Who is Dominic West's wife? 'The Crown' star seen with Catherine FitzGerald after rumored Lily James affair
LONDON, ENGLAND: Actor Dominic West, who portrays King Charles in 'The Crown', appeared at the London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, with his wife Catherine FitzGerald and their children to celebrate the launch of season five of the Netflix drama series.
West and his wife appeared publicly after settling their relationship drama of two years following his alleged affair with actress Lily James. The rumors about the affair began after West and James were spotted riding electric scooters through the streets of Rome. As the duo was busy spending time with each other, West's relationship with Catherine fell apart.
ALSO READ
What day and time will 'The Crown' Season 5 premiere on Netflix? And everything you need to know
Queen's friend claims 'The Crown' is 'vicious' and 'would have destroyed' the late monarch
Who is Catherine Fitzgerald?
According to her Instagram handle, Catherine Fitzgerald describes herself as a "Landscape architect and Gardner." She also operates her ancestral home called Glin Castle. The beautiful gardens of the castle are available for exclusive rental, film location, family gatherings, special occasions, and country house weekends.
Born on May 18, 1971, she is the daughter of the last knight of Glin, Desmond FitzGerald. Catherine is also a gardener and a freelance writer. She was previously married to Edward Lambton, Viscount Lambton. However, they got divorced in 2002. Later, she married West in 2010.
Relationship with Lily James
As mentioned earlier, West and James were spotted in Rome and also pictured passionately kissing during the holidays. He was also often seen without a wedding ring in the public domain, reported Daily Mail. West and James spent two nights in a suite at the top Hotel De La Ville with a panoramic view over the whole city, an insider told the outlet. Later, they were joined by their friend and mutual manager, Angharad Wood, at a downtown restaurant.
According to the insider, they were often seen engaging in PDA. They also prepared to star in Emily Mortimer’s adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel 'The Pursuit Of Love' for the BBC. The romantic couple also started in 'Othello' together at Sheffield's Crucible in 2011 where 22-year-old James played Desdemona, while the 41-year-old actor played Iago.
However, even at this point, Catherine stated, "Our marriage is strong, and we're very much still together. Thank you," as she stepped out of her home in Chippenham in a handwritten message. She also told the reporters, "We're fine, thank you very much, yes we are. Things are OK between us. We don't need any advice from anyone, thank you."
Catherine was seen flying to Ireland for work at this point and stayed with her mother, Olga FitzGerald, in Limerick. One of the sources close to the outlet then claimed, "She's here. She's just trying to get some rest, totally understandably after what she's been through. We had photographers here last week, but there's strictly no admittance to the castle grounds and she's not coming out anyway. The Gardai [police] moved them on."
The insider also added, "This is her home, her favorite place in the world and she feels safe here. It's natural that she'd come home to her mother. It must be hell what she's going through. She is absolutely devastated at those pictures, and their story will inevitably have a sad ending."
Another source also stated that she engaged in a crisis talk with her two sisters, Nesta, and Honor. The insider claimed, "She's holed up in her family's ancestral home, Glin Castle in County Limerick, thinking everything over. Catherine has called on Nesta and Honor to help her as she's been struggling to come to a decision about whether she and Dominic can go back to how they were."
Meanwhile, the insider said, "Nesta has told friends that it felt like a family crisis meeting. Both she and Honor are fiercely protective of their older sister and want only what's best for her, even if that means Catherine walking away."
At this point, West who met the media, said, "She's on a work trip. She's gone by herself. He also added, "Of course, we are, very much together. Our relationship is fine." When the reporters asked about his trip to Rome, he said, "It's nobody's business."
The rumors got settled after they shared a snap of all of the children and the couple standing together at Glin Castle. West in 2016 also made a public statement, "I mean, I think women should be more indulgent of affairs. I really do. It's daft to kick someone out over a fling. Isn't it? Everyone should turn a blind eye to men's behavior between the ages of 40 and 50. Let it all blow over," in an interview with Evening Standard.
He also added, "A lot of people have experienced it and a lot of people fear it. I suppose people suspect that the conventions that we have agreed upon in society, that a man and women can stay together for life or a certain amount of time without cheating, that they're not really staying together based on anything other than how society thinks they should behave. It's not the necessarily natural way to be, therefore there will always be adultery and intrigue about it."
When the whole drama got over, "The idea of remarrying was talked about," said a friend of the couple. The friend added, "Nothing was decided or has been yet, but Catherine brought up the idea and it was much discussed. It shows how far things have come since those photographs. He has promised never to see, speak or work with Lily again."
One of his friends stated, "Dom is woven so tightly into Catherine’s life – through marriage, their children and her family’s historic Irish home – that it would be a huge amount to give up if their marriage dissolved. Splitting up was never really an option. But Catherine needed to know she could trust Dominic and that what happened with Lily James in Rome was a totally isolated incident and that nothing like it would ever happen again."