Margot Asquith Socialite, wife of British Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith Date of Birth: 02.02. Country: Great Britain

Margot Asquith: A Biography

Emma Alice Margaret Tennant, better known as Margot Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith, was born on February 2, 1864, in Peeblesshire, Scotland. Margot was the sixth daughter and eleventh child of industrialist and politician Charles Clow Tennant and his wife Emma Winslow.

Margot's childhood, along with her sister Laura, was spent freely without much adult supervision. She enjoyed various adventures, including horse riding, exploring local moors, and climbing on the roof of their house at night. Margot and her sister were inseparable, and together they entered London's social scene. They soon became prominent women in the aristocratic intellectual group known as "The Souls."

However, Margot's life took a serious turn in 1885 when Laura married Alfred Lyttelton, and tragically, Laura passed away in 1888. Margot never fully recovered from this loss and suffered from chronic insomnia for the rest of her life.

On May 10, 1893, Margot married Herbert Henry Asquith, who would later become the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Margot played a significant role in stimulating Herbert's political career and actively supported him in various endeavors. Despite some difficulties with Herbert's five children from his previous marriage, particularly with Violet Asquith, Margot showed absolute devotion to her husband.

During World War I, Margot gained public attention by visiting German prisoners of war in internment camps and engaging in heated arguments with her stepson, Herbert. In 1918, she faced a scandal when the "right-wing" parliamentarian Noel Pemberton Billing accused her of being involved in a conspiracy among the upper class. This scandal may have contributed to Herbert Asquith's political downfall.

After her husband's death, Margot's financial situation declined. Although her literary works, mostly autobiographies, brought her some income, it was not stable. Not everyone appreciated Margot's writing style, although some were fans of her sharp wit. She is famously remembered for teaching the American actress Jean Harlow how to pronounce her own surname correctly.

Margot suffered another tragedy when her daughter Elizabeth became stranded in Bucharest in 1940 and later died from pneumonia in April 1945. Margot, devastated by this loss, passed away just over a year later on July 28, 1945.