A bolero jacket worn by the most famous of the so-called 'Dollar Princesses' has gone on public display at Blenheim Palace for the first time.

The jacket was owned by Consuelo Vanderbilt and is part of a new mini-exhibition about the wealthy American heiress who married the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1895, and whose money helped save the Palace.

Other objects on display include a travelling case with the initials CM for Consuelo Marlborough, a Fabergé two-colour gold and enamel cigarette case, Consuelo's master keys for the Palace and a parasol gifted to her by the tenants of the Estate on the occasion of her marriage and consequent move to Blenheim. 

Drawings and photographs of the famously beautiful Duchess, including a charcoal sketch by John Singer Sargent, are also featured alongside a replica of the dress she famously wore in Sargent's family portrait, which hangs in the Palace's Red Drawing Room.

Recently Consuelo's fascinating story has become known to a modern audience thanks to the television period drama 'The Gilded Age'.

Written by Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, it chronicles the social lives of the wealthy New York elite at the end of the 19th century.

Despite being a work of fiction many of the characters, including Gladys Russell, the naïve daughter of the socially ambitious and ostentatiously rich Bertha Russell, are thought to be based on the real-life Vanderbilt family.

Gladys shares a striking resemblance to Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the 9th Duke of Marlborough and is widely credited as helping to save Blenheim Palace from financial ruin.

The finale of season one of the hit show saw Bertha host an extraordinarily lavish debutante ball for her young daughter, just as Consuelo's mother Alva did for her.

Like Consuelo, Gladys' dreams of finding a love match were also dashed by her parents' desire to secure a suitably grand partner to further advance the family's position in society.

Alva was determined to marry her daughter into European aristocracy and the Duke was in dire need of Consuelo's fortune – valued at around $4 billion in today's money – to restore and maintain Blenheim Palace.

She married the 9th Duke of Marlborough at a lavish ceremony in New York in 1895.

Despite the grandeur of the occasion, the union was not a happy one; both bride and groom were in love with other people and the marriage had been arranged behind her back by Consuelo's mother Alva.

The Gilded Age's depiction of this fascinating period of American history is familiar to Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, sister of the current Duke of Marlborough and Consuelo's great-granddaughter.

“It was made pretty clear to the 9th Duke by his grandmother Fanny, the 7th Duchess, that he really needed to save Blenheim. He basically sacrificed his life to save Blenheim,” she said.

“He effectively entered into an arranged marriage with Consuelo. It wasn't a happy marriage, but she was actually the most wonderful custodian of Blenheim.

“She had great taste, decorated it in a beautiful way. She also had lots of money and was always going to Paris to buy furnishings and fabrics, so it is very much thanks to her Blenheim remains in pretty good shape today,” she added.

In marrying the Duke, Consuelo also became the cousin of Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace and would remain a dear friend and confidant to her throughout her life.

The mini exhibition runs until October 30 in the Palace's Great Hall.

Issued on behalf of Blenheim Palace. For more information please contact Ellen Gray EGray@blenheimpalace.com or Ollie Young ollie@flamingo-marketing.co.uk .

About Blenheim Palace

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Set in over 2,000 acres of 'Capability' Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, it houses one of the most important and extensive collections in Europe, which includes portraits, furniture, sculpture and tapestries.

Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of one of Britain's most famous leaders, Sir Winston Churchill, and it was his father who described the vista on entering the Estate from the village of Woodstock as the 'finest view in England'.