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Harry Primrose, 8th Earl of Rosebery

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The Right Honourable
The Earl of Rosebery and Midlothian
DL
Born1967
EducationTrinity College, Cambridge
OccupationAuctioneer
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1994; div. 2014)​

​
(m. 2022)​
Children5 (including Lady Delphi Primrose)
Parent(s)Neil Primrose, 7th Earl of Rosebery
Deidre Reid

Harry Ronald Neil Primrose, 8th Earl of Rosebery, 4th Earl of Midlothian DL (born 1967), styled Lord Dalmeny between 1974 and 2024, known as Harry Dalmeny, is a British aristocrat and the Chairman of Sotheby's in the United Kingdom.

A member of the British aristocracy, he is the holder of ten noble titles, including the earldoms of Rosebery and Midlothian, to the Primrose family estate Dalmeny House, and to the chiefship of Clan Primrose.[1]

Primrose is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Midlothian and is a member of the Royal Company of Archers.

Early life and background

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Dalmeny House in Scotland, the family seat of the earls of Rosebery

Harry Primrose was born in 1967, and is the son and heir of Neil Primrose, 7th Earl of Rosebery. He is a great-grandson of Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, and Hannah de Rothschild, the richest woman in Britain.[2] The earls of Rosebery own Dalmeny House and also owned Mentmore Towers until 1977.

He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, and Eton College.[3] He then studied art history at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Career

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Primrose joined Sotheby's in 1990 to work in the Country House sale department. In 2000, he became a director of Sotheby's and from 2003 to 2007 was chairman of Sotheby's Olympia.

In 2001, Harry sold his inherited Gilbert Stuart's 1796 George Washington (Landsdowne portrait) to the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution where it had been on indefinite loan since 1968. To prevent his auctioning it at Sotheby's, a U.S. donor paid the US$20 million that Primrose had requested from the Gallery.[4][5][6][7]

He also took on responsibility for the single-owner sales department in 2006 and became deputy chairman, Sotheby's UK in 2007. He became chairman of Sotheby's in 2017.[8]

As Sotheby's director of country house sales in the UK, Lord Dalmeny has been behind the rostrum and on top of the gavel for some of the most high-profile auctions in Europe, including the Duke of Devonshire's sale at Chatsworth House and the 2004 record sale at Hopetoun House of Jack Vettriano's painting The Singing Butler for £744,800.[9]

In 2014, the Primrose family sold the painting Rome, From Mount Aventine by J. M. W. Turner for £30.3m to fund restoration work on Dalmeny House. The painting, regarded as one of Turner's finest, had been bought by the Prime Minister Archibald Primrose in 1878. [10][11]

In 2019, Dalmeny presided over the auction of Claude Monet's 1890 painting Meules for US$110.7 million at Sotheby's New York, a record for an impressionist work.[12]

In 2025, Harry took part in an auction at the V&A Museum, where he auctioned a stay at SHA Wellness Clinic during Borne’s Wonderland Gala. The event was attended by approximately 300 guests, including his wife, the Countess, as well as Borne’s patron, Princess Beatrice, and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.[13]

Personal life

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In 2013, Harry rode in the Queen's carriage at Royal Ascot.[14][15]

In late 2024, Harry attended a dinner party at the National Gallery with his wife, Harriet, held to celebrate the opening of the Francis Bacon: Human Presence exhibition. The event included other notable attendees such as Boris Johnson, James Blunt, and Dame Hannah Rothschild.[16]

Harry and his wife attended the Sotheby's Royal & Noble Jewels sale, where he serves as chairman. The event included a candlelit dinner and was attended by notable guests such as the Marquess and Marchioness of Blandford, the Viscountess Chelsea, Viscount Newport, the Duke of Feria, actress Jameela Jamil, among others.[17]

Marriages and issue

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In 1994, Lord Dalmeny married Caroline Daglish, a former Conservative Party researcher working for Robert Jones MP and Lord Strathclyde. She is a Patroness of the Royal Caledonian Ball.[18] They lived between London and Scotland, where he has a house and farm in the Moffat Hills. They have five children. They were reported to be divorcing in 2014.[2]

In 2018, he was in a relationship with Norwegian shipping heiress Pontine Paus.[19]

In June 2021, Lord Dalmeny announced his engagement to art advisor Harriet Clapham.[20] They married in 2022.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Harry Dalmeny news and features". Tatler. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Sanderson, David. "£30m Turner sold to 'pay for divorce of Sotheby's chief'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. ^ Journal of St Andrews Society of Montreal Archived 7 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Bureau, Washington (14 March 2001). "TIMELY DONATION SAVES PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON FROM THE AUCTION BLOCK". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 June 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) [Gilbert Stuart] | Sartle - Rogue Art History". www.sartle.com. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  6. ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/daily19.html. Retrieved 29 June 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ "George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait)". npg.si.edu. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Artforum.com". www.artforum.com. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  9. ^ Lyons, William (25 March 2011). "Harry Dalmeny Trades the Gavel for a Toboggan". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  10. ^ Owen, Jonathan (3 December 2014). "Turner masterpiece sells for a record £30.3m". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  11. ^ London, Luxury (10 March 2020). "Lord Dalmeny, Chairman of Sotheby's, opens his estate to the public for the first time". Luxury London. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  12. ^ A Monet Sells for $110.7 Million, an Auction High for an Impressionist Work, The New York Times.
  13. ^ Chelsea, Davina (June 2025). "Bystander: Bea Our Guest". Tatler. pp. 30–31.
  14. ^ Ward, Victoria; Bell, Joanna (1 November 2022). "High society row as divorcee hits out at 'vipers' who made married couples priority at party". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  15. ^ Celebs, royalty (20 June 2013). "Wild hats and royalty at Ascot". www.sfgate.com. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  16. ^ Chelsea, Davina (January 2025). "Bystander: Sizzling Bacon". Tatler. pp. 38–39.
  17. ^ Chelsea, Davina (January 2025). "Bystander: Jewel Intentions". Tatler. pp. 44–45.
  18. ^ "Patronesses". Royal Caledonian Ball. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  19. ^ "Who has the real power?". Tatler. 29 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Lord Dalmeny – father of Tatler's August cover star, Delphi Primrose – is engaged to art adviser Harriet Clapham". 30 June 2021.
  21. ^ "The society weddings to look out for in 2022". Tatler. 27 April 2022.
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Rosebery
2024–present 		Incumbent
Heir:
Albert Primrose, Lord Dalmeny
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Midlothian
2024–present 		Incumbent
Heir:
Albert Primrose, Lord Dalmeny
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