Duchess of Rutland says she felt like she had been ‘punched’ when she discovered husband’s affair

The Duchess of Rutland has revealed how she felt she had been ‘smitten’ when she learned of her husband’s affair in 2009, but she initially kept it to herself.

Emma Manners, 59, also said Princess of Wales Kate is her ‘hero’ and would be an excellent role model for her younger self as a new Duchess.

Before the release of her new autobiography, The Accidental Duchess, Emma recalled the moment she discovered that her husband, David, with whom she shares five children, was having an affair after he refused to dance with her on his 50th birthday before she got married. then saw him laughing with another woman.

The Duke and Duchess of Rutland (pictured) married in June 1992 after meeting over dinner, but their marriage ended in 2012 after David Manners’ affair. Nevertheless, the couple continue to live on their Leicestershire estate and are the best of friends

The Duchess, who is still good friends with her estranged husband, spoke of feeling like she was “fighting for breath” when she realized that everything was about to change.

In an interview with the TelegraphMs Manners said she told almost no one about her discovery and claimed she is a “private” person who rarely shares things with other people.

Rather than confide in friends, she said she could cope with her husband’s infidelity by smoking, drinking wine and dancing alone to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.

Despite this, in her new book, she has revealed several intimate details about her life – including that she had a breakdown in 2017 and has suffered from panic attacks for several years. She has also had five miscarriages.

Emma married the Duke of Rutland David Manners in June 1992, after meeting at a dinner party two years earlier. She has previously said that her “biggest regret” was the dissolution of her relationship.

The Duchess of Rutland described Princess of Wales Kate as her ‘hero’ – adding that while she thought the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were sometimes ‘misguided’, Meghan was ‘a good mother who makes Prince Harry happy’

The marriage broke up in 2012 after the Duke began an affair with a woman who lived on his estate.

However, Emma, ​​chief executive of the Leicestershire estate, and David, who are still officially married, have both continued to live in the 200-year-old manor house in separate towers and she has previously insisted the couple are still the “best to be friends. ‘.

The Duke and Duchess have five children: Lady Alice Manners, 25, Emma Manners, Lady Eliza Manners, 23, and Lady Violet Manners, 27, and Lord Hugo Manners, 19.

During the interview, the Duchess of Rutland was also asked what she thought of senior members of the Royal House.

Asked about the Princess of Wales in particular, she said: ‘She is my absolute hero. I just love her.’

She added that when she first married the Duke, she wrote to Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, for advice. If she were in the same position today, she would write Kate.

When asked about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Emma said she believes some of their behavior was “very misleading” – but added that she thinks Meghan is “a good mother and makes Prince Harry happy”.

She added that the Sussexes’ decision to step down as senior royals and move to the US was a “clean slate” for both the couple and other members of the royal family.

Emma, ​​who has become known as the ‘thrifty Duchess’, also revealed how her household never throws anything away and she shops at budget supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl to make sure they live within their means.

Earlier this week, the Duchess appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to talk about her book – claiming she believes spooky things are going on in her 356-room castle.

She told Lorraine Kelly that there are “things you can’t explain” in the huge mansion.

When asked if she believed there were ghosts in the property, Emma said, “Well maybe we did. I got rid of most of them. You have to be strong with ghosts because sometimes they get away.”

The Duchess also told Lorraine how her daughters played creepy pranks on guests staying at the estate, including Hollywood actor Hugh Grant.

She said, “He went to bed early one night, they knew he was terrified of ghosts, and the girls ran their nails around the door. He came running out and thought it was a ghost.

“The last laugh was on the girls when they heard the sound of bagpipes coming out of the elevator shaft in the middle of the night, they came running to find me and said ‘mom, there really is a ghost now’ and I went to listen and no joke, that sound was coming from our elevator shaft and I was like, “Gosh, there are things you can’t explain”.’