Fiona Shackleton: Difference between revisions

 

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”’Fiona Sara Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia”’, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|LVO}} (”née” ”’Charkham”’; born 26 May 1956<ref>{{cite news|last=Dyer|first=Clare|title=She can give people straight answers, often ones they don’t want to hear, in such a way that they take it from her|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/feb/15/law|access-date=24 September 2012|newspaper=[[guardian.co.uk]]|date=15 February 2008}}</ref>) is an English solicitor and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician, who has represented members of the [[British royal family]] and celebrities, including [[Sir Paul McCartney]], [[Charles III]], [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Prince Andrew]], [[Princess Haya bint Al Hussein]], and [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer]]. Her charm and resoluteness earned her the nickname “Steel Magnolia”.<ref name=”news.bbc.co.uk”>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6483785.stm BBC News: Magazine – Faces of the week]</ref>

”’Fiona Sara Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia”’, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|LVO}} (”née” ”’Charkham”’; born 26 May 1956<ref>{{cite news|last=Dyer|first=Clare|title=She can give people straight answers, often ones they don’t want to hear, in such a way that they take it from her|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/feb/15/law|access-date=24 September 2012|newspaper=[[guardian.co.uk]]|date=15 February 2008}}</ref>) is an English solicitor and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician, who has represented members of the [[British royal family]] and celebrities, including [[Paul McCartney]], [[Charles III]], [[Andrew |Prince Andrew]], [[Princess Haya bint Hussein]], and [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer]]. Her charm and resoluteness earned her the nickname “Steel Magnolia”.<ref name=”news.bbc.co.uk”>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6483785.stm BBC News: Magazine – Faces of the week]</ref>

==Biography==

==Biography==

Born Fiona Sara Charkham in London, she is the daughter of Jonathan Charkham, an economist and adviser to The Bank of England, and Moira Elizabeth Frances Salmon, daughter of Barnett Alfred and Molly Salmon.<ref>”Deaths”, ”[[The Times]]”, 31 May 1965, p. 1</ref> Her maternal grandfather, [[Alfred Salmon]], was chairman of the [[J. Lyons & Co.]] cornerhouse empire.<ref>”The Guardian Profile”, ”[[The Guardian]]”, 15 February 2008, p. 21</ref> Through the Salmon family, Shackleton is a cousin to [[Nigella Lawson|Nigella]] and [[Dominic Lawson]], and [[George Monbiot]].<ref name=”m074″>{{cite book | last=Harding | first=Thomas | title=Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea and the Company that Took On the World | publisher=Random House | date=29 August 2019 | isbn=978-1-4735-3760-6 | page=}}</ref><ref>[http://www.kevinbean.plus.com/family_history/paf/pafg351.htm#9044 Salmon & Gluckstein genealogy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210204347/http://www.kevinbean.plus.com/family_history/paf/pafg351.htm |date=10 February 2012 }}</ref>

Born Fiona Sara Charkham in London, she is the daughter of Jonathan Charkham, an economist and adviser to The Bank of England, and Moira Elizabeth Frances Salmon, daughter of Barnett Alfred and Molly Salmon.<ref>”Deaths”, ”[[The Times]]”, 31 May 1965, p. 1</ref> Her maternal grandfather, [[Alfred Salmon]], was chairman of the [[J. Lyons Co.]] cornerhouse empire.<ref>”The Guardian Profile”, ”[[The Guardian]]”, 15 February 2008, p. 21</ref> Through the Salmon family, Shackleton is a cousin to [[Nigella Lawson|Nigella]] and [[Dominic Lawson]], and [[George Monbiot]].<ref name=”m074″>{{cite book | last=Harding | first=Thomas | title=Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea and the Company that Took On the World | publisher=Random House | date=29 August 2019 | isbn=978-1-4735-3760-6 | page=}}</ref><ref>[http://www.kevinbean.plus.com/family_history/paf/pafg351.htm#9044 Salmon & Gluckstein genealogy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210204347/http://www.kevinbean.plus.com/family_history/paf/pafg351.htm |date=10 February 2012 }}</ref>

Shackleton was educated at [[Benenden School]] in Kent. She attended [[Exeter University]], graduating with a third class degree in law. Shackleton then trained as a [[Le Cordon Bleu|cordon bleu chef]], and became an executive caterer for boardrooms before training to be a solicitor. In July 2010, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter in the form of an LL.D.

