house hotel and pub in Knipton, Leicestershire, underwent a refurbishment overseen by Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland. The project aimed to restore the former shooting lodge, preserving its 18th-century features while updating the bar, dining area, and ten bedrooms. In 2025, Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland, led an exhibition at Belvoir Castle exploring the lives of the duchesses, countesses, and other women who have lived there over the past 500 years. The Motherhood exhibition examined their roles and contributions, featuring figures such as Eleanor, the first Countess of Rutland, and Nanny Webb, a long-serving staff member. Items on display included historic wedding gowns, evening dresses, and nightwear worn by past duchesses, as well as the Emma Manner’s wedding dress. == Recent years ==

In July 2024, the Duchess of Rutland was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer following a routine mammogram. Initially planning for a lumpectomy, her medical team later determined that a mastectomy was necessary due to the extent of the disease, though the cancer had not spread beyond the breast. She underwent surgery in September 2024, followed by a short course of preventative radiotherapy. The Duchess adopted a structured approach to treatment, making changes to her diet, routine, and wellbeing practices, combining conventional medical approaches with complementary therapies. Following successful treatment, she was declared in remission. Reflecting on her experience, she expressed gratitude for her medical team and viewed the diagnosis as a transformative period in her life. == Podcasting ==

In 2021, the Duchess created a podcast throughout the United Kingdom. The podcast has achieved 1.5 million listens and released four seasons. == Charity works ==

The Duchess is a patron of Rainbows, a children's hospice in the East Midlands. Additionally, she co-founded the Belvoir Cricket and Countryside Trust, a charity that brings children from urban areas to the countryside each year to learn about rural life. == Books ==

The Duchess of Rutland has several published books, including a autobiography published in 2022: • Belvoir Castle: A Thousand Years of Family Art and Architecture (2009), co-written with Jane Pruden; • Shooting: A Season of Discovery (2012), co-written with Jane Pruden; • Capability Brown & Belvoir: Discovering a Lost Landscape (2015), co-written with Jane Pruden; • ''The Accidental Duchess: From Farmer's Daughter to Belvoir Castle'' (2022), her autobiography. ==References==