There’s no doubt that Cara Delevingne is one of the most successful models in recent memory. From walking on catwalks all over the world and winning the British Fashion Award for Model of the Year twice, she’s made the jump into movies and TV, and has over 44 million followers on Instagram. Thinking back several years to when Cara first became a “thing”, it almost feels like she was just thrust into our collective consciousness one day, and we all just knew who she was.
So how did that actually happen? Did she accomplish so much because she was the most talented model, or the best actress in the room? You might be inclined to say yes, but honestly, it’s unlikely. I mean, Cara Delevingne’s first modeling job was for Italian Vogue when she was just 10 years old—how does that even happen? Turns out, Cara has a pretty unique family history, and by unique, I mean her family lineage can be traced back to four different kings, including Charlemagne the Great. Yes, really. But if we went back that far, we’d be here for a loooong time, so let’s just focus on the more recent generations of the Delevingne family, stacked with wealth, nobility, and power.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of Cara Delevingne’s relatives: Her maternal grandfather was publishing executive and English Heritage chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens, the nephew of magazine publisher Sir Edward George Warris Hulton, and the grandson of newspaper proprietor Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet. Her paternal great-grandfather was the Canadian-born British politician Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood, and her maternal grandmother Janie Sheffield was lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. Through one of her maternal great-great-grandfathers, Sir Lionel Lawson Faudel-Phillips, 3rd Baronet, Delevingne descends from the Anglo-Jewish Faudel-Phillips baronets—two of her ancestors on that line served as Lord Mayor of London. Her godfather is Condé Nast executive Nicholas Coleridge and her godmother is actress Dame Joan Collins.
So, uh, yeah, it’s a lot. But for right now, let’s focus on her mother’s side of the family tree, starting with her grandfather, Sir Jocelyn Stevens. Jocelyn’s parents were super rich, and he became a magazine and newspaper publisher, buying Queen magazine when he was just 25 years old. One of the first photographers he hired was Antony Armstrong-Jones, future husband of Princess Margaret (if you watch The Crown, he’s the hot one that she ends up divorcing). Because Jocelyn was rich AF, he could basically do whatever he wanted, and he ultimately sold Queen on a whim because he was bored. Casual!
Jocelyn married Janie Sheffield, who was Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting for 23 years. They ran in the same social circle with Margaret, and were staples of the British society columns until they split in 1979. While they were together, they had five children, one of whom is Pandora, Cara Delevingne’s mother. Pandora a personal shopper at high-end department store Selfridges, a gig she got through her father’s long-term partner, Selfridges heiress Vivien Duffield. Classic nepotism. She was also a socialite, often spotted with Sarah Ferguson (Prince Andrew’s ex-wife). Like her parents before her, she was a popular subject in tabloids in the 1980s.
So basically, it’s not Cara Delevingne’s fault that she’s so successful, but it’s important to realize that she didn’t get so far in her career just because she has good eyebrows working in her favor. She has good eyebrows AND 1,000 years of nepotism working in her favor.
If you find stories about dynastic nepotism and power structures like this one fascinating and want to hear more, check out our brand new limited series podcast from Betches Sup, Do You Know Who My Dad Is? You can listen to the first episode, all about influencers, right now, and new episodes drop every Friday.
Images: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
Sure, Ivanka is the hottest Trump, but she also looks like a barbie-robot brought to life by an IV of white wine spritzer. I would feel bad for reducing her to her looks but I just straight up don’t I don’t because she is literally the worst. Ivanka is faker than that knock-off Coach purse your cousin got you for secret santa, or that spray tan your aunt insists is “natural” in the dead of winter. Literally every time Ivanka opens her mouth, or in most cases, takes to Twitter, she has some fake shit to say about an issue she clearly doesn’t GAF about. We rounded up the top 5 fakest moments of Ivanka’s hopefully soon to be over career. We suggest you put on some sunglasses for this to avoid the glare of the cold, shiny, hard plastic you are about to witness.
The Oprah Tweet
We’ll start with the latest and greatest. Ivanka tweeted out some praise for Oprah after her Golden Globes speech, and even added a #TimesUp hashtag. Let’s unpack here. First of all, the second coming of Christ Oprah’s speech blatantly threw shade at Trump. Pretty sure it’s not part of your fake job to join in on shit-talking your boss, leave that to the actual decent humans, please and thank you. Second, this tweet came after a day of news reporting that Oprah may be running for prez in 2020. This is literally the best news we’ve ever heard, but Trump Daddy’s little girl should not be publicly supporting it. Lastly, it is LOL that Ivanka thinks she can use the #TimesUp hashtag while working for a literal alleged sexual assaulter. GTFO of here.
Literally Anytime She Talks About Women’s Issue
Wow, great segway by me. Pretending to care about the #TimesUp movement isn’t the first time Ivanka has spewed her fake feminism to get some RTs. Just to recap, Ivanka is one of Trump’s “advisors,” aka she has no real job and is just using the fact that her dad wants to fuck her in order to move up in the political world because apparently nepotism is low-key legal now. We would appreciate that kind of shadily strategic move if she wasn’t supporting a pussy-grabbing, less hot oompa loompa while pretending to be a feminist. She’s constantly going on about equal pay, maternity leave, and other feminist issues, and then – in classic Trump form – not doing shit about it. She literally works for an administration that wants to take away women’s reproductive rights. Until that changes, we got nothing but side eye for you, Ivanka.
The Tweet To Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Okay, this one is just sloppy. Ivanka tweeted to the newly engaged royal couple in what can only be described as the most transparent beg for an invite since that time I kept liking my high school enemy’s Instagram posts in hopes that she would invite me to her open bar holiday party. Rumor has it the royal couple doesn’t want the Trumps at their wedding and clearly Ivanka is thirsty for a Save the Date. Maybe next time try something more subtle, like not being a garbage human who doesn’t deserve an invite in the first place.
The LGBTQ Tweet
Ivanka tweeted out some support to her supposed LGBTQ friends in June, and it came back to haunt her in July when her dad literally banned Transgender people from the military. Clearly Ivanka doesn’t really care about LGBTQ issues, she just wants support from the LGTBQ community. Sorry, honey, this isn’t a 90’s rom-com where the white girl gets to use her gay BFF as an accessory in a shopping montage.
Wearing Her Company’s Clothing During Political Events
Again with the transparent dumbassery. Ivanka has been using her public platform to promote her fugly clothing line, and it’s a clear violation of the ethics program which states that you are not allowed to use your government position for private gain. And yet, here Ivanka is, publicly modeling some shit that even Nordstrom refuses to sell. It’s almost like she spends so much time surrounded by dumbasses that she has forgotten that not everyone is a legit idiot. We see you, girl. And honestly, you should try Sears.
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