Shackleton was educated at [[Benenden School]] in Kent. She attended [[Exeter University]], graduating with a third class degree in law. Shackleton then trained as a [[Le Cordon Bleu|cordon bleu chef]], and became an executive caterer for boardrooms before training to be a solicitor. In July 2010, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter in the form of an LL.D.

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===Legal career===

===Legal career===

Shackleton qualified as a solicitor in 1980, and by 1986 she had become a partner at Farrer and Co, the firm of solicitors employed by the [[British royal family]]. In the same year Shackleton and other international family lawyers, including [[Jane Simpson (solicitor)|Jane Simpson]] and [[Raymond Tooth]], co-founded the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an invitation-only organisation which now consists of over 500 of the world’s leading family lawyers. Her first high-profile case was that of the [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Duke]] and [[Sarah, Duchess of York|Duchess of York]].

Shackleton qualified as a solicitor in 1980, and by 1986 she had become a partner at Farrer and Co, the firm of solicitors employed by the [[British royal family]]. In the same year Shackleton and other international family lawyers, including [[Jane Simpson (solicitor)|Jane Simpson]] and [[Raymond Tooth]], co-founded the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an invitation-only organisation which now consists of over 500 of the world’s leading family lawyers. Her first high-profile case was that of the [[Andrew |Duke]] and [[Sarah |Duchess of York]].

Shackleton joined Payne Hicks Beach in 2001 as a partner. Shackleton is reputed to have fallen out of royal favour in the aftermath of the [[Paul Burrell]] [[Burrell affair|affair]] and the suggestions of a cover-up over allegations of a homosexual rape within the royal household put Shackleton, in her own words, “under pressure for a solution to be reached more speedily than I was able to achieve”. She was criticised in the Peat Report on the proceedings.<ref name=”news.bbc.co.uk”/><ref name=”Peat Report”>”[http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/content/documents/peat_report.pdf Report to HRH The Prince of Wales] by [[Sir Michael Peat]] and Edmund Lawson QC”, 13 March 2003 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612064414/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/content/documents/peat_report.pdf |date=12 June 2012 }}</ref>

Shackleton joined Payne Hicks Beach in 2001 as a partner. Shackleton is reputed to have fallen out of royal favour in the aftermath of the [[Paul Burrell]] [[Burrell affair|affair]] and the suggestions of a cover-up over allegations of a homosexual rape within the royal household put Shackleton, in her own words, “under pressure for a solution to be reached more speedily than I was able to achieve”. She was criticised in the Peat Report on the proceedings.<ref name=”news.bbc.co.uk”/><ref name=”Peat Report”>”[http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/content/documents/peat_report.pdf Report to HRH The Prince of Wales] by [[Sir Michael Peat]] and Edmund Lawson QC”, 13 March 2003 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612064414/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/content/documents/peat_report.pdf |date=12 June 2012 }}</ref>

In the [[2006 New Year Honours]], she was made a [[Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order]] (LVO)<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=57855 |date=31 December 2005 |page=3 |supp=y}}</ref> and remains solicitor for the [[Prince William, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] and the [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Duke of Sussex]].<ref name=findarticles>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060810/ai_n16657652 TEAM MACCA vs TEAM MILLS – ”The Independent”, London]</ref>

In the [[2006 New Year Honours]], she was made a [[Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order]] (LVO)<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=57855 |date=31 December 2005 |page=3 |supp=y}}</ref> and remains solicitor for the [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] and the [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Duke of Sussex]].<ref name=findarticles>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060810/ai_n16657652 TEAM MACCA vs TEAM MILLS – ”The Independent”, London]</ref>

In March 2012, one of Shackleton’s former clients filed a negligence claim against her for incorrect advice on a child support case. The former client states that due to this erroneous advice he lost out on more than £260,000. Shackleton charged over £95,000 in fees for the advice.<ref name=”The Lawyer”>[http://www.thelawyer.com/shackleton-faces-negligence-claim-from-former-client/1011944.article ”The Lawyer”: “Shackleton faces negligence claim from former client”, 26 March 2012]</ref> The case was subsequently dropped and the client paid his own costs.<ref name=”The Lawyer2″>[http://www.thelawyer.com/former-client-drops-negligence-claim-against-shackleton/1015939.article ”The Lawyer”: “Former client drops negligence claim against Shackleton”, 10 December 2012]</ref>

