Mary Roche, along with her younger sister Frances, who happened to be Diana's mother, hailed from a family that once enjoyed substantial wealth for two generations. This affluence traced back to Mary's grandfather, James, 3rd Lord Fermoy, who married an American heiress.
Contrary to expectations, Mary did not leave behind a vast fortune. After accounting for taxes and other expenses, her estate totaled £425,983 – a relatively modest sum for a woman who, at one point, owned an airline offering safari trips around Kenya. Early in her first of three marriages, she also acquired a residence in Wilton Crescent, Belgravia, one of London's most exclusive addresses where today, houses command prices exceeding £20 million.
Adding to the intrigue, Mary, whose father, Maurice, 4th Lord Fermoy, had a close association with George VI, decided not to bequeath anything to two of her four children. Instead, she directed that her estate be equally divided between her eldest daughter, Alexandra, and her only son, Edward.
The exclusion of the two younger daughters, Antonia (known as Anya) and Jo, brings an additional layer of curiosity. Until recently, both lived modestly in Frome, Somerset. Jo still resides there, having purchased a property on a 1980s housing estate for £170,000 in 2016. Anya, once on a neighboring estate, seems to have sold her property for £220,000 in 2020.
Edward shares that his mother's decisions regarding the will were deliberate and based on fairness. He explains, "My mother gave various things to my sisters at different times, and, in the interests of fairness, that's how it ended up."
