Dolores Guinness


Dolores Guinness, was a German born "Freiin", socialite, fashion icon and jet set member of the 1950s and 1960s. She has been a member of the International Best Dressed List since 1970. Her mother was the famous Mexican-born socialite Gloria Guinness.

Early life

Born Dolores Maria Agatha Wilhelmine Luise, Freiin von Fürstenberg-Herdringen on 31 July 1936 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. She is the second daughter of Franz-Egon Maria Meinhard Engelbert Pius Aloysius Kaspar Ferdinand Dietrich, 3rd Graf von Fürstenberg-Herdringen and his second wife, Gloria Guinness. She also has a younger brother, Franz-Egon born 1939, and a half-sister, Betsy von Furstenberg, from her father's previous marriage.
Though some published sources have described Dolores von Fürstenberg as a countess and a princess, she is, in fact, a Freiin by birth, according to the last published issue of the Almanach de Gotha. Children of the counts von Fürstenberg-Herdringen are known as Freiherr or Freiin, and the sons move up in rank to Graf only if they inherit the primary title.

Later life

At age 19 she married her stepbrother Patrick Benjamin Guinness, son of Loel Guinness and Joan Yarde-Buller, on 22 October 1955 in Paris. Patrick was killed in a car accident in Turtig near Raron, Switzerland 1965. Have issue:
  1. Maria Alexandra Guinness Cook married Foulques, Count de Quatrebarbes in 1979. Now divorced. Have issue.
  2. Loel Patrick Guinness.
  3. Victoria Christina Niarchos married Philip Niarchos in 1984, son of late Greek billionaire Stavros Niarchos. Have issue.
After Patrick's death Dolores fell madly in love with Karim Aga Khan, the son of Joan Barbara Yarde-Buller by her marriage to Aly Khan, and wanted to marry him, but nothing came of that eventually.

Fashion icon

Dolores was often seen in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Town and Country and Life magazine dressed in designer clothes from Givenchy, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga during the 1950s and 1960s, photographed by Cecil Beaton, Bert Stern, Henry Clarke, Mark Shaw, Richard Avedon and William Klein. She often appeared on the International Best Dressed List during these years.