Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Shakerley CVO (née Anson; 7 June 1941 – 1 November 2020) was a British party planner and socialite from the Anson family.

Lady Elizabeth was a first cousin, once removed, of Queen Elizabeth II and sister of Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield.

Biography

The Hon. Elizabeth Georgiana Anson was born on 7 June 1941 at Windsor Castle to Thomas Anson, Viscount Anson, and his wife, Anne Bowes-Lyon, the future Princess Anne of Denmark. Anson's mother was a niece of Queen Elizabeth

King George VI was her godfather.

She was educated at Downhall School, Hertfordshire. When her brother inherited the family seat, Shugborough Hall near Great Haywood, Staffordshire, she moved in with him.

Her parents divorced in 1948. Her mother married Prince George Valdemar of Denmark and moved to Paris. Her father died in 1958.

Lady Elizabeth has been planning parties for her cousin, The Queen, since 1960. Notable events has she planned include Sting's wedding, Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday party, Elizabeth II's 80th birthday party, the wedding of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Marie-Chantal Miller and a reception for foreign royals the night before the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel.

As the step-daughter of a Danish prince, Lady Elizabeth has also attended many royal events in continental Europe, including the 80th birthday celebrations in Oslo of The King and Queen of Norway, and the funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. In 1966, Lady Elizabeth was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Jonkheer Claus van Amsberg. In 2018, Lady Elizabeth attended the state banquet given by The Queen in honour of The King and Queen of the Netherlands at Buckingham Palace.

Lady Elizabeth died on 1 November 2020 at the age of 79.

Marriage and issue

On 27 July 1972, Anson married Sir Geoffrey Shakerley, 6th Bt at Westminster Abbey. Guests included The Queen, The Queen Mother and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. 

Princess Anne was a bridesmaid. Lady Elizabeth and Shakerley divorced in 2009. They have one daughter and two grandchildren:

• Fiona Elizabeth Fenella Shakerley (born 18 August 1973), who married in 2004, Edward Brocas Burrows, they have two children:
  • Noah Burrows (born 1 March 2006)
  • Ruby Burrows (born 2 November 2008)

Titles, styles and honours

Titles and styles

• 7 June 1941 – 12 July 1961: The Honourable Elizabeth Georgiana Anson
• 12 July 1961 – 27 July 1972: Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Anson
• 27 July 1972 – 1 November 2020: Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Shakerley

Despite her father dying before acceding to the earldom of Lichfield, Anson was granted the rank of an Earl's daughter on 12 July 1961.

Honours British honours

•  31 March 2020: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

Foreign honours[edit]

•  The Netherlands: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix and Claus van Amsberg, 10 March 1966