A Lifelong Affair
Yola Letellier married one of France’s wealthiest newspaper owners and travelled in the highest circles of Europe’s aristocracy, carrying on a lifelong affair with a member of the English royal family. Her beauty and lively personality inspired novelists and filmmakers to devote entire works in her image. We look at the intriguing life of Yola Letellier.
Humble Beginnings
Yola Henriquet was born in 1904 in a small town in northern France to Henri, a factory worker, and Marie, an embroiderer. The loss of her father and the destruction of their family home in WWI led the surviving Letelliers to move in with Yola’s aunt Jeanne in Paris in 1915. Jeanne was an experienced opera singer who introduced Yola to her Paris friends, including Colette, who would later figure large in Yola’s life. Yola also took up performance in her childhood in Paris.
She Was A Dancer
Aunt Jeanne took an interest in developing Yola’s talent and encouraged the young girl to take singing lessons. While studying at the Paris Conservatoire, Yola was advised by her instructors to take some ballet classes as a way to improve her posture. It wasn’t long before she was hooked.
She Saw The Writing On The Wall
Yola loved ballet but as she got into her late teens her teachers wisely counseled her to seek less demanding career options. She took the tough news well. Though her dancing pursuits hadn’t panned out, Yola herself had attracted a lot of attention from some of Paris’ wealthiest men. One in particular made a big play for her.
She Married Into A Fortune
Yola won the heart of Henri Letellier, a wealthy newspaper owner and resort developer. Henri proposed and the two were married in 1926. Letellier was 36 years older than Yola, which certainly raised eyebrows and questions about how much passion really existed between the two of them.
They Were Discreet
Henri and Yola discreetly pursued affairs outside their marriage, a commonly accepted practice in upper-class French society. With her beauty, witty personality, fashionable dress, and hairstyle, Yola became one of the most admired women in Paris. It wasn’t long before she met the true love of her life.
She Met Royalty
Not long after her marriage to Henri, Yola met Lord Louis Mountbatten, a close relative of the English royal family. Mountbatten and his wife Edwina had already carried on a string of affairs behind each other's backs; since divorce at that time would’ve been unthinkable, the two had compromised and agreed to have an open marriage. Yola soon became the center of Mountbatten’s attention; she would be his mistress for the next five decades.
British official photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Competition
Yola had other admirers competing for her affection. Foremost among these was Istvan Horthy, vice-regent of Hungary. Yola met Horthy in 1930 and they carried on a romance of their own until 1940 when Horthy finally married a woman from a suitable background. There was later speculation that Yola was secretly relaying information from Horthy to the French government; whatever the case, Horthy lost his life tragically in a plane crash in 1942.
She Inspired A Classic Novel
Yola had come across her old friend Colette many times over the years. Colette had become one of the most respected writers in France, and in 1944 she wrote her best-known work, the novel Gigi, based on Yola’s extraordinary life. The book became a classic and was later adapted into two movies. For the stage play of Gigi, Colette hand-picked young Audrey Hepburn for the title role, a part that launched the young actress’ Broadway career.
The Decades Rolled By
Yola’s lifelong affair with Mountbatten was well known and accepted by his wife and kids, and she seems to have lived a life free of scandal and heartache. Henri Letellier passed in 1960, leaving Yola very well off for the rest of her life. She passed on in 1996, but Yola’s legacy remains imprinted as one of the most colorful background figures of 20th-century culture.
You May Also Like:
Secrets Of Britain’s Royal Residences
Evander Berry Wall: King Of The Dudes
The Biggest Scandals Of The British Royal Family
