Archie Stirling

Archibald Hugh Stirling, Laird of Keir (born 18 September 1941) is a Scottish theatrical producer, a former officer in the Scots Guards,[1] and Laird of the Keir estate at Lecropt in the Stirling council area in Scotland.[2]

"Archibald Stirling" redirects here. For his grandfather, see Archibald Stirling (British Army officer).

Archie Stirling
Laird of the Keir estate
Known forTheatrical producer and a former officer in the Scots Guards
Born (1941-09-18) 18 September 1941
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)
​
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(m. 1964; div. 1977)​

​
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(m. 1982; div. 1990)​

Sharon Silver
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(m. 2000)​
Issue
4 (including Rachael Stirling)
ParentsWilliam Joseph Stirling and Susan Rachel Bligh

Stirling is the eldest son of William Joseph Stirling, of Keir (9 May 1911 – 1983) and his wife (m. 22 November 1940) Susan Rachel Bligh (12 August 1916 – 1983), and a nephew of Colonel Sir David Stirling, DSO, OBE who was the founder of the Special Air Service; both are descendants of Charles II of Scotland and England. His sister Hannah is married to Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury.[3]

Marriages

Stirling's first wife was Charmian Rachel Montagu Douglas Scott (18 July 1942 – 5 April 2009). They married on 11 November 1964 and were divorced in 1977. She was the niece of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and the granddaughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch. The couple had two sons, William Rory Alexander Stirling, born on 15 December 1965, and Ludovic David Stirling, born on 29 April 1967.

Stirling was married to actress Dame Diana Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) from 1982 to 1990. Their only child is the actress Rachael Stirling, who was born in 1977. Their marriage ended in divorce after Stirling had an affair with actress Joely Richardson.[4]

Stirling married Sharon Silver of New York City on 4 August 2000. They have one child, David.

Scottish Voice political party

On 4 January 2007, British news organisations reported that Stirling (referred to as a "Scots millionaire") had begun setting up a new political party aiming to improve standards at the Scottish Parliament in order "to make Scottish politics work for the disillusioned majority," and will "also put defending the Union at the heart of its policy."[5] The politically conservative party, known as Scottish Voice, was formally launched in February 2007, and stood in the Scottish Elections of 2007, but drew a low vote and failed to gain any seats.

Further coverage and analysis published on 5 January 2007 was provided by The Herald[6] and The Scotsman.[7] The party was backed by an unnamed group of like-minded people, including the millionaire Inverness businessman Robert Mcleod Hotchkiss, opposed to the breakup of the United Kingdom. Due to a breach in security, information and documents were leaked in advance of the launch.

In April 2012, Stirling announced that he was winding up the party.[8]

References
  1. "Sir Archibald David Stirling". SAS Special Air Service. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. Hattersley, Giles (4 March 2007). "Playboy trying to keep the kingdom united". The Times. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. "The Stirling profile". The Telegraph. 3 January 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  4. Farndale, Nigel (6 July 2008). "Diana Rigg: Her Story". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  5. "Millionaire plans political party". BBC News. 4 January 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  6. Settle, Michael (5 July 2008). "Is a new party the answer to keeping the UK together? Scottish Voice launched to save the Union". The Herald. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  7. Macdonell, Hamish (5 January 2007). "Millionaire maverick plans 'what about us' party". The Scotsman. Edinburgh.
  8. Walker, Tim (24 April 2012). "Archie Stirling quits Scottish politics for good". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
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