Elizabeth Susan Douglas-Scott-Montagu

The Honourable Elizabeth Susan Varley (née Douglas-Scott-Montagu; 26 September 1909 – 6 May 2002) was an English actress and the daughter of John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. She pursued careers in the entertainment industry, literature and advertising.

Early life Elizabeth Montagu was born at Beaulieu Abbey, Hampshire, on 26 September 1909, the second daughter of the John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu by his first wife Lady Cecil Kerr, the daughter of Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian. She was a direct descendant of Charles II and Lucy Walter, through their son, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. Her mother died in the 1918 flu pandemic. Montagu attended St Margaret's School, Bushey and a finishing school at Lausanne, but she was not interested in society life and chose instead to train as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1932.

Film and theatre Varley began an acting career at the Newcastle Repertory Company and appeared in several West End stage productions and on BBC Radio dramas. She was personal assistant to Arturo Toscanini while he was in London to conduct at the BBC's London Music Festivals in 1937–1938. She helped Walter Legge found the Philharmonia Orchestra. After the war, she worked on film scripts for directors such as Alexander Korda. She was a committee member of Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group; she also wrote libretti for Rolf Liebermann and Paul Burkhard.