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Ffion Hague

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The Lady Hague of Richmond
Born
Ffion Llywelyn Jenkins

(1968-02-21) 21 February 1968 (age 56)
Alma materJesus College, Oxford
Occupations
  • Civil servant
  • television presenter
  • writer
  • executive producer
Spouse
(m. 1997)
RelativesManon Antoniazzi (sister)

Ffion Llywelyn Hague, Baroness Hague of Richmond, DBE (née Jenkins; 21 February 1968) is a Welsh broadcaster, author, former civil servant, and wife of Conservative politician William Hague. Born Ffion Jenkins in Cardiff, she is a native Welsh speaker and first became known when she was selected to teach the language to her future husband when he was Secretary of State for Wales.

She is the younger sister of Manon Antoniazzi, who served as the assistant private secretary to Prince Charles and is now Chief Executive and Clerk of the Senedd.

Early life

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She is the daughter of Emyr and Myra Jenkins.[1][2] Her father was a television presenter, director of the Eisteddfod, and the chief executive of the Arts Council of Wales.[2] Her mother was a Welsh tutor and magistrate.[2] She attended Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, a Welsh-language comprehensive school in Cardiff, and went on to study English at Jesus College, Oxford. After graduating she joined the civil service.[3] She played the clarinet in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and sang in the National Youth Choir of Wales.[3]

Career

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Hague was a director of the Outward Bound Trust from 1 April 2009 until 7 December 2012.[4] She was a director of Hanson Green, an executive recruitment firm from 11 December 2003, until it merged with Directorbank on 1 February 2008.[4] Previously, she had been a director of The Voices Foundation from 23 September 1998, until she resigned on 12 July 2005.[4]

Hague is also a published author best known for her biography of David Lloyd George, entitled The Pain and the Privilege: The Women in Lloyd George's Life.[5] For S4C, she presented the series Mamwlad (2012), Tri Lle (2010) and Dwy Wraig Lloyd George (2009).[6] She has also presented programmes for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4.

Personal life

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She met William Hague in 1995, when she became his private secretary at the Welsh Office. Because of the embarrassment caused by the previous Welsh secretary John Redwood, who was unable to sing the Welsh national anthem, it was decided that his successor should learn the words.[3][7]

They were married on 19 December 1997, at the Palace of Westminster, and currently reside in Richmond, North Yorkshire.[8] When her husband was raised to the peerage in 2015 as Baron Hague of Richmond, she became The Lady Hague of Richmond. William Hague disclosed in September 2010 that she had suffered a number of miscarriages as they tried to start a family.[9] They do not have any children.[9]

In 2015 the couple became owners by purchase of Cyfronydd Hall near Welshpool, Wales. [10]

Hague was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours 'for Public Service and to Business'.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "BBC Wales public affairs head moves up to UK-wide role". BBC. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Weale, Sally (31 March 2001). "The likely one". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "BBC News | UK | Ffion Jenkins: a passionate Welsh patriot". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Ffion Llywelyn HAGUE - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
  5. ^ "The Pain and the Privilege". www.ffionhague.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. ^ "S4C Factual – Mamwlad". s4c.cymru. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  7. ^ Archipelago, World. "Ffion Hague". HarperCollins UK. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ^ "My Yorkshire: Ffion Hague". yorkshirepost.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Speaker's wife criticises William Hague for revealing wife's miscarriages". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ www.walesonline.co.uk; adalwyd 2015.
  11. ^ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4644768
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