january-2012

PRIVATPERSON
SWEET SCENT OF SUCCESS
After years of planning, Lady Serena Linley has
created a tiny corner of fragrant Provence in
London’s Knightsbridge, says Jo Craven
hen it comes to stylish royals,
Viscountess Linley is arguably
always the best-dressed in any
British Royal family line-up. While
other relatives so often get it wrong, Linley
consistently gets it right: her cream Roland
Mouret dress at Wills and Kate’s wedding is
the perfect example. No crazy head pieces here,
just a delicate fl oral headband. Discreet, subtle,
yet so elegant that she stands out from the
crowd, it is Linley’s innate sense of style that
she has bottled in her new incarnation as a
businesswoman and shop owner. On the bijou
London shopping avenue of Walton Street,
Linley has opened Serena Linley Provence, an
elegant store selling scents, candles, and soaps,
all made from lavender oil from the three
lavender fi elds at her home in Provence, which
were planted by Linley herself.
Fifty
As a member of the Royal Family – she is
married to Lord David Linley, the Queen’s
nephew, who is also a successful furniture
maker – Linley does not have to work to make
ends meet, so why did she make the decision to
pour all her eff orts into a commercial venture?
Her explanation is that she and her family love
being in their house in France, so much they
wanted to make the land there work too. ‘I love
the small things, like cracking open a pine cone
and smelling the scent, when I’m there.’ In
terms of business she admits: ‘I’m new to this,
and it has taken at least seven years to get this
far. We’ve been working with a chemist to
create the products, but the greatest leap has
actually been opening the door of the shop.’
At Serena Linley Provence you can buy an
array of bespoke, luxurious beauty products. For
example, only here can you fi nd lavender-scented
IMAGE©PALHANSEN