Mary Henderson

Mary Xenia Henderson, Lady Henderson (née Cawadias; 29 March 1919 – 22 January 2004) was a Greek-born British journalist and host. She worked as a nurse during the Second World War and went on to be a journalist for both the magazines Life and Time covering the Greek Civil War and was the sole female correspondent reporting on the conflict. Henderson was a host at various embassies around the world and published her memoirs in 1988. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1988.

Early life On 29 March 1919, Henderson was born Maria Xenia Cawadias in Athens, Greece. She was the daughter of Alexander Polycleitos Cawadias, the physician to George II of Greece, the King of Greece, Henderson had one brother.

Following the monarch's abdication in 1924 and move to exile in London, she and her family moved to Wimpole Street in Central London. Henderson was first married to the journalist Stephen Barber but she later divorced him due to incompatibility. She was subsequently married to the British ambassador Nicholas Henderson from 19 December 1951 until her death from pneumonia in London on 22 January 2004. They have a daughter, who is married to Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda.

Legacy Michael Packenam said of Henderson: "Mary Henderson was an icon of style. But her achievements as an ambassadress were exceptional. She brought a formidable set of talents to the job, and she did see it – sometimes a little cynically – as a job, and not a vocation." Caroline Charles noted Henderson had "brought glamour and international knowledge and funding" to the fashion industry along with bringing well-known individuals together. Mary Galea Debono of Pink magazine calls her "a perfectionist" who "redefined the role of a diplomat's wife" with her focus on style.