Lady Alice Manners, the 31-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, has announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend, Patrick Fordham, popularly known as Patch.
The British socialite shared the news on Instagram, posting a collection of photographs capturing the romantic countryside proposal, including images of the couple embracing and celebrating their engagement.
Accompanying the photographs, Alice wrote: “Horses, a Diamond and most importantly Patch… had to be a YES.”
Lady Alice Shows Off Diamond Ring in Countryside Engagement Photos
Lady Alice looked delighted as she displayed her sparkling engagement ring while wearing a stylish brown fur coat in a countryside setting believed to be the grounds of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire.
The Grade I-listed property is the ancestral home of her family.
Other photographs showed Alice kissing her fiancé in the field, posing beside a white horse and enjoying a horseback ride together.
Her sister, Lady Eliza Manners, was among the first to congratulate the couple, commenting on the engagement announcement: “The best news! Watch out Patch, you’re a Manners now.”
Alice is the second-oldest daughter of David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, and Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland.
Couple Kept Relationship Away From Public Attention
Although Alice and Patch have largely kept their romance private, speculation about their relationship emerged during her 30th birthday celebrations last April.
The Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed party took place at the family’s 15,000-acre Belvoir Castle estate and brought together friends and relatives.
In her personal Substack newsletter, The Accidental Duchess, Alice’s mother, Emma, offered an indication of the couple’s relationship when she described the celebrations.
She wrote: “Vi gave a wonderful speech, and Alice’s boyfriend Patch, delivered a Shakespearean ode on love.”
Alice also shared photographs from a romantic holiday in Mauritius in March, showing the couple enjoying the island’s sunshine and clear blue waters.
Patch’s full name is Patrick Fordham.
Alice’s Previous Relationship With Bryan Ferry’s Son
Before her relationship with Patch, Alice was romantically involved with Otis Ferry, the son of musician Bryan Ferry.
The former couple lived together at Belvoir Castle before ending their relationship in 2022.
Alice has established a public profile in British social circles and is also familiar within equestrian circles, having grown up riding horses.
Engagement Announcement Comes After Train Robbery
The engagement news follows an incident in which Alice reportedly had her suitcase stolen while travelling on an LNER train.
The incident was previously disclosed by Daily Mail Diary Editor Richard Eden.
Among the missing belongings were several outfits and a white handbag that had belonged to her great-grandmother, Margaret Campbell, the late Duchess of Argyll.
The handbag, which carries the initial M for Margaret, holds significant sentimental value for Alice, who described it as “priceless and irreplaceable”.
The late duchess was portrayed by Claire Foy in the 2021 BBC drama A Very British Scandal.
Speaking about the theft, Alice said she knew where the stolen bag was and had information about the suspected individual.
“I know exactly where it is and where the guy is who stole it,” she said.
She explained that British Transport Police had a photograph of the man but had declined to provide her with the CCTV footage.
Alice also appealed to the police publicly, asking: “Why won’t you send someone to retrieve it?”
However, police explained that they could not enter a property without a warrant, which would require additional evidence beyond information obtained through tracking data.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream-Themed 30th Birthday Celebration
Alice’s 30th birthday party last April attracted several notable guests to Belvoir Castle.
Among those attending were her sisters, Lady Eliza Manners and Violet Lindesay-Bethune, Countess of Lindsay, alongside friends from Britain’s high society.
Hum Fleming, the great-niece of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, was also present.
She married former Conservative minister Lord Zac Goldsmith in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, last September.
Hum, 35, attended the celebration wearing a green dress and floral crown.
Her twin sister, Chloe, who works for events company Sharky & George, also attended in a pink veil and floral headpiece.
According to Richard Eden, Lady Alice wore a pink dress that carried particular sentimental significance.
The outfit had previously belonged to her grandmother, and Alice revealed on Instagram that she had worn it for the first time after her grandmother’s death in January.
She explained: “It was my Granny’s wedding dress, and when she passed away last January, I got to try it on for the first time.”
She added that it fitted perfectly and that she had always wanted to wear it for a special occasion.
“Turning 30 is just that! I have never worn anything so beautiful, and I hope she was happy looking down watching me swish around in it,” she wrote.
Guests Opted for Vintage Fashion at the Celebration
Other guests also embraced vintage fashion for the birthday celebration.
Alice’s close friend and Soho property heiress, India Rose James, 33, wore a vintage John Galliano dress, explaining that the occasion gave her the perfect opportunity to wear the outfit.
She said: “I finally had the perfect reason to wear the most amazing vintage Galliano dress.”
Lady Eliza Manners also shared photographs from the celebration, describing her outfit as a great find from Portobello Market.
Her choice of second-hand fashion reflects a longstanding family interest in vintage clothing.
In a previous Daily Mail article, Alice explained that she and her sisters were not raised with an abundance of brand-new clothes, despite their family’s aristocratic background.
She credited their mother, Emma, Duchess of Rutland, with introducing them to second-hand fashion while they were growing up at Belvoir Castle.
According to Alice, her mother had been passionate about buying pre-owned clothing long before it became fashionable and encouraged her children to appreciate the value of giving previously owned garments a new lease of life.
