She was the last of the glamorous and, er, two-thirds fascist Mitford sisters...

Deborah, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, and the last surviving Mitford sister, has died aged 94. The death was confirmed by the press officers for her stately home Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The Mitford sisters' activity fascinated—and sometimes scandalised—British society in the 1940s. One of her sisters, Unity, was a friend of Hitler and another, Diana, the second wife of British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley. But Deborah was more focused on her home life. Nicknamed the "housewife duchess", she made Chatsworth one of the most successful and profitable stately homes in England.

Deborah was the subject of the "Saturday Profile" in the New York Times a few years ago. I've always loved what she had to say about infidelity and divorce—and Americans...

Her marriage lasted 62 years, surviving Andrew’s long bout with alcoholism, as well as his discreet dalliances. “It was absolutely fixed that we shouldn’t divorce or get rid of each other in any way,” the duchess said. “It’s completely different to Americans, who all divorce each other the whole time. Such a bore for everyone, having to say who’s going to have the dogs, who’s going to have the photograph books.” Andrew was great company, she said, which went a long way, and he shared his wife’s facility for drawing humor from challenging situations.

Their affection for each other, their enjoyment of each other—that mattered more than lifelong monogamous behavior, flawlessly executed, over six long decades. It helps, of course, that the Duke's dalliances were discreet. Here's hoping the Duchess enjoyed a few discreet dalliances of her own.