In March 2012, one of Shackleton’s former clients filed a negligence claim against her for incorrect advice on a child support case. The former client states that due to this erroneous advice he lost out on more than £260,000. Shackleton charged over £95,000 in fees for the advice.<ref name=”The Lawyer”>[http://www.thelawyer.com/shackleton-faces-negligence-claim-from-former-client/1011944.article ”The Lawyer”: “Shackleton faces negligence claim from former client”, 26 March 2012]</ref> The case was subsequently dropped and the client paid his own costs.<ref name=”The Lawyer2″>[http://www.thelawyer.com/former-client-drops-negligence-claim-against-shackleton/1015939.article ”The Lawyer”: “Former client drops negligence claim against Shackleton”, 10 December 2012]</ref>

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====Famous cases====

====Famous cases====

Shackleton’s high-profile cases include:

Shackleton’s high-profile cases include:

* The [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Duke]] and [[Sarah, Duchess of York|Duchess of York]]: where Shackleton represented the Duke.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/royal-lawyer-baroness-shackleton-advising-on-dubai-split-5s3zcb0k7|title=Royal lawyer ‘advising on split’ between Dubai’s ruler and wife|work=[[The Times]]|first1=David|last1=Brown|first2=Jonathan|last2=Ames|first3=Ben|last3=Haugh|date=4 July 2019|access-date=17 February 2021}}</ref> The Duchess was able to negotiate a £3 million settlement.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/7782897/Duchess-of-Yorks-divorce-settlement-was-worth-3-million.html|title=Duchess of York’s divorce settlement was worth £3 million|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first1=Andrew|last1=Alderson|first2=Robert|last2=Mendick|date=29 May 2010|access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref>

* The [[Andrew |Duke]] and [[Sarah |Duchess of York]]: where Shackleton represented the Duke.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/royal-lawyer-baroness-shackleton-advising-on-dubai-split-5s3zcb0k7|title=Royal lawyer ‘advising on split’ between Dubai’s ruler and wife|work=[[The Times]]|first1=David|last1=Brown|first2=Jonathan|last2=Ames|first3=Ben|last3=Haugh|date=4 July 2019|access-date=17 February 2021}}</ref> The Duchess was able to negotiate a £3 million settlement.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/7782897/Duchess-of-Yorks-divorce-settlement-was-worth-3-million.html|title=Duchess of York’s divorce settlement was worth £3 million|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first1=Andrew|last1=Alderson|first2=Robert|last2=Mendick|date=29 May 2010|access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref>

* The [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]]: where Shackleton represented the Prince. The Princess was able to negotiate a £17 million settlement and observers saw the outcome as a creditable draw.<ref name=findarticles/> On the same date that Buckingham Palace announced to the public that the Prince and Princess had reached a settlement, the [[Elizabeth II|Queen]] issued [[letters patent]] to regulate the styles and titles of former members of the royal family after divorce. Information about those letters patent was included by the Palace in the same press release that contained the announcement of the divorce agreement. In accordance with those letters patent, Diana lost her style of [[Royal Highness]] when the decree absolute of divorce was issued. The forfeiture of the style of Royal Highness is often attributed to the diligence of Shackleton,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6483785.stm|title=Faces of the week |work=BBC|date=23 March 2007|access-date=17 February 2021}}</ref> but styles of members of the royal family are governed by the prerogative of the sovereign.

* The [[Charles |Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]]: where Shackleton represented the Prince. The Princess was able to negotiate a £17 million settlement and observers saw the outcome as a creditable draw.<ref name=findarticles/> On the same date that Buckingham Palace announced to the public that the Prince and Princess had reached a settlement, the [[Elizabeth II|Queen]] issued [[letters patent]] to regulate the styles and titles of former members of the royal family after divorce. Information about those letters patent was included by the Palace in the same press release that contained the announcement of the divorce agreement. In accordance with those letters patent, Diana lost her style of [[Royal Highness]] when the decree absolute of divorce was issued. The forfeiture of the style of Royal Highness is often attributed to the diligence of Shackleton,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6483785.stm|title=Faces of the week |work=BBC|date=23 March 2007|access-date=17 February 2021}}</ref> but styles of members of the royal family are governed by the prerogative of the sovereign.

