Bronwen Astor

Janet Bronwen Astor, Viscountess Astor (born Janet Bronwen Alun Pugh; 6 June 1930 – 28 December 2017) was an English fashion model and psychotherapist. She was muse to the couturier Pierre Balmain, who called her one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.

Early life Born in London, Janet (generally known by her middle name, Bronwen) was raised in Hampstead, which was then in the county of Middlesex. After the sudden death of a friend in 1951, she embarked on an inner journey of self-discovery culminating in 1959 in a profound mystical experience. Hon. Janet Elizabeth Astor (born 1 December 1961), who married Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, in 1991. In 2017, Gordon-Lennox succeeded as the Duke of Richmond. Hon. Pauline Marian Dahlgren Astor (born 26 March 1964), who married George Christopher Vaughan Case, of Turville Lodge in Henley-on-Thames.

Bronwen became a convert to the Roman Catholic faith, serving as an extraordinary minister at Holy Apostles Catholic Church, Pimlico. She died on 28 December 2017. A biography, Bronwen Astor: Her Life and Times, written by Peter Stanford, was published in 2000.