Countess of Benton
| Her Ladyship The Countess of Benton | |
|---|---|
| Dame Commander of the Snowflake
| |
| File:Countess Benton.jpg | |
| Spouse | Daniel McHenry (div. 1982) |
| Issue | Grand Duke Travis |
| Father | Elery Hess |
| Mother | Marjorie Hess |
| Born | 1952 |
Her Ladyship, the Countess of Benton, Deborah McHenry, is the mother of Grand Duke Travis, and a member of the Peerage of Westarctica. The Countess was invested as a Dame Commander in the Order of the Snowflake at the same time she received her title.
In July 2017, she was declared a Living Saint by the Universal Life Church.
Activities
The Countess is an active part of Westarctica, having represented the nation during the 2017 State Visit to the Kingdom of Scone. She is also a frequent participant in Westarctica's Citizen's Group on Facebook.
Her Ladyship will join the official Westarctica delegation to MicroCon 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Title and awards
Her Ladyship's title is derived both from Benton Island, a small island in the Marshall Archipelago in western Westarctica, as well as a tribute to her hometown of Benton, Pennsylvania.
Grand Duke Travis originally tried to bestow the title "Dowager Duchess" upon his mother, but during the phone call discussing her potential titles, Deborah dismissed the choice as making her sound "too old." At that time, she also expressed her wish to omit the word "dowager" entirely from her title, despite being a common honorific for the mother or grandmother of a monarch. After a brief negotiation, they agreed upon the noble rank of countess.
Honors
Dame in the Illustrious Antarctic Order of the Orca, 2019- Dame Commander in the Order of the Snowflake, 2017