* [[Sir Paul McCartney]] and [[Heather Mills McCartney]]: in which Shackleton represented the former Beatle,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/mar/18/law.divorce |title=Battered, bitter, but £24m better off, the former Mrs McCartney has the last word |work=The Guardian |date=18 March 2008 |first1=Sam |last1=Jones |first2=Clare |last2=Dyer |access-date=11 March 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=371&id=1158612006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716180647/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=371&id=1158612006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2012 |title=Reality bites for the McCartneys |work=The Scotsman |date= |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> and secured leading QC [[Sir Nicholas Mostyn]] before Mills’s solicitor [[Anthony Julius]], leading to their being known during the case by the media as the “legal dream team”.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3758934.ecen|title=Sir Nicholas Mostyn |work=[[The Times]] |date=21 April 2008 |access-date=19 December 2010}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Mills described Shackleton in an interview with [[Larry King]] thus: “There’s this nasty woman – Fiona Shackleton. She wants to drag it out as long as possible to fill her pockets and she’s said some pretty mean things when I was in a wheelchair.”<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/view/2523 |work=Daily Express |title=Heather: Paul sent me flowers |first=Elisa |last=Roche |date=22 March 2007 |access-date=11 March 2024 |archive-date=30 July 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730185139/http://www.express.co.uk/news/view/2523 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the final settlement hearing, Mills poured a jug of water over Shackleton’s head.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7303266.stm |title=Mills soaked McCartney’s lawyer |date=18 March 2008 |work=BBC News |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref>

* [[Paul McCartney]] and [[Heather Mills]]: in which Shackleton represented the former Beatle,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/mar/18/law.divorce |title=Battered, bitter, but £24m better off, the former Mrs McCartney has the last word |work=The Guardian |date=18 March 2008 |first1=Sam |last1=Jones |first2=Clare |last2=Dyer |access-date=11 March 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=371&id=1158612006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716180647/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=371&id=1158612006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2012 |title=Reality bites for the McCartneys |work=The Scotsman |date= |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> and secured leading QC [[Nicholas Mostyn]] before Mills’s solicitor [[Anthony Julius]], leading to their being known during the case by the media as the “legal dream team”.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3758934.ecen|title=Sir Nicholas Mostyn |work=[[The Times]] |date=21 April 2008 |access-date=19 December 2010}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Mills described Shackleton in an interview with [[Larry King]] thus: “There’s this nasty woman – Fiona Shackleton. She wants to drag it out as long as possible to fill her pockets and she’s said some pretty mean things when I was in a wheelchair.”<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/view/2523 |work=Daily Express |title=Heather: Paul sent me flowers |first=Elisa |last=Roche |date=22 March 2007 |access-date=11 March 2024 |archive-date=30 July 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730185139/http://www.express.co.uk/news/view/2523 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the final settlement hearing, Mills poured a jug of water over Shackleton’s head.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7303266.stm |title=Mills soaked McCartney’s lawyer |date=18 March 2008 |work=BBC News |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref>

* Claire and [[Thierry Henry]]: in which Shackleton represented wife Claire Merry, whose marriage broke down after the [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] striker left for [[C.F. Barcelona|Barcelona]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Stephen |title=Thierry Henry’s ex to take £10m in divorce |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1566611/Thierry-Henrys-ex-to-take-10m-in-divorce.html |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=5 February 2020 |date=18 October 2007}}</ref>

* Claire and [[Thierry Henry]]: in which Shackleton represented wife Claire Merry, whose marriage broke down after the [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] striker left for [[C.F. Barcelona|Barcelona]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Stephen |title=Thierry Henry’s ex to take £10m in divorce |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1566611/Thierry-Henrys-ex-to-take-10m-in-divorce.html |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=5 February 2020 |date=18 October 2007}}</ref>

