Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke and 11th Earl of Montgomery (1853-1913)

Immensely rich and the owner of paintings by van Dyck, Rubens, Reynolds and many other old masters, his 45,000 acres in England and Ireland gave him the fantastic annual income of approximately £80,000.

As well as meeting Daisy at the Devonshire House Ball of 1897, the highlights of the English social season brought the Pembrokes and Plesses together at various house parties and sporting events.

The Earl was an impeccable product of the British system, educated at Eton and Oxford, who followed the standard career route of the aristocracy – first serving in the army, followed by a period of “public service” in politics. At the time of this photograph, he was a courtier.

Although his sister, Lady de Grey, and the “Marlborough House Set” of friends around King Edward VII were known for their relaxed attitude, the Earl of Pembroke still appears to personify the rigid respectability of the court of Queen Victoria and her husband, the Prince Consort.