The British aristocrat—and producer, writer, creative director and public speaker—shares five of her favourite things, from a record-breaking musical to treasures in her library

1. Hamilton

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Shutterstock

"I recently saw Hamilton in LA and its Shakespearean dialogue really blew me away. Lin-Manuel Miranda deserves all the success—what an incredible thing to have created. It is right that the show is now touring the world."

2. LaCie hard drives 

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of LaCie

"It’s geeky, I know, but they’re currently my most treasured possessions—the things I would save first in a fire. Since I started shooting my new mini-film series, The Visionaries, on iPhone, I download all the footage onto these hard drives. If I lost them I’d be inconsolable."

See also: My Favourite Things: Nicholas Kirkwood, British Footwear Designer

 

3. Smythson Fashion Diary

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Smythson

"I can’t live without it. I keep each diary as a reminder of my life. Without that, I honestly can’t remember what I did yesterday, let alone last year. No matter how digital I have become, I still write my schedule down on paper."

4. Alexander McQueen

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of V&A Museum

"I’ve always loved McQueen but am more into the label now than ever before as I am executive producer of McQueen, a feature documentary directed by Ian Bonhôte that is set for global release in June. One dress I own, which I bought a few days after he passed away, is the same dress that they have on display in a glass case at the V&A Museum in London. I no longer wear it and have consigned it to my mother’s wardrobe. She and my three sisters have strict orders never to borrow it."

5. A Handful of Dust

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Books

"This book by Evelyn Waugh is my favourite. I love Brideshead Revisited also, but A Handful of Dust is so unbelievably sad and so incredibly reflective of an extraordinary era in Britain. The movie adaptation was filmed at Carlton Towers, the home of my late grandfather (Miles Fitzalan-Howard, the Duke of Norfolk) in Yorkshire. Grandpa was invited by the director to be an extra; he stood in as a gardener who tips his cap when the character played by Anjelica Huston lands her plane on the driveway of the house."

See also: All Is Not Lost: 7 Independent Book Stores In Hong Kong

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