5. Daisy Greville was the aristocratic mistress of Edward VII who ran as a labor MP
Frances Evelyn Daisy Grenville could have married Prince Leopold, the youngest son of Queen Victoria. Instead, after marrying Francis, Lord Brooke, the Future Earl of Warwick in 1881, Daisy became the mistress of Leopold’s brother, the future Edward VII. Daisy was Edwards’s mistress for nine years and the inspiration for the music hall song “Daisy, Daisy.” Also, despite being a landed aristocrat, she was a socialist who favored nationalization and invested vast sums of money in good works. Daisy attempted to involve Edward in her schemes, but he grew weary of her efforts and discarded her. However, Daisy was not put off. In 1923, she stood as a Labour candidate in Warwick and Leamington. She didn’t win, but she did at least lose to Anthony Eden, a future British Prime Minister.