* [[John Cleese]] and [[Alyce Faye Eichelberger]]: in which she represented Alyce Faye. Cleese said afterwards, “What I find so unfair is that if we both died today, her children would get much more than mine”.<ref name=”divorce settlement”>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6043628/John-Cleese-in-12-million-divorce-settlement.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821023334/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6043628/John-Cleese-in-12-million-divorce-settlement.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=21 August 2009 | title=John Cleese in £12 million divorce settlement | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=18 August 2009 | access-date=21 May 2016 | author=Andrew Pierce | author-link=Andrew Pierce }}</ref>

* [[John Cleese]] and [[Alyce ]]: in which she represented Alyce Faye. Cleese said afterwards, “What I find so unfair is that if we both died today, her children would get much more than mine”.<ref name=”divorce settlement”>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6043628/John-Cleese-in-12-million-divorce-settlement.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821023334/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6043628/John-Cleese-in-12-million-divorce-settlement.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=21 August 2009 | title=John Cleese in £12 million divorce settlement | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=18 August 2009 | access-date=21 May 2016 | author=Andrew Pierce | author-link=Andrew Pierce }}</ref>

* Sheikh [[Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum]] and [[Princess Haya bint Al Hussein]]: in which Shackleton represented Princess Haya.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/princess-haya-hires-baroness-shackelton-divorce-emir-dubai-2019-7?r=US&IR=T|title=Princess Haya hires Shackleton, royal lawyer, to battle Emir of Dubai|website=Business Insider|last=Bostock|first=Bill|date=4 July 2019|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref>

* Sheikh [[Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum]] and [[Princess Haya bint Hussein]]: in which Shackleton represented Princess Haya.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/princess-haya-hires-baroness-shackelton-divorce-emir-dubai-2019-7?r=US&IR=T|title=Princess Haya hires Shackleton, royal lawyer, to battle Emir of Dubai|website=Business Insider|last=Bostock|first=Bill|date=4 July 2019|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref>

* The [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer|Earl]] and [[Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer|Countess Spencer]]: in which Shackleton is to represent Lord Spencer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Masney |first1=Kate |title=Earl Spencer hires leading divorce lawyer Baroness Shackleton |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/earl-spencer-hires-leading-divorce-lawyer-baroness-shackleton-60xdwnz7k |access-date=10 June 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |date=9 June 2024}}</ref>

* The [[Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer|Earl]] and [[Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer|Countess Spencer]]: in which Shackleton is to represent Lord Spencer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Masney |first1=Kate |title=Earl Spencer hires leading divorce lawyer Baroness Shackleton |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/earl-spencer-hires-leading-divorce-lawyer-baroness-shackleton-60xdwnz7k |access-date=10 June 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |date=9 June 2024}}</ref>

===Personal life===

===Personal life===

Shackleton is married to Ian Ridgeway Shackleton, who runs a business called The Chatham Archive & Document Storage Company,<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Chatham Archive |url=https://chathamarchive.co.uk/about/ |website=chathamarchive.co.uk |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022171249/https://chathamarchive.co.uk/about/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and who is related to Antarctic explorer [[Sir Ernest Shackleton]]. The couple have two daughters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fiona Shackleton, divorce lawyer to the stars |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1578774/Fiona-Shackleton-divorce-lawyer-to-the-stars.html |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=22 October 2019 |date=15 February 2008}}</ref>

Shackleton is married to Ian Ridgeway Shackleton, who runs a business called The Chatham Archive & Document Storage Company,<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Chatham Archive |url=https://chathamarchive.co.uk/about/ |website=chathamarchive.co.uk |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022171249/https://chathamarchive.co.uk/about/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and who is related to Antarctic explorer [[Ernest Shackleton]]. The couple have two daughters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fiona Shackleton, divorce lawyer to the stars |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1578774/Fiona-Shackleton-divorce-lawyer-to-the-stars.html |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=22 October 2019 |date=15 February 2008}}</ref>

==See also==

==See also==

English solicitor and politician

Fiona Sara Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, LVO (née Charkham; born 26 May 1956^[1]) is an English solicitor and Conservative politician, who has represented members of the British royal family and celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Charles III, Prince Andrew, Princess Haya bint Hussein, and Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer. Her charm and resoluteness earned her the nickname “Steel Magnolia”.^[2]

Born Fiona Sara Charkham in London, she is the daughter of Jonathan Charkham, an economist and adviser to The Bank of England, and Moira Elizabeth Frances Salmon, daughter of Barnett Alfred and Molly Salmon.^[3] Her maternal grandfather, Alfred Salmon, was chairman of the J. Lyons and Co. cornerhouse empire.^[4] Through the Salmon family, Shackleton is a cousin to Nigella and Dominic Lawson, and George Monbiot.^[5][6]

Shackleton was educated at Benenden School in Kent. She attended Exeter University, graduating with a third class degree in law. Shackleton then trained as a cordon bleu chef, and became an executive caterer for boardrooms before training to be a solicitor. In July 2010, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter in the form of an LL.D.

