Rosita, Duchess of Marlborough (born Countess Dagmar Rosita Astrid Libertas Douglas on 26 September 1943), is a British aristocrat and artist. She was the third wife of John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough.
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Early life and family
Rosita was born on 26 September 1943 in Madrid, Spain, the younger daughter of the Swedish nobleman and diplomat Count Carl Douglas and his wife, Ottora Maria Haas-Heye (1910–2001). At the time of her birth, her father was serving in Madrid with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs; he later became Swedish ambassador to Brazil. He belonged to the Swedish-German branch of Clan Douglas. Her mother was a daughter of the German fashion designer Otto Ludwig Haas-Heye and a granddaughter of Philipp, Prince of Eulenburg. She has three siblings: Count Gustaf Douglas, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (born 1940), and Count Philip Douglas (born 1945). Through her sister's marriage to Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, she is an aunt and godmother of Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein. She is also a niece of Libertas Schulze-Boysen.
Rosita was raised in a diplomatic family and spent much of her childhood at her father's overseas postings. She spent summers at Stjärnorp Castle near Linköping, the family seat of her paternal grandfather, Lieutenant General Count Archibald Douglas. She was educated in Sweden and in Washington, D.C., and studied at Konstfack in Stockholm before attending the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris. While in Paris, she worked for fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro and subsequently worked as a freelance designer and interior decorator in London.