Frances Lloyd George, Countess Lloyd-George

Frances Lloyd George, Countess Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, born Frances Louise Stevenson on October 7, 1888, in London, was a British national who lived until December 5, 1972. She was the daughter of a Lowland Scottish father and a mother of mixed French and Italian descent. Her education included attendance at Clapham High School, where she befriended Mair Lloyd George, the eldest daughter of David Lloyd George. She later studied Classics at Royal Holloway College.

In July 1911, she was employed as a governess for Lloyd George's youngest daughter, Megan. Lloyd George, who was then serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, subsequently became attracted to Stevenson. In 1913, after some hesitation due to her desire for a conventional marriage and children, she agreed to become Lloyd George’s personal secretary under conditions that involved a sexual relationship.

During her career with Lloyd George, Stevenson was honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1918 New Year Honours. She accompanied Lloyd George to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, where she was perceived by delegates as merely his secretary. In 1921, she published a series of articles about the conference delegates in The Sunday Times, later compiled into a book titled *Makers of the New World*, using the pseudonym "One Who Knows Them". She also supervised the construction of Lloyd George's residence, Bron-y-de, in Churt, Surrey, and organized the extensive archive of Lloyd George's papers to facilitate his writing of his War Memoirs.

Stevenson had a daughter named Jennifer in 1929 after having two abortions. The paternity of Jennifer was disputed; while Lloyd George was led to believe he was her father, it is more likely her biological father was Thomas Tweed, a novelist and Liberal Party official with whom Stevenson was having an affair.

Following the death of Lloyd George’s wife Margaret, Stevenson married David Lloyd George on October 23, 1943. The marriage faced disapproval from Lloyd George's children from his first marriage. In 1942, they purchased Tŷ Newydd in Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, where they undertook significant renovations directed by architect Clough Williams-Ellis. In 1944, the couple moved into the house. Lloyd George died on March 26, 1945, at Tŷ Newydd, with his daughter Megan and Frances present at his bedside.

As the Dowager Countess Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, she resided in Churt and dedicated herself to family, charitable activities, and historical preservation of Lloyd George’s memory. She authored *The Years That Are Past* in 1967 and published her diaries in 1971, documenting her life with Lloyd George.

Her further biographical sources include works by John Campbell, Ffion Hague, Ruth Longford, and collections of her letters and diaries, notably *Lloyd George: A Diary* (edited by A. J. P. Taylor), and *My Darling Pussy: The Letters of Lloyd George and Frances Stevenson* (edited by A. J. P. Taylor).