On 21 December 2010, the Queen created Shackleton a life peer as Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia (in the City of Westminster).^[7] She sits as a Conservative in the House of Lords.^[8]

Shackleton supported the research by the University of Exeter examining compatibility and the ten key aspects of a successful relationship (named the Shackleton Project). The research was published in July 2018.^[9]

Shackleton qualified as a solicitor in 1980, and by 1986 she had become a partner at Farrer and Co, the firm of solicitors employed by the British royal family. In the same year Shackleton and other international family lawyers, including Jane Simpson and Raymond Tooth, co-founded the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an invitation-only organisation which now consists of over 500 of the world’s leading family lawyers. Her first high-profile case was that of the Duke and Duchess of York.

Shackleton joined Payne Hicks Beach in 2001 as a partner. Shackleton is reputed to have fallen out of royal favour in the aftermath of the Paul Burrell affair and the suggestions of a cover-up over allegations of a homosexual rape within the royal household put Shackleton, in her own words, “under pressure for a solution to be reached more speedily than I was able to achieve”. She was criticised in the Peat Report on the proceedings.^[2][10]

In the 2006 New Year Honours, she was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO)^[11] and remains solicitor for the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex.^[12]

In March 2012, one of Shackleton’s former clients filed a negligence claim against her for incorrect advice on a child support case. The former client states that due to this erroneous advice he lost out on more than £260,000. Shackleton charged over £95,000 in fees for the advice.^[13] The case was subsequently dropped and the client paid his own costs.^[14]

Shackleton’s high-profile cases include:

• The Duke and Duchess of York: where Shackleton represented the Duke.^[15] The Duchess was able to negotiate a £3 million settlement.^[16]
• The Prince and Princess of Wales: where Shackleton represented the Prince. The Princess was able to negotiate a £17 million settlement and observers saw the outcome as a creditable draw.^[12] On the same date that Buckingham Palace announced to the public that the Prince and Princess had reached a settlement, the Queen issued letters patent to regulate the styles and titles of former members of the royal family after divorce. Information about those letters patent was included by the Palace in the same press release that contained the announcement of the divorce agreement. In accordance with those letters patent, Diana lost her style of Royal Highness when the decree absolute of divorce was issued. The forfeiture of the style of Royal Highness is often attributed to the diligence of Shackleton,^[17] but styles of members of the royal family are governed by the prerogative of the sovereign.
• Paul McCartney and Heather Mills: in which Shackleton represented the former Beatle,^[18][19] and secured leading QC Nicholas Mostyn before Mills’s solicitor Anthony Julius, leading to their being known during the case by the media as the “legal dream team”.^[20] Mills described Shackleton in an interview with Larry King thus: “There’s this nasty woman – Fiona Shackleton. She wants to drag it out as long as possible to fill her pockets and she’s said some pretty mean things when I was in a wheelchair.”^[21] At the final settlement hearing, Mills poured a jug of water over Shackleton’s head.^[22]
• Claire and Thierry Henry: in which Shackleton represented wife Claire Merry, whose marriage broke down after the Arsenal striker left for Barcelona.^[23]
• John Cleese and Alyce Cleese: in which she represented Alyce Faye. Cleese said afterwards, “What I find so unfair is that if we both died today, her children would get much more than mine”.^[24]
• Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Princess Haya bint Hussein: in which Shackleton represented Princess Haya.^[25]
• The Earl and Countess Spencer: in which Shackleton is to represent Lord Spencer.^[26]

Shackleton is married to Ian Ridgeway Shackleton, who runs a business called The Chatham Archive & Document Storage Company,^[27] and who is related to Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. The couple have two daughters.^[28]