Evelyn "Eve" Beatrice Sainte Croix Fleming (néeRose; 10 January 1885 – 27 July 1964)[1] was an Englishsocialite known for her flamboyant beauty and being the mother of writerIan Fleming, creator of theJames Bond franchise.
St. Croix Fleming was born inKensington,London, on 10 January 1885. Her father was George Alfred Sainte Croix Rose (31 January 1854 – 14 February 1926), acaptain in the service of theRoyal Buckinghamshire Militia (King's Own) andJustice of the Peace (J. P.) forBerkshire,[2] who was the son of solicitorSir Philip Rose, 1st Baronet and Margaretta Ranking. Her mother was Beatrice Quain (1857 – 4 January 1911), the daughter of physicianSir Richard Quain, 1st Baronet. Further back in her ancestry, St. Croix Fleming was of Irish, Scottish andFrench Huguenot descent.[3]
On 15 February 1906, she married Conservative politicianValentine Fleming (17 February 1882 – 20 May 1917).[4] Her husband's father settled a quarter of a million pounds on him when they married.[5] By her marriage, she was the mother of four sons:[6] adventurer and travel writerPeter Fleming, authorIan Fleming, Richard Fleming and Michael Fleming.[7] Eve was also the grandmother of actressLucy Fleming. The family lived inMayfair inLondon.[7]
St. Croix Fleming's husband was killed in action by shellfire duringWorld War I inPicardy, France.[8][9] His obituary inThe Times was written by his close friendWinston Churchill.[10]
After her husband's death, St. Croix Fleming inherited his large estate in trust, making her very wealthy. However, the conditions of the money in trust transferred it to others should she ever remarry. St. Croix Fleming became the mistress of painterAugustus John, with whom she had a daughter, the cellistAmaryllis Fleming, born in 1926.[1] She later lived withHenry Paulet, 16th Marquess of Winchester, caring for him inMonte Carlo until his death, in 1962.[11]
During the 1940s and 1950s, St. Croix Fleming resided atThe Abbey, Sutton Courtenay. She died on 12 August 1964, only two weeks before the death of her son Ian.[12]
St. Croix Fleming's nickname from her son Ian was M, and Ian may have used his relationship with her as model forM, fictional head of Head of theSecret Intelligence Service andJames Bond's boss.[